Modern History

Did you know- Present-day Botswana – former Bechuanaland-was a protectorate under the United Kingdom from 1886 to 1966, when it became an independent nation within the Commonwealth. In the subsequent decades, inspired by Great Britain and the United States of America, Botswana became a democratic society, making it Africa’s best democracy. Since the 1970s, it is home to some of the world’s most peaceful societies. No other place in the Third World has had a democratic system comparable to Botswana.Contrary to most nations in the world, the African nation has not had coups d’ etat, guerrillas, warlords, military dictatorships, and Marxist revolutions. Until 1990, ironically, this democratic nation had been surrounded by foreign dictatorships and war-torn countries.

International Organizations

Did you know- The English-speaking nation became a full member of the United Nations in the 1960s.

Louvre of the Desert

Did you know- The Kalahari desert is home to Tsodilo, one of the unknown wonders on Earth. Due to its abundant cave paintings, Tsodilo is part of the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2001. This national wonder contains more than 4,500 cave paintings, making it the world’s highest concentration of rock art.

Famous Persons

Did you know- Botswana is home to some of Africa’s most famous persons: Sir Seretse Khama (former leader), Gaositwe Chiepe (Minister of Foreign Relations), Mpule Kwelagobe (1999 Miss Universe), Ruth Khama (ex- First Lady), and Kabelo Kgosiemang (athlete).

Economics

Did you know- Since the discovered of diamonds in Botswana more than 40 years ago, it became one of Africa’s most prosperous republics. During the 1970s and 1980s, the former British colony boasted one of the world’s highest economic growth rates, ahead of Germany, Japan, and the Netherlands. In the mid-1990s, it also had a per capita income two times that of most former Socialists nations in Europe and Central Asia.

Geography

Did you know- Botswana is a Southern African nation that borders Zambia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. It is the fourth-largest country in Southern Africa. With more than 1.5 million people and a territory of 600370 square kilometres, the democratic republic is one of the world’s most sparsely populated countries, along with Mongolia, Namibia, Australia, and Mauritania.

Democracy

Did you know- Botswana, a landlocked republic well-know for its notable national parks and deserts, has the best democratic system in all of Africa. Since then, no other country has done as much as Botswana to preserve its democracy. Due to this, it is the only country that has not had a civil conflict on the African mainland.

Botswana & the United States

Did you know- America’s leader Bill Clinton paid a state visit to Gaborone in 1998. He and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton came to Botswana on the six day of a 12-day journey through Africa. Like many foreign visitors, they visited the Chobe National Park, a symbol of Botswana. It was the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the African nation in the past century.

Human Development

Did you know- By 1996, the African country was ranked 72nd out of 170 countries and territories in the UN’ s Human Development Index, ahead of the Peoples’ Republic of China and South Africa. In 1995, it had finished 74.

Minerals

Did you know- By the mid-1990s, the nation was the world’s second-largest producer of diamonds. In addition to diamonds, it has sizable mineral deposits of copper, coal, nickel, silver and salt.

The George Washington of Africa

Did you know- Botswana’s former Head of State Sir Seretse Khama was one of the greatest African leaders of 20th century. After leading the country to independence from Britain in the mid-1960s, he and his wife Lady Ruth Khama, a white Englishwoman, set up a “democratic revolution”, where blacks and whites worked together for a new country without violence. Khama’s legacy has allowed the country to maintain and conserve its liberal democracy in the last decades (unlike several rules in Latin America, Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe). His policies were much admired outside Africa. Over his rule, between 1966 and 1980, Botswana’s government plan focused on improved education and employment, as well as healthcare. Due to these policies, the English-speaking nation became Africa’s most developed country in the 1970s and 1980s. At the same time, the African country maintained excellent ties with London and America. In the latter half of the 20th century, Mr. Khama, who was Africa’s longest-serving democratic President, was identified with the emerging generation of democratic leaders on the Planet.

Chobe National Park

Did you know- The Chobe National Park is one of the world’s most beautiful national parks. Its geography is home to a great variety of water birds and mammals animals.

United Nations

Did you know- By the mid-1990s, the English-speaking country was elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

Mpule Kwelagobe

Did you know- After winning the Miss Universe title in Trinidad & Tobago in 1999, Mpule Kwelagobe, Miss Botswana, led her nation’s battle against the AIDS epidemic.