There is also the largest inland delta in the world, the Okavango, and a wealth of wildlife to discover. Dutch Boer settlers entered Botswana from the Transvaal, sparking hostilities with the Batswana.

It is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. It is landlocked, sharing borders with South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and a short border with Zambia. There are other smaller languages that are spoken in Botswana such as Kalanga, Sarwa and . Once it gained its independence in 1966 Botswana began to run itself with a stable . Setswana which is related to Sesotho and Sependi is . Seswaa is the national dish of Botswana.

Watermelon originated in the country, and the Batswana eat and grow it often. Lesotho is an independent nation-state enclave within the Republic of South Africa. Kalanga History and Culture. Botswana is a wild and unspoiled country, home of the famous Kalahari desert, as well as grasslands, savannahs and the capital city of Gaborone. The most common meat ingredients are beef, mutton, lamb, and chicken. Botswana police ranked Africa's best, Nigeria at bottom of global report.

This meat dish is made from beef, goat, lamb or chicken and boiled with onion and pepper until soft and tender. 12. Their people left thousands of ancient rock paintings at different sites in the . Animals roam freely around the campsites; so don't leave any food in your tent while camping. 11. The books in this series intend to capture the comprehensiveness Botswana, the Headquarters of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), is ideally located in the heart of Southern Africa. They migrated northwards, at different . In 1885, because of some local wars, the people of Batswana asked Britain for help and protection. Raised above the water level by tectonic activity, it's here that so much of the delta's wildlife retreats as water levels rise. Traditional culture is not strongly evident in Botswana's urban centers. Sereste Khama was the country's first president. The Civil War in Somalia has been going on for over a decade. Facts about Botswana Botswana is about 582 000 square kilometres. Tswana culture, people, food, language, traditions, ceremony, dance and traditional attire. Here is our guide to Botswana's 20 unmissable . Rainfall occurs mainly in summer with the peak times being in January. Botswana's earliest inhabitants were probably Khoekhoe and San peoples, who may have arrived in the region in about 17,000 bce. Botswana is home to the largest African elephant population with in excess of 133,000 individual animals having been recorded Botswana is twice the size of Arizona The Okavango Delta is often sited as the largest inland Delta in the World, but it is not (there are two larger ones in Africa alone) - BUT the Okavango Delta is one of the seven . Kalahari Fun Facts. Botswana Has Africa's Highest Concentration of Elephants Botswana is home to approximately 130,451 elephants. Culture embodies their philosophy, worldview, behavior patterns, arts, and institutions. In addition to other minority indigenous groups, small populations of people of European and Indian descent also reside here. About 90% of Batswana actually speak Setswana. . Lekgapho. Diamond revenues enable every child in Botswana to receive free education up to the age of 13. Although this means prices are on the high side, it also results in . The territory is roughly triangularapproximately 600 miles (965 km) from north to south and 600 miles from east to westwith its eastern side protruding into a sharp point. Most of the ethnic groups speak Setswana (or Tswana) which is the lingua franca, although there are a few that do not. As of 2017, the gross national income per capita . Today, Botswana's key domestic priority is to tackle the AIDS pandemic. This article relies heavily on her . 12. Spinach, potatoes, carrots, and cabbage grow plentifully, as well as peanuts. Botswana - History and Culture Botswana has an interesting history. Africa is one of the richest in culture and customs, and its contributions to world civilization are impressive indeed. Diamonds were discovered in Botswana in 1967. If you have been in Botswana, then we bet you have heard of the Tswana culture. Expats will find that elders are treated with the utmost respect and the dress code is conservative. 13. There are many things to learn about this fascinating mountainous country. The tribal (or ethnic) groups within Botswana (Tswana, Kalanga, Basarwa and Kgalagadi) have different languages, traditional dances and clothing, and live a vastly different lifestyle . While this represents the political culture, it has tended to seamlessly blend well with the social culture borrowed from all ethnic cultures to create a Botswana culture. Christianity is practiced by almost 80% of Botswanans. Definitely one of the most important facts about Botswana. (Source: Britannica) 2. Botswana has the highest concentration of wild elephants in Africa, with most of them living in Chobe National Park and the Linyanti region. Explore Botswana. Botswana culture is essentially what the country is known for today; peaceful, democratic, racial harmony, stable, humble and welcoming people and independent. Botswana is located right in the center of Southern Africa. Other important languages in Botswana include Northern Sotho, Haijjom, and Zulu. Botswana has been continuously inhabited by Khoisan (Khoe and San) speaking people for at least 18,000 years from around 17,000 BC to about 1650 AD.

[15] This is only 2.7 persons per km, a small number for a country of this size. Like every good stew in southern Africa, it is cooked low and slow in a three-legged cast iron pot. They celebrate their national day on this day to commemorate their independence. Botswana, one of Africa's most stable countries, is the continent's longest continuous multi-party democracy. Their capital village is Kanye, located in the Southern District of Botswana. Two-thirds of the country is made up of the Kalahari Desert, which is overgrown with grass and shrubs but lacks surface water. However, the overlapping similarities between the different components create a homogenous culture, giving a rich and colorful patchwork of the diverse whole. While this represents the political culture, it has tended to seamlessly blend well with the social culture borrowed from all ethnic cultures to create a Botswana culture. About 70% of its land is made up of a large part of the Kalahari Desert. 8 Facts About Healthcare in Botswana. Besides referring to the language of the dominant people groups in Botswana, Setswana is the adjective used to describe the rich cultural traditions of the Batswana - whether construed as members of the Setswana ethnic groups or of all citizens of Botswana.

The people of Botswana love to dance and sing Around 38% of the country's surface is dedicated to national parks, reserves and wildlife management areas, which is one of the higher ranks compared to most other countries. However, attacks by South African and Rhodesian troops led to the formation of the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) in 1977. Seswaa. British Establish the Bechuanaland Protectorate. Botswana has quite a diverse culture, with many different tribal influences coexisting with European influences, which were brought to the country more recently. With an area of 582,000 sq km the country is slightly larger than France, or slightly smaller than the U.S. state of Texas. Once the meat is soft, it is pounded or . It is relatively free of corruption and has a good human . What you will find in our book: A step by step guide for your child; Interesting facts . Nonetheless, the 12 interesting facts provided herein will help you make a quick knowledge hitchhike to its summit. Language Nowadays, the US-funded BDF is more involved in disaster-preparation and peacekeeping operations. Between 1960 and 1983, Burkina Faso experienced six coups and counter-coups. Watermelon originated in the country, and the Batswana eat and grow it often. The Basarwa people are believed to have come into Botswana about 40,000 years ago and are well known hunters although at the moment it is extremely hard for them to hunt due to the fact that hunting has been sanctioned off in most of the game parks within Botswana. Culture. The Kalanga people have been in their current regions for over a thousand years. At these schools, the young were taught the history of their groups and leaders by learning long poems known Food in Botswana tends to not have many seasonings. In 1967, a huge area of diamonds was discovered at Orapa, at the edge of the. Location map of Botswana. Stretching around 360,000 square miles across Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, the Kalahari Desert is not a desert in the strictest sense of the word. Abstract. 12. This is because most of the country is desert and very dry.

This means it has no ocean coastline. The largest island in the Okavango Delta, Chief's Island (70km long and 15km wide) is so named because it was once the sole hunting preserve of the local chief. 10 Facts about the Civil War in Somalia. Zimbabwe became independent from the United Kingdom on April 18, 1980. Many types of melons are popular sources of food and water for those . A group of Afrikaans-speaking people from South Africa settled in and around the Gantsi district, where they mainly run commercial farming ventures. 2. Botswana eventually gained its independence from Britain in 1966. Facts About Lesotho's Culture, Geography, and History. Botswana is a landlocked and arid country. Spinach, potatoes, carrots, and cabbage grow plentifully, as well as peanuts. Designs have long been painted on houses in Botswana, according to "Culture and Customs of Botswana." The designs include depictions of animals, flowers, playing card motifs (clubs . It took 4 years for mining to start. 14. The other important language in the country is the Setswana language, which is spoken by 78% of the population. Culture Every one of the many ethnic cultures in Botswana has its own heritage of myths, legends, rituals, values and traditional artistic norms. The stew consists of boiling meat with onion and pepper and is then poured over the polenta. The San and Khoe Bushmen (Basarwa) were the first known inhabitants of the area now called Botswana. The Batswana culture of Botswana of Botswana's traditional dress includes gorgeously patterned cotton garments, and they practice a vocal and sometimes drum-accompanied music. Botswana, country in the centre of Southern Africa. Two-thirds of the country is comprised of the Kalahari Desert, which is covered with grasses and scrub but has scarce surface water. 21. Using samples from local newspapers, letters and public speeches, this article argues that English assimilates to and reflects the Botswana culture through borrowing and semantic . Culture also imbeds the qualities of respect, communication, participation and creativity amongst the people. Interesting facts about Botswana 1. Botswana is a mainly flat country with its highest point situated in the Tsodilo Hills at 1489 metres. Additionally, the country has a density of 1.28 elephants per square km, which is the highest elephant concentration in Africa. The average annual precipitation ranges from less than 10 inches (250 mm) per year in the southwest to more than 25 inches (635 mm) in the northeast. The name Setapa comes from the Setswana phrase "go tapa tapa" describing the tapping motion of the feet during the dance. Language, culture and beliefs: About 4 million Tswana people live in southern Africa; 3 million in South Africa and 1 million in the nation of Botswana. Botswana is to advance in the next 20 years and beyond.4(p25) The Botswana AIDS Impact Survey (BAIS II)5 also indicates that while HIV/AIDS awareness is high among Botswana youth, comprehensive levels of knowledge are low. Since the Civil War in Somalia broke out in the early 1990's, over 500,000 people have died. A series of interesting and unique facts about Botswana are highlighted below. Their nomadic hunter-gatherer way of life has remained almost the same since the Middle Stone Age, approximately 30000 years ago. It is bordered by Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. . Botswana Guide YouTube, Expoza Travel Prev Article Next Article. Many types of melons are popular sources of food and water for those living in the desert of Botswana. Botswana's population has recently surpassed 2 million. 11. Another positive factor of culture is that it initiates the wheels of tradition, an important part of human history. Because of their high protein and fat content, reproductive termites are a sought-after food source in the rural areas of Botswana. In South Africa, many Tswana live in the area that formed the numerous segments of the former homeland, Bophuthatswana, as well as neighboring areas of the North-West Province and the Northern . Travel Facts about Africa. Zimbabweans mostly call every kind of toothpaste "Colgate," every soft drink "Coke," every washing powder "Surf" and every floor polish "Cobra.". More modern Village life and the Kgotla Our book contains a diverse selection of the most interesting facts, that will provide your child hours of bonding and exploring. We recommend new arrivals working in Botswana learn about the typical local business culture to know what to expect in the workplace.. Business in Botswana has elements of a conservative society, mixed in with more liberal workplace practices. 13. Africans regard culture as essential to their lives and future development. As well as military coups, Burkina Faso has suffered from recurring droughts, particularly during the 1970s when drought caused a serious famine and killed an estimated 100,000 people by 1973. Only its vast expanses of sand, through which precipitation filters rapidly . Setapa comes from the Bangwaketse tribe of Botswana. It is landlocked, bordering Zimbabwe, Namibia, Zambia, and South Africa. Here's our roundup of the most interesting Botswana facts: 1. Person Mothanka, who lives in the village of Nxamaseri, on his wedding day. This is the country where the river ends in the sands of the Kalahari, a land of staggering beautyRead more. The capital does offer a museum/art gallery complex which features a good, permanent exhibit on Botswana's history, environment and culture. came to Botswana in 1871 with the Bakgatla and settled at Mochudi.' Before the Whites came to Botswana we learned our history from our old people and in the initiation schools, bogwera and bojale. 20 Unmissable Outdoor Attractions in Botswana. Botswana's infection rate, estimated at 25 per cent of the total population, is among the world's . Botswana is a country in Southern Africa. Once the meat is cooked, and prepared with the polenta, a leafy green called Morogo is added and the dish is complete. Prior to 1966 Botswana was known as Bechuanaland, a British territory. 6 years ago Africa, Economy, Interesing Facts. Botswana - History Batswana, like other Africans are poorer today because of a lack of writing culture during the past centuries which could have assisted previous generations to document their . It is one of the most dominant tribes in this nation and is well known for its unique characteristics.

[citation needed] the Batswana believe in the rich culture of Botho-Ubuntu, ''People are not individuals, living in a state of . Tswana or Setswana is the language spoken by the Tswana people and is one of the Southern Bantu languages of big Niger-Congo language group. Botswana has two official languages: Setswana and English. 23.

Over 50,000 elephants can be found in Botswana. People from Botswana are called Batswana. Botswana, a country in Southern Africa, has a total population of around 2.3 million people, with women making up 52% of that number. A virtual guide to Botswana, a landlocked country in southern Africa. Botswana is made up of mostly desert, and its population is estimated at roughly 2 million. Their people left thousands of ancient rock paintings at different sites in the . Botswana is home to the largest African elephant population with in excess of 133,000 individual animals having been recorded Botswana is twice the size of Arizona The Okavango Delta is often sited as the largest inland Delta in the World, but it is not (there are two larger ones in Africa alone) - BUT the Okavango Delta is one of the seven . They produce about 17.7% of the total world production of diamonds. Before Europeans arrived in the area, the land was ruled by tribes of herders and farmers. The official language of Botswana is English, but it is spoken as a mother tongue by just 2.8% of the population. Although reduced to a peripheral role in Southern Africa for most of the 20th century, at other times Botswana has been a central area of historical development. The two most common meats in Botswana are beef and goat. The national dish of Botswana is called Seswaa. The 2011 census showed that there were 2 024 904 persons in Botswana during the 2011 Population and Housing Census, compared to 1 680 863 in 2001. As a result, the Bechuanaland Protectorate was established on March 31, 1885, including modern Botswana and parts of present-day South .

When surrounded by people who respect you and can communicate with you, you are saved from depression and loneliness. BOTSWANA HISTORY & CULTURE. Botswana is inhabited by people of predominantly Tswana origin (collectively called "Batswana") whose recorded history can be traced back to the 14th century. It is believed that watermelon may have originated in Botswana, and it is very popular there.

9. They soon came to dominate the country that is now named after them. Batswana of European and Asian descent, who began arriving in the early 19th century, have settled mostly in the urban areas and the Okavango Delta. 14. Seswaa. It is hard to find the time to teach your child about the world around them. A minority still follow traditional beliefs like Badimo, the worship of ancestors. 13. 12.