BOTSWANA
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LAND
569,800 km2; about 6% arable, less than 1% under cultivation, mostly desert
Land boundaries: 3,774 km
PEOPLE
Population: 975,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 4.6%
Nationality: noun—Motswana (sing.), Batswana (pl.); adjective—Botswana
Ethnic divisions: 94% Tswana, 5% Bushmen, 1% European
Religion: 85% animist, 15% Christian
Language: Tswana vernacular
Literacy: about 22% in English; about 32% in Tswana; less than 1% secondary school graduates
Labor force: 78,000 formal sector employees; most others are engaged in cattle raising and subsistence agriculture; 40,000 or over one-half of formal sector employees spend at least six to nine months per year as wage earners in South Africa (1978)
Organized labor: eight trade unions organized with a total membership of approximately 9,000 (1972 est.)
GOVERNMENT
Official name: Republic of Botswana
Type: parliamentary republic; independent member of Commonwealth since 1966
Capital: Gaborone
Political subdivisions: 12 administrative districts
Legal system: based on Roman-Dutch law and local customary law; constitution came into effect 1966; judicial review limited to matters of interpretation; legal education at University of Botswana and Swaziland (two and one-half years) and University of Edinburgh (two years); has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: 30 September
Branches: executive—President appoints and presides over the Cabinet, which is responsible to Legislative Assembly; legislative—Legislative Assembly with 32 popularly elected members and four members elected by the 32 representatives, House of Chiefs with deliberative powers only; judicial—local courts administer customary law, High Court and subordinate courts have criminal jurisdiction over all residents, Court of Appeal has appellate jurisdiction
Government leaders: President Dr. Qiiett K. J. MASIRE; Vice President Lenyeletse M. SERETSE
Suffrage: universal, age 21 and over
Elections: general elections held 20 October 1979
Political parties and leaders: Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), Quett Masire; Botswana National Front (BNF), Kenneth Koma; Botswana People's Party (BPP); Botswana Independence Party (BIP), Motsamai Mpho
Voting strength: (October 1979 election) BDP (29 seats); BPP (1 seat); BNF (2 seats); BIP (no seats)
Communists: no known Communist organization; Koma of BNF has long history of Communist contacts
Member of: AFDB, Commonwealth, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO
ECONOMY
GDP: $856.3 million; growth in constant prices, 11.0% in FY79/80, 5% in 1977
Agriculture: principal crops are corn and sorghum; livestock raised and exported
Major industries: livestock processing, mining of diamonds, copper, nickel, and coal
Electric power: 75,000 kW capacity (1977); 85 million k Wh produced (1977), 120 k Wh per capita
Exports: $478.4 million (f.o.b., 1980); diamonds, cattle, animal products, copper, nickel
Imports: $643.9 million (c.i.f., 1980); foodstuffs, vehicles, textiles, petroleum products
Major trade partners: South Africa and UK
Budget: (1981) revenues $252.4 million, current expenditures $247.4 million, development expenditures $150.0 million
Monetary conversion rate: 1 pula=about US$1.23 (1981)
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
