Botswana is one of Africa’s richest countries and is a destination for some high-end, luxury safaris. It’s also possible to see the country on a budget and parks like Chobe and Moremi provide excellent game viewing. However Botswana’s unique and must-see attraction is the incomparable Okavango Delta. Travelling through this vast and beautiful waterway on a traditional mokoro is one of the quintessential African experiences and should be combined with walking safaris on the Delta islands and camping underneath the African stars. Explore in depth highlights of Botswana.
| Tours | Unesco WHS | Guidebooks |
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| groups tours with set departures |
World Heritage Sites | country, regions and cities |
| Time zone: | GMT +2 (Central Africa time) | Daylight savings: None |
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| Main languages: | English, Setswana | Other languages: Kalanga, Sekgalagadi |
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| Currency: |
pulas (BWP) €1 = P12.26, $1 = P0.00, £1 = P0.00 (rates as of Sep 2016) |
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| Internet Domain: | .bw | International Dialling Code: 267 |
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For help planning your trip to Botswana including visas, vaccinations, currency exchange, flights, accomodation and insurance, see our Botswana trip planning page.
Further information on Botswana
Discover more about Botswana - the country's geogrpahy and natural features, an assessment of its status on freedom and rights and data on the country's population and economy.
Geography & Natural Features
Total area: 600,370 sq km (15,000 sq km under water)
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Neighbours (border lengths): Namibia (1,360km), South Africa (1,840km), Zimbabwe (813km)
Climate: Semi-arid climate with hot summers and warm winters. Rainy season is between October and April.
Highest mountain: Tsodilo Hills (1,489m)
Freedom & Rights
Summary status and rankings for Botswana from classifications of different organisations measuring political and economic freedom, democracy and civil rights. See more details of these rankings.
| Index | Status | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Freedom in the World | Free | - |
 | Democracy Index | Flawed democracy | 28/167 |
 | Economic Freedom | Moderately Free | 36/179 |
 | Press Freedom | Satisfactory situation | 41/179 |
 | ILGA LGBT rights | No rights | - |
 | Corruption Perceptions | Low corruption | 31/174 |
| Overall Ranking: | 53/195 | ||
Other Data & Links
Full name: Republic of Botswana Status: Independent Country
Population: 2,155,784 (rank: 141/196) Density: 3.5 people/sq km (rank: 187/196)
Ethnic groups: Tswana (or Setswana) 79%, Kalanga 11%, Basarwa 3%, other, including Kgalagadi and white 7%
Religions: Christian 71.6%, Badimo 6%, other 1.4%, unspecified 0.4%, none 20.6% (2001 census)
GDP (PPP): $34 billion GDP per capita: $16,400 (rank: 64/195)
Information derived from the CIA World Factbook. Other country profiles: BBC News.