Copyright Africa Inside Out 2008
Copyright Africa Inside Out 2008
Botswana is a place where you would wish the time could stand still. In this beautiful country you will encounter endless horizons. The unforgettable wilderness, the splendid waterways of the Okavango Delta, the Kalahari Sand Dunes and the abundance of wild-wildlife are just a few features of what makes Botswana your ultimate destination. It is actually better known for it’s peace and tranquillity, diamonds and beef, holds a lot of surprises for you.
Botswana a land-locked country dominated in geographical terms by the Kalahari Desert - a sand-filled basin averaging 1,100 metres above sea level. The Country is in Central Southern Africa. Botswana bordered by Zambia and Zimbabwe to the northeast, Namibia to the north and west, and South Africa to the south and southeast is a landlocked country. At Kazungula, four countries - Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia - meet at a single point mid-stream in the Zambezi River. The Chobe River runs along part of its northern boundary; the Nossob River at its south-western boundary; the Molopo River at its southern boundary; and the Marico, Limpopo and Shashe Rivers at its eastern boundaries. With the exceptions of the Okavango and Chobe areas in the north, the country has little permanent surface water.
The distance between the extreme north and the extreme south of Botswana is about 1,110 kilometres. It is 960 kilometres across at its widest. The area of Botswana is approximately 581,730 square kilometres and is about the size of France or Kenya. It is approximately 500 km from the nearest coastline, to the southwest.
The Kalahari Desert stretches covering 84% of the country. The Kalahari extends far beyond Botswana's western borders, covering substantial parts of South Africa, Namibia and Angola. Most of the Kalahari (or Kgalagadi, which is its Setswana name) is covered with vegetation including stunted thorn and scrub bush, trees and grasslands. The largely unchanging flat terrain occasionally interrupted by gently descending valleys, sand dunes, and large numbers of pans and, in the extreme northwest, isolated hills, such as Aha, Tsodilo, Koanaka and Gcwihaba. Many of the pans have dune systems on the southwest side, which vary in size and complexity. The pans fill with water during the rainy season and their hard surface layer ensures that the water remains in the pans and is not immediately absorbed. These pans are of great importance to wildlife, which obtain valuable nutrients from the salts and the grasses of the pans. In the north-west, the Okavango River flows in from the highlands of Angola and soaks into the sands, forming the 15,000 sq. km network of water channels, lagoons, swamps and islands. The Okavango is the largest inland delta system in the world a bit smaller than Israel or half of Switzerland. The northeastern region of the Kalahari Basin contains the Makgadikgadi Pans - an extensive network of saltpans and ephemeral lakes.
Botswana has no mountain ranges to speak of with the almost uniformly flat landscape occasionally punctuated by low hills, especially along the southeastern boundary and in the far northwest. Botswana's highest point is 1,491m Otse Mountain near Lobatse, but the three major peaks of the Tsodilo Hills, in the country's northwestern corner, are more dramatic.
Facts and Figures
Head of State: President Festus Mogae
Land Area: 582,000 sq. km
Population: 1.6 million (1999)
Urbanization: 46%
Capital City: Gaborone 192,845('98)
Climate: Summer: 19-33°C, Winter: 5-23°C
Languages: Official language: English Setswana is the national language
Measures: Metric System
Electric Current: 220 volts
Regions of Botswana
Central District
Chobe District
Ghanzi District
Kgalagadi District
Kgatleng District
Kweneng District
Ngamiland District
North-East District
South-East District
Southern District
Botswana a land-locked country dominated in geographical terms by the Kalahari Desert - a sand-filled basin averaging 1,100 metres above sea level. The Country is in Central Southern Africa. Botswana bordered by Zambia and Zimbabwe to the northeast, Namibia to the north and west, and South Africa to the south and southeast is a landlocked country. At Kazungula, four countries - Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia - meet at a single point mid-stream in the Zambezi River. The Chobe River runs along part of its northern boundary; the Nossob River at its south-western boundary; the Molopo River at its southern boundary; and the Marico, Limpopo and Shashe Rivers at its eastern boundaries. With the exceptions of the Okavango and Chobe areas in the north, the country has little permanent surface water.
The distance between the extreme north and the extreme south of Botswana is about 1,110 kilometres. It is 960 kilometres across at its widest. The area of Botswana is approximately 581,730 square kilometres and is about the size of France or Kenya. It is approximately 500 km from the nearest coastline, to the southwest.
The Kalahari Desert stretches covering 84% of the country. The Kalahari extends far beyond Botswana's western borders, covering substantial parts of South Africa, Namibia and Angola. Most of the Kalahari (or Kgalagadi, which is its Setswana name) is covered with vegetation including stunted thorn and scrub bush, trees and grasslands. The largely unchanging flat terrain occasionally interrupted by gently descending valleys, sand dunes, and large numbers of pans and, in the extreme northwest, isolated hills, such as Aha, Tsodilo, Koanaka and Gcwihaba. Many of the pans have dune systems on the southwest side, which vary in size and complexity. The pans fill with water during the rainy season and their hard surface layer ensures that the water remains in the pans and is not immediately absorbed. These pans are of great importance to wildlife, which obtain valuable nutrients from the salts and the grasses of the pans. In the north-west, the Okavango River flows in from the highlands of Angola and soaks into the sands, forming the 15,000 sq. km network of water channels, lagoons, swamps and islands. The Okavango is the largest inland delta system in the world a bit smaller than Israel or half of Switzerland. The northeastern region of the Kalahari Basin contains the Makgadikgadi Pans - an extensive network of saltpans and ephemeral lakes.
Botswana has no mountain ranges to speak of with the almost uniformly flat landscape occasionally punctuated by low hills, especially along the southeastern boundary and in the far northwest. Botswana's highest point is 1,491m Otse Mountain near Lobatse, but the three major peaks of the Tsodilo Hills, in the country's northwestern corner, are more dramatic.
Facts and Figures
Head of State: President Festus Mogae
Land Area: 582,000 sq. km
Population: 1.6 million (1999)
Urbanization: 46%
Capital City: Gaborone 192,845('98)
Climate: Summer: 19-33°C, Winter: 5-23°C
Languages: Official language: English Setswana is the national language
Measures: Metric System
Electric Current: 220 volts
Regions of Botswana
Central District
Chobe District
Ghanzi District
Kgalagadi District
Kgatleng District
Kweneng District
Ngamiland District
North-East District
South-East District
Southern District
Journey to the 'Last Eden'....
Botswana.
Botswana.
