Botswana Travel Guide

Botswana — Country and Tourist Information

Browse the Botswana Photo Gallery

Country Facts

Location: Central southern Africa.
Language: English is the official language. Setswana is the national language, with minorities speaking Kalanga and Sekgalagadi.
Area: 581,730 sq km (224,607 sq miles).
Time Zone: GMT + 2.
Electricity: 220-240 volts AC, 50Hz. 15- and 13-amp plug sockets are in use. Plugs used are British-style with two flat blades and one flat grounding blade, or South African/Indian-style with two circular metal pins above a large circular grounding pin.
Population: 1.8 million (estimate 2008).
Population Density: 3.2 per sq km.
Capital City: Gaborone. Population: 208,411 (estimate 2005).
Government: Republic since 1966.
Head of State: President Festus Gontebanye Mogae since 1998.
Religion: Christianity, Roman Catholic and indigenous beliefs. There are numerous small Zionist and Apostolic churches in rural villages, as well as United Reformed (Congregational and Methodist), Dutch Reformed, Lutheran, Methodist and Anglican churches, and predominantly expatriate Muslim, Quaker, Hindu and Bahai congregations in major towns.

Recent History

The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has dominated the country's politics since it gained independence. At the most recent general election, in 2004, Festus Mogae won a new five-year term by a landslide majority. He retired in 2008, handing over to his vice-president, Ian Khama. The main opposition party is the Botswana National Front (BNF).

Botswana has benefited both politically and economically from the advent of democratic government in South Africa. The government's main domestic priority is to tackle the HIV/AIDS pandemic; it also has to deal with thousands of refugees from neighboring Zimbabwe, and the controversial issue of land rights for indigenous Bushmen.

Communications

Telephone

Country Code: +267. There are very few public phone boxes.

Mobile Telephone

Roaming agreements exist with international mobile phone companies. Coverage is average.

Internet

Available in large cities and resorts.

Media

There are claims that there are government limits on ability to broadcast freely but, overall, Botswana welcomes public debate and freedom of expression, as its constitution dictates. State-run television did not appear until 2000 and radio still has more dominance as a medium. Printed media are mostly limited to major cities and towns.

Post

There are post offices in all towns and the larger villages. Airmail service to Europe takes from one to three weeks.Mon-Fri 0815-1245 and 1400-1600; Sat 0800-1100.

Press

• The daily newspaper is the Dikgang tsa Gompieno (Daily News), published in Setswana and English.
• Other English-language newspapers include The Botswana Gazette (website: www.gazettebw.com), The Botswana Guardian (website: www.botswanaguardian.co.bw), The Midweek Sun (website: www.midweeksun.co.bw) and Mmegi (website: www.mmegi.bw).

Radio

• Radio Botswana (89.9FM) is state run and broadcasts in both English and Setswana; it also operates commercial Radio Botswana 2 (103.0FM).
• Gabz FM and Ya Rona FM (106.6FM) are both privately run.

Public Holidays

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2011-December 2012 period.
2010
25 Dec - 26 Dec Christmas

2011
1 Jan New Year
22 Apr - 25 Apr Easter
1 May Labor Day
2 Jun Ascension Day
1 Jul Sir Seretse Khama Day
18 Jul - 19 Jul President’s Day
30 Sep Botswana Day
25 Dec - 26 Dec Christmas

2012
1 Jan New Year
6 Apr - 9 Apr Easter
1 May Labor Day
17 May Ascension Day
1 Jul Sir Seretse Khama Day
18 Jul *President’s Day
30 Sep Botswana Day
25 Dec Christmas Day
* Date to be confirmed.

Contact Information

Botswana Tourism Board

Plot 50676, Block B, Ground Floor, Fairgrounds Office Park, Gaborone, Botswana
Postal address: P/Bag 0047, Gaborone, Botswana
Tel: 395 3024 or 391 3111.
Website: www.botswanatourism.co.bw

Botswana High Commission in the UK

6 Stratford Place, London W1C 1AY, UK
Tel: (020) 7499 0031 or 7647 1000 or 09065 508 954 (recorded visa information; calls cost £1 per minute).
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700.