Intro
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70% of its territory being a part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the south and southeast, Namibia to the west and north, Zambia to the north, and Zimbabwe to the northeast. With a population of slightly over 2.4 million people and a comparable land area to France, Botswana is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. It is essentially the nation-state of the Tswana people, who constitute nearly 80% of the population. The Tswana ethnic group are descended mainly from Bantu-speaking peoples who migrated into southern Africa, including modern Botswana, in several waves before AD 600. In 1885, the British colonised the area and declared a protectorate named Bechuanaland. As part of the decolonisation of Africa, Bechuanaland became an independent Commonwealth republic under its current name on 30 September 1966. Since then, it has been a parliamentary republic with a consistent record of uninterrupted democratic elections, though dominated by the Botswana Democratic Party until 2024. As of 2024[update], Botswana is the least corrupt country in mainland Africa according to the Corruption Perceptions Index published by Transparency International. Botswana's economy has generally experienced stable growth since independence. It is dominated by tourism and mining; Botswana produces more diamonds than any other country. Its gross national income per capita (purchasing power parity) of about $20,158 as of 2024[update] (by some estimates the fourth-largest in Africa) gives the country a relatively high standard of living and the second-highest Human Development Index of continental Sub-Saharan Africa, after South Africa. Despite this, Botswana continues to grapple with high unemployment and income inequality rates. Botswana is a member of the Southern African Customs Union, the Southern African Development Community, the Commonwealth of Nations and the United Nations. (Full article...)
Selected article -Kelebantse Sebele a Sechele II (1892 – 2 October 1939), known as Sebele II, was chief, or kgosi, of the Kwena tribe in the Bechuanaland Protectorate (present-day Botswana) from 1918 to 1931. He succeeded his father, Sechele II. Though popular among the people, Sebele was challenged by members of his family and the British colonial administration throughout his reign. His tolerence of traditional religious practices like polygamy and the bogwera rite of passage made him an enemy of the Christian tribal headmen and the London Missionary Society. Many attempts were made by colonial leaders to undermine his popularity, criticising Sebele as a violent alcoholic and forming Tribal Councils made up of his opponents. As kgosi, Sebele led several infrastructure projects and collected grain and cattle to give to the poor. Sebele was exiled by the colonial administration in 1931, in an effort led by Resident Commissioner Charles Rey, when he was accused of corruption and oppression. His removal incited anger among the Kwena tribes people, the Bakwena, who continued recognising him as the legitimate kgosi. He was succeeded by his younger brother Kgari Sechele II, who was appointed by Rey despite his not being next in the line of succession. Sebele's son Moruakgomo Sechele became a pretender, triggering a succession crisis in 1962. (Full article...) Did you know - ... that during his stay at the Kolobeng Mission, David Livingstone wrote in his memoir that the soil temperature in the sun at noon reached 134 °F (57 °C)?
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