Botswana Fact File

The Boteti Diaries

(Test) 1 2 3… Hello, my name is David, David Dugmore of Meno A Kwena Tented Camp & Safaris in Botswana trying out blogging my Boteti Diaries rather than scavenging precious hours from a very hectic time schedule, life is too short! 16 Jul 2009 | 2:33 pm
RIVER FLOWS AT MENO A KWENA FOR FIRST TIME IN 17 YEARS! 18 Apr 2009 | 1:26 pm
It was midnight on 25th November 2008 that we watched, with almost disbelief, the Boteti River flowing into our waterholes! Too good to be true after such a long time…
THE RIVER IS ALIVE AGAIN! 15 Dec 2008 | 9:34 am
The Boteti River deep in the Kalahari Desert dried up in 1993! A hundred thousand zebra and wildebeest perished, other animals died or had to leave the area. The river…

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PLEASE NOTE!

Please be aware that when visiting our site, the Boteti River has since flowed for the first time in almost twenty years. This is very exciting for us and the wildlife of the national parks and is a positive development in every way for our safari operations and wildlife conservation efforts. I will be updating our website as soon as possible. – David Dugmore

Botswana Fact File

Geography

Botswana is roughly the size of France, Texas, or Kenya. The surface area is 581,730 sq km. It is entirely landlocked, bordered by South Africa, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. 84% of Botswana lies on Kalahari sands.

Population

The total population estimate for 2006 is 1.85 million growing at a rate of 3.5% per annum. The population is heavily weighted towards younger age groups. About 43% of the population is younger than 15 years of age. Over 50% of the population is settled in urban areas.

Urban Centres

Gaborone, in the extreme southeast, is the capital city. Its population is almost 250 000. Other main towns are Francistown (pop105 000), Lobatse (pop 60 000), Selebe-Pikwe (pop 50 000), Ghanzi, Mahalapye, Maun and Kasane.

Visas

Visitors from EU, most Commonwealth countries and the USA do not require visas. Visitors from other countries should check with Botswana embassies and consulates. Holiday visas are initially granted for 30 days and may be extended for a total of 3 months.

People & languages

Batswana are the most numerous people in the country, forming about 50% of the population and speaking the Setswana language. Batswana also refers to citizens of Botswana. They have settled in nearly all parts of the country. The oldest ethnic group is the San. Over 80% of the population lives in the eastern region. The official language is English, which is used in government and business affairs. Setswana is the national language, and is widely spoken.

Time

GMT plus 2 hours.

Currency

The Pula is divided into 100 thebe. Notes are P100, P50, P20, and P10. Coins are P5, P2, P1, 50t, 25t, 10t and 5t.

Embassies & High Commissions

In countries where Botswana has no diplomatic representation, information and visas are available through British embassies and High Commissions.

Australia High Commission. Tel. (612) 62907500
China Embassy, Beijing. Tel. 6539 1616
EU Embassy & Mission, Brussels. Tel. 02 735 2070/6110
Japan Embassy, Tokyo. Tel. 03 5440 5676. www.botswanaembassy.or.jp
Namibia High Commission, Windhoek. Tel. 061 221 941/2-7
South Africa High Commission, Pretoria. Tel. 012 342 4761/2-4
Sweden Embassy, Stockholm. Tel. 08 723 0035
Switzerland Mission to UN, Geneva. Tel. 022 906 1060
UK High Commission, London. Tel. 020 7499 0031
USA Embassy, Washington DC. Tel. 202 244 4990
Zambia High Commission, Lusaka. Tel. 01 252 058
Zimbabwe High Commission, Harare. Tel. 04 729 551/3

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