Botswana - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Botswana. Landlocked; sparsely populated with most settlement concentrated in the southern and eastern parts of the country; geography dominated by the Kalahari Desert, which covers about 70% of the country, although the Okavango Delta brings considerable biodiversity as one of the largest inland deltas in the World . Mother's mean age at first birth is (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 186 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Botswana
Location Southern Africa, north of South Africa
Geographic coordinates 22 00 S, 24 00 E
Map references Africa
Tarrain predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest
Natural Resources diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver
Natural Hazards periodic droughts; seasonal August winds blow from the west, carrying sand and dust across the country, which can obscure visibility
Irrigated Land 25 sq km (2014)
Major rivers (by length in km)

Zambezi (shared with Zambia [s]), Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique [m]) - 2,740 km; Limpopo (shared with South Africa [s], Zimbabwe, and Mozambique [m]) - 1,800 km; Okavango river mouth (shared with Angola [s], and Namibia) - 1,600 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Major aquifers Lower Kalahari-Stampriet Basin, Upper Kalahari-Cuvelai-Upper Zambezi Basin
Land Boundaries 4,347.15 km
Border Countries Namibia 1,544 km; South Africa 1,969 km; Zambia 0.15 km; Zimbabwe 834 km
Coastline 0 km (landlocked)
Climate semiarid; warm winters and hot summers
Area
Total Area
Land Area 566,730 sq km
Water Area 15,000 sq km
comparative Area slightly smaller than Texas; almost four times the size of Illinois
Maritime Claims
Elevations
Highest point Manyelanong Hill 1,495 m
Lowest point junction of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers 513 m
Mean elevation 1,013 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 45.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 0.6% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 45.2% (2018 est.)
Forest 19.8% (2018 est.)
Other 34.4% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

The population is primarily concentrated in the east with a focus in and around the captial of Gaborone, and the far central-eastern city of Francistown; population density remains low in other areas in the country, especially in the Kalahari to the west as shown in this population distribution map

People and Society

In Botswana, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Tswana (or Setswana) 79%, Kalanga 11%, Basarwa 3%, other, including Kgalagadi and people of European ancestry 7%

Population
Pop growth rate 1.34% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 19.6 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 8.9 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 6.2% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 1.8 beds/1,000 population
Total fertility rate 2.34 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 1.15 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate 67.4% (2017)
Est married women (ages 15-49) 45% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 8.7% of GDP (2020 est.)
Net Migration rate 2.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural) | Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)
Languages Setswana 77.3%, Sekalanga 7.4%, Shekgalagadi 3.4%, English (official) 2.8%, Zezuru/Shona 2%, Sesarwa 1.7%, Sembukushu 1.6%, Ndebele 1%, other 2.8% (2011 est.)
Religions Christian 79.1%, Badimo 4.1%, other 1.4% (includes Baha'i, Hindu, Muslim, Rastafarian), none 15.2%, unspecified 0.3% (2011 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 28.7% (male 355,583/female 348,863)
15-64 years 65.2% (male 759,210/female 837,752)
65 years and over 6.1% (2024 est.) (male 59,513/female 89,747)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 57.5
Youth dependency ratio 51.8
Elderly dependency ratio 5.7
Potential support ratio 13.8 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 27.1 years (2024 est.)
Male 26 years
Female 28.3 years
Urbanization
Urban population 72.9% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 2.47% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 269,000 GABORONE (capital) (2018).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.66 male(s)/female
Total population 0.92 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 23.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 25.9 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 21.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 66.4 years (2024 est.)
Male 64.4 years
Female 68.6 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 98.1% of population
Improved: rural rural: 96.9% of population
Improved: total total: 99.4% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 0.2% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 3.1% of population
Unimproved: total total: 0.6% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 94.9% of population
Improved: rural rural: 63% of population
Improved: total total: 85.6% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 5.1% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 37% of population
Unimproved: total total: 14.4% of population (2020 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 5.98 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 2.93 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0.46 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 0.96 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 1.64 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 19.4% (2020 est.)
Male 30.4% (2020 est.)
Female 8.3% (2020 est.)
Demographic profile

Botswana has experienced one of the most rapid declines in fertility in Sub-Saharan Africa. The total fertility rate fell from more than 5 children per woman in the mid 1980s to approximately 2.4 in 2013, and remains at that level in 2022. The fertility reduction has been attributed to a host of factors, including higher educational attainment among women, greater participation of women in the workforce, increased contraceptive use, later first births, and a strong national family planning program. Botswana was making significant progress in several health indicators, including life expectancy and infant and child mortality rates, until being devastated by the HIV/AIDs epidemic in the 1990s.

In 2021,  Botswana had one of the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in the world at close to 20%, however comprehensive and effective treatment programs have reduced HIV/AIDS-related deaths. The combination of declining fertility and increasing mortality rates because of HIV/AIDS is slowing the population aging process, with a narrowing of the youngest age groups and little expansion of the oldest age groups. Nevertheless, having the bulk of its population (about 60% as of 2022) of working age will only yield economic benefits if the labor force is healthy, educated, and productively employed.

Batswana have been working as contract miners in South Africa since the 19th century. Although Botswana’s economy improved shortly after independence in 1966 with the discovery of diamonds and other minerals, its lingering high poverty rate and lack of job opportunities continued to push workers to seek mining work in southern African countries. In the early 1970s, about a third of Botswana’s male labor force worked in South Africa (lesser numbers went to Namibia and Zimbabwe). Not until the 1980s and 1990s, when South African mining companies had reduced their recruitment of foreign workers and Botswana’s economic prospects had improved, were Batswana increasingly able to find job opportunities at home.

Most Batswana prefer life in their home country and choose cross-border migration on a temporary basis only for work, shopping, visiting family, or tourism. Since the 1970s, Botswana has pursued an open migration policy enabling it to recruit thousands of foreign workers to fill skilled labor shortages. In the late 1990s, Botswana’s prosperity and political stability attracted not only skilled workers but small numbers of refugees from neighboring Angola, Namibia, and Zimbabwe.

All Important Facts about Botswana

Want to know more about Botswana? Check all different factbooks for Botswana below.

Botswana is found in Southern Africa