Portal:Botswana

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Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 per cent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the south and southeast, Namibia to the west and north, Zambia to the north, and Zimbabwe to the northeast. With a population of slightly over 2.4 million people and a comparable land area to France, Botswana is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. It is essentially the nation-state of the Tswana people, who constitute nearly 80 per cent of the population.

The Tswana ethnic group are descended mainly from Bantu-speaking peoples who migrated into southern Africa, including modern Botswana, in several waves before AD 600. In 1885, the British colonised the area and declared a protectorate named Bechuanaland. As part of the decolonisation of Africa, Bechuanaland became an independent Commonwealth republic under its current name on 30 September 1966. Since then, it has been a parliamentary republic with a consistent record of uninterrupted democratic elections, though dominated by the Botswana Democratic Party until 2024. As of 2024^[update], Botswana is the least corrupt country in mainland Africa according to the Corruption Perceptions Index published by Transparency International.

Botswana's economy has generally experienced stable growth since independence. It is dominated by tourism and mining; Botswana produces more diamonds than any other country. Its gross national income per capita (purchasing power parity) of about $20,158 as of 2024^[update] (by some estimates the fourth-largest in Africa) gives the country a relatively high standard of living and the second-highest Human Development Index of continental Sub-Saharan Africa, after South Africa. Despite this, Botswana continues to grapple with high unemployment rates. Botswana is a member of the Southern African Customs Union, the Southern African Development Community, the Commonwealth of Nations and the United Nations. (Full article...)

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Batswana nationality law is regulated by the 1966 Constitution of Botswana, as amended; the Citizenship Act 1998, and its revisions; and international agreements entered into by the government of Botswana. These laws determine who is, or is eligible to be, a national of Botswana. The legal means to acquire nationality, formal legal membership in a nation, differ from the domestic relationship of rights and obligations between a national and the nation, known as citizenship. The Botswana nationality is typically obtained on the principle of jus sanguinis, i.e. by birth to parents with Botswana nationality. It can be granted to persons who have lived in the country for a specific period of time, who have performed distinguished service to the nation or who have an affiliation to the country through naturalisation. (Full article...)

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... that the extinct ant Afromyrma petrosa was found over a diamond mine?

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This is a good article, A-class article, featured list, or featured article, one of Wikipedia’s best work.

A plains zebra (Equus quagga) among a herd in the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania

Zebras (US: /ˈziːbrəz/, UK: /ˈzɛbrəz, ˈziː-/) (subgenus Hippotigris) are African equines with distinctive black-and-white striped coats. There are three living species: Grévy's zebra (Equus grevyi), the plains zebra (E. quagga), and the mountain zebra (E. zebra). Zebras share the genus Equus with horses and asses, the three groups being the only living members of the family Equidae. Zebra stripes come in different patterns, unique to each individual. Several theories have been proposed for the function of these patterns, with most evidence supporting them as a deterrent for biting flies. Zebras inhabit eastern and southern Africa and can be found in a variety of habitats such as savannahs, grasslands, woodlands, shrublands, and mountainous areas.

Zebras are primarily grazers and can subsist on lower-quality vegetation. They are preyed on mainly by lions, and typically flee when threatened but also bite and kick. Zebra species differ in social behaviour, with plains and mountain zebra living in stable harems consisting of an adult male or stallion, several adult females or mares, and their young or foals; while Grévy's zebra live alone or in loosely associated herds. In harem-holding species, adult females mate only with their harem stallion, while male Grévy's zebras establish territories which attract females and the species is polygynandrous. Zebras communicate with various vocalisations, body postures and facial expressions. Social grooming strengthens social bonds in plains and mountain zebras. (Full article...)

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The following are images from various Botswana-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1CBD Mall (from Gaborone)
Image 2Tourist resort at Kasane (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 3Aerial view over Okavango Delta (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 4Ian Khama meeting with William Hague in London (from History of Botswana)
Image 5Tswana girl dressed in Leteisi (from Tswana people)
Image 6The National Assembly of Botswana (from Gaborone)
Image 7Watch house in Gaborone Game Reserve (from Gaborone)
Image 8Francistown Bus Terminal (from Francistown)
Image 9Ostriches at Mokolodi Nature Reserve, Botswana (from Gaborone)
Image 10King Bathoen II 1947 of Bangwaketse (from Tswana people)
Image 11Satellite view of Gaborone. North is to the left of the image. (from Gaborone)
Image 12An 1865 portrait of Kgosi Sechele I in Ntsweng Bechuanaland (from Tswana people)
Image 13Sir Seretse Khama International Airport (GBE) (from Gaborone)
Image 14Tebogo Letsile, the 2024 Summer Olympics 200 metres gold medalist (from Tswana people)
Image 15Street scene near the Main Mall (from Gaborone)
Image 16Gaborone Hindu Temple (from Gaborone)
Image 17King Khama (III) of Bamangwato (from Tswana people)
Image 18Bechuanaland Boys cleaning Aa Guns in the Twilight after Action, Syracuse, Sicily, 1944 art piece by Leslie Cole (from History of Botswana)
Image 19Graduation daggers that were given to Tswana Fighting Regiments (from Tswana people)
Image 20Road map of Gaborone (from Gaborone)
Image 21Gaborone Mosque (from Gaborone)
Image 22Kombi (Minibus taxi) (from Gaborone)
Image 23Prehistoric cave paintings at Tsodilo (from History of Botswana)
Image 24Francistown Stadium (from Francistown)
Image 25Rhodesia Railways car at the national museum (from Gaborone)
Image 26SSKI Airport (from Gaborone)
Image 27Botswana traditional house at the National Museum (from Culture of Botswana)
Image 28Man on donkey herding goats in a dry river bed (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 29Gaborone Dam (from Gaborone)
Image 30Tswana Baskets (from Tswana people)
Image 31Botswana traditional baskets (from Culture of Botswana)
Image 32 Tswana tribesmen, first Africans to compete at the Olympics (from Tswana people)
Image 33A road in Gaborone (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 34Mokgweetsi Masisi speaking at a conference on the illegal wildlife trade in London in 2018 (from History of Botswana)
Image 35Festus Mogae alongside foreign presidents Joaquim Chissano, George W. Bush, and José Eduardo dos Santos in 2002 (from History of Botswana)
Image 36CBD Developments (from Gaborone)
Image 37Gaborone Dam (from Gaborone)
Image 38South African politician (from Tswana people)
Image 39The Sir Seretse Khama International Airport, named after the first president of Botswana (from History of Botswana)
Image 40South African ANC activist, writer and author, (from Tswana people)
Image 414th President of Botswana, King of Bamangwato (Khama IV) (from Tswana people)
Image 42BR Express, the passenger train (from Francistown)
Image 43Rail network map of Botswana (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 44South African billionaire mining businessman, CAF President (from Tswana people)
Image 45I-Towers, Gaborone Central Business District (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 46St. Joseph's College students (from Gaborone)
Image 47New Construction Developments (from Gaborone)
Image 48Duma Boko signing an agreement with the United States in 2025 (from History of Botswana)
Image 49Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs building (from Gaborone)
Image 50An illustration of a Tswana man and his wife in the early 1800s (from History of Botswana)
Image 51Gaborone aerial (from Gaborone)
Image 52Flag map of Gaborone (from Gaborone)
Image 53GDP per capita (current), compared to neighbouring countries (world average = 100) (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 54New CBD (from Gaborone)
Image 55The Jwaneng diamond mine is the second biggest in the world today. (from Economy of Botswana)
Image 56Orapa House (from Gaborone)
Image 57I-Tower at Central Business District (from Gaborone)
Image 58Rev. Derek Jones, the first mayor of Gaborone
Image 59Botswana Gaborone I Towers (from Gaborone)
Image 60Homestead in the ancient City of Kaditshwene
Image 61A 1960 stamp of the Bechuanaland Protectorate featuring images of Queen Victoria and Elizabeth II, the first and last British monarchs of the protectorate (from History of Botswana)
Image 62Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Phokeng (from Tswana people)
Image 63Magadi (traditional wedding) (from Culture of Botswana)
Image 64View from Kgale Hill (Oodi Hill on horizon) (from Gaborone)
Image 65Christ The King Cathedral (from Gaborone)
Image 66Seretse Khama signing the oath of office to become Botswana's first President in 1966 (from History of Botswana)
Image 67Room 52 Roof Top Restaurant (from Gaborone)
Image 68A postage stamp circa 1943, the postmark reading "Gaborone's Village" (from Gaborone)
Image 69Setswana traditional house (from Tswana people)
Image 70Batswana Men dressed in traditional attire in 1946 (from Tswana people)
Image 71King Molema of Barolong (from Tswana people)
Image 72Quett Masire visiting the United States in 1984 (from History of Botswana)
Image 73Francistown City Bus and Taxi Rank (from Francistown)
Image 74Gaborone Hindu temple (from Gaborone)