Botswana: building on success.Year after year, Botswana continues to produce shining performances in terms of competitiveness, transparency and growth. It is now redoubling its efforts to diversify its economy and build on the sound foundations afforded to it by the mining industry. This Special Report was written by Barry Baxter from Gaborone. RELATED ARTICLE: Republic of Botswana Surface Area: 600.370sq km (incl. water 15,000sq km); Botswana is roughly the size of France. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Population: 1.83m (2005 est.): population growth rate: 3.5% per annum. 44% of the population is under 15 years of age. Over 50% live in urban areas. Government system: Multi-party parliamentary republic with Executive President as Head of State holding office for a period of five years. Head of State: President Festus G Mogae. Capital: Gaborone Other main towns: Francistown, Lobatse, Selebi-Phikwe, Mahalapye, Maun and Kasane. Currency: The pula Pula (p  `lä), Ital. Pola, city (1991 pop. 62,378), W Croatia, on the Adriatic and at the southern tip of the Istrian peninsula. (linked to a basket of currencies including the
South African rand “ZAR” redirects here. For the former republic, see South African Republic.The rand is the currency of South Africa. It takes its name from the Witwatersrand (White-waters-ridge ). Climate: Subtropical sub·trop·i·cal adj. Of, relating to, or being the geographic areas adjacent to the Tropics. subtropical Adjective of the region lying between the tropics and temperate lands with summer (October to March) temperatures reaching over 40 degrees in December/January; winter temperatures fall to five degrees in July. The rainy season is between November and April. Main agricultural products: Livestock, sorghum sorghum, tall, coarse annual (Sorghum vulgare) of the family Gramineae (grass family), somewhat similar in appearance to corn (but having the grain in a panicle rather than an ear) and used for much the same purposes. , maize, millet, beans, sunflowers, groundnuts. Main manufactured products: Diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, livestock processing, textiles. GDP GDP (guanosine diphosphate): see guanine. : $8.7 bn agriculture: 4% industry: 44% (including 36% mining) services: 52% GNI GNI Gross National Income GNI Global Nomads International GNI Guyana News and Information GNI Gay Naturists International GNI Global Netoptex Inc. GNI Great Northern Iron GNI Gebäude Netzwerk Institut (German) per capita: $4.340 Real GDP growth: 4.6% |
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