Contents

- General Information
- Geography and Environment
- Population and HIV/AIDS
- Economy
- Communications, Information, Science and Technology
- Chronology of History

Note: The following was drawn from the sources [1,2,3].

History

Batswana is a term which stands for all citizens of Botswana, regardless of ethnic origin (note: since 1946 the population was never counted by ethnic origin). It also refers to the country's major ethnic group, the "Tswana", which came into the area from South Africa during the Zulu wars of the early 1880s. Before colonialization the Batswana lived as herders and farmers.

1830s. Christian missionaries started the development of a common dialect of Setswana, which was finally standardized by the colonial authorities.

1885. The British government puts "Bechuanaland" under its protection, after hostilities between the Batswana and Boer settlers.

1934. Proclamations in 1934 regularize tribal rule and powers. (This goes back to the eight Tswana states which ruled most of the area in the 19th century. The people of these states were given the official colonial status of "tribes".)

1951. A European-African advisory council was formed.

1961. The constitution established a consultative legislative council.

1964. Britain accepts proposals for democratic self-government.

1965. The seat of government is moved from Mafikeng in South Africa, to the newly established Gaborone.

1966. First general elections and independence in September. Seretse Khama, a leader in the independence movement and the legitimate claimant to traditional rule of the Batswana, was elected as the first president, re-elected twice, and died in office in 1980.

The presidency passed to the sitting vice president, Ketumile Masire, who was elected in his own right in 1984 and re-elected in 1989 and 1994. Masire retired from office in 1998.

The presidency passed to the sitting vice president, Festus G. Mogae, who was elected in his own right in 1999.

Sources

[1] CIA, The World Factbook, Botswana, http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/bc.html

[2] University of Botswana - History Department, http://humanities.ub.bw/

[3] U.S. Department of State, Background Notes. Botswana, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/bgn/index.cfm?docid=611

For further information

Barnhoorn, F. 1994. Sustainable Development in Botswana. An Analysis of Resource Management in Three Communal Development Areas. Utrecht: The Royal Dutch Geographical Society.

Harvey, Charle and Stephen R. Lewis. 1994. Policy Choice and Development Performance in Botswana. Basingstoke: Macmillan (reprint).

Morton, Fred, Andrew Murray, and Jeff Ramsay. 1989. Historical Dictionary of Botswana. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press.

Picard, Louis A. 1987. The Politics of Development in Botswana. A Model for Success? Boulder, Colorado: Rienner.

Tlouv, Thomas and Alec Campbell. 1997. History of Botswana. Gaborone: Macmillan, 2nd Edition.

- General Information
- Geography and Environment
- Population and HIV/AIDS
- Economy
- Communications, Information, and Science and Technology
- Chronology of History