Since gaining independence, Botswana has been one of the world's fastest growing economies, averaging about 5% per annum over the past decade. Growth in private sector employment averaged about 10% per annum during the first 30 years of the country's independence. After a period of stagnation at the turn of the 21st century, the economy of Botswana resumed registering strong levels of growth, with GDP growth exceeding 6-7% targets. Botswana has been praised by the African Development Bank for sustaining one of the world's longest economic booms. Economic growth since the late 1960s has been on par with some of Asia's largest economies. The government has consistently maintained budget surpluses and has extensive foreign-exchange reserves.
Botswana include newspapers, radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet.
Gaborone is the capital and largest city of Botswana with a population of 231,626 based on the 2011 census, about 10% of the total population of Botswana. Its agglomeration is home to 421,907 inhabitants at the 2011 census.
Festus Gontebanye Mogae is a Motswana politician who served as the third President of Botswana from 1998 to 2008. He succeeded Quett Masire as President in 1998 and was re-elected in October 2004; after ten years in office, he stepped down in 2008 and was succeeded by Lieutenant General Ian Khama.
The Botswana Defence Force Air Wing is the air arm of the Botswana Defence Force of Botswana in southern Africa.
Air Botswana Corporation is Botswana's state-owned national flag carrier, with its headquarters located in Gaborone. It operates scheduled domestic and regional flights from its main base at Sir Seretse Khama International Airport. Air Botswana has been loss-making for several years, and there have been various attempts to privatise the company, and frequent changes to the corporation's management and board, so far without reducing the losses.
The Botswana national cricket team is the team that represents the Republic of Botswana in international cricket. They have been an associate member of the International Cricket Council since 2005, after previously being an affiliate member since 2001 and an associate member in 2017. They are in Division Five of the World Cricket League and are ranked at joint 29th in the world by the International Cricket Council (ICC), the 5th-highest ranked non-test team in the African region. The team's coach is former Kenyan ODI player Joseph Angara, who was appointed in July 2015.
Islam is a minority religion in Botswana, where most people follow Christianity and indigenous beliefs. Islam came to the country through Muslim immigrants from South Asia, who settled in the area during the British colonial rule. According to the 2001 census, there are around 5,000 Muslims in Botswana, which is less than 1 percent of the population. The relations between the different religious groups remain peaceful and friendly despite rising inter-religious tensions in the other parts of Africa.
The Botswana national rugby union team represents Botswana in the sport of rugby union. Botswana have thus far not played in a Rugby World Cup, but have participated in qualifying tournaments. They are currently ranked 77th in the world.
Botswana is experiencing one of the most severe HIV/AIDS epidemics in the world. The national HIV prevalence rate among adults ages 15 to 49 is 24.8 percent, which is the third highest in the world, behind Lesotho and Swaziland. HIV/AIDS threatens the many developmental gains Botswana has achieved since its independence in 1966, including economic growth, political stability, a rise in life expectancy, and the establishment of functioning public educational and health care systems.
Trade unions in Botswana operate within a longstanding democratic system in which the government of Botswana has ratified the International Labour Organization's core conventions, including Conventions 87 and 98.
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is a television comedy-drama series, produced by the BBC in conjunction with HBO, and based on the novels of the same name by Alexander McCall Smith. The novels focus on the story of a detective agency opened by Mma Ramotswe and her courtship with the mechanic Mr. JLB Matekoni. The series was filmed on location in Botswana and was seen as one of the first major film or television productions to be undertaken in Botswana..
Botswana is a Christian majority nation, and allows freedom of religious practice. A country of an estimated 2.26 million people in 2015, Christianity arrived in Botswana in mid 1870s, with the arrival of Christian missionaries. The conversion process was relatively quick than neighboring southern African countries, because regional hereditary tribal chiefs locally called Dikgosi converted to Christianity, which triggered the entire group they led to convert as well.
Botswana competed at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. The African nation sent seventeen athletes in three sports. For the first time in their Commonwealth Games history, Botswana won multiple medals, capturing three, including two in boxing.
Rugby union in Botswana is a growing sport.
Botswana has produced postage stamps for national use since becoming independent on 30 September 1966. The country formerly used the stamps of the Bechuanaland Protectorate. The first independence issue of 1966 included depictions of an abattoir in Lobatse, Botswana National Airways and the State House in Gaborone.
Serêtsê Khama Ian Khama is a Tswana former military officer and retired politician who served as the fourth President of the Republic of Botswana from 1 April 2008 to 1 April 2018. After serving as Commander of the Botswana Defence Force, he entered politics and served as Vice-President of Botswana from 1998 to 2008, then succeeded Festus Mogae as President on 1 April 2008. He won a full term in the 2009 election and was re-elected in October 2014.
Malebogo Molefhe is a Botswanan basketball player who became an activist against gender based violence after being shot eight times. In 2017, she became an International Women of Courage.
