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Countries
Botswana

Botswana

Capital: Gaborone

About

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. While it is not enshrined by statutory law, Botswana is de facto the nation state of the Batswana people, who constitute nearly 80% of the population while legally undistinguished Kalanga people, who account for another 11%, are the single largest ethnic minority.

Summary excerpted from the Wikipedia article Botswana, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Text may be clipped or paraphrased to fit this page.

When things are closed

Upcoming public holidays in Botswana. On these dates, expect banks, post offices, and government services to close. Many shops and museums close or run shortened hours; transit typically still runs.

Sir Seretse Khama Day
July 1, 2026
Wednesday
Presidents' Day
July 20, 2026
Monday
Independence Day
September 30, 2026
Wednesday
Botswana Day holiday
October 1, 2026
Thursday
Christmas Day
December 25, 2026
Friday
Boxing Day · St. Stephen's Day
December 26, 2026
Saturday

Public holidays sourced from date.nager.at.

Cities (0)

U.S. travel advisory
L1Normal precautions
travel.state.gov →

By the numbers

Population
2.5M
Area
581.7k km²
GDP (nominal)
$20.4B
GDP per capita
$8.2k
HDI
0.693
Life expectancy
66.8 yr

Wikidata · most recent values circa 2023.

Travel

Language
Setswana, English
Currency
BWP P
Calling code
+267
Schengen
No
Voltage
230V/50Hz
Plugs
D, G, M
Tap water
Not safe
Emergency
112, 999
Tipping
Appreciated in tourist service: about 5-10% where no service charge is included.
US visa
Visa-free

Sources

This page blends public reference data, travel-planning lookups, and personal atlas notes. Visa and entry rules move quickly, so treat the travel fields as planning prompts and verify before booking.

  • Travel.State.gov →

    Entry, safety, emergency, and advisory context for U.S. travelers.

  • Wikidata →

    Country identifiers, baseline facts, and linked reference data.

  • Wikipedia →

    Public encyclopedia summary and context.

  • FlagCDN →

    Country flag image fallback from ISO code.

  • Exchange-rate feed →

    Currency-rate widget data.

  • Site credits →

    Global source notes, map tiles, flags, licenses, and attribution policy.