The story of Botswana is one of the few true fairytales on the African continent. From its unique efforts to boost tourism and conserve wildlife, its sought-after exports of beef and diamonds to its more recent fame as being the home of Scottish writer Alexander McCall-Smith’s fictional character Precious Ramotswe and her No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, this country is one that captivates the imagination and admiration of many.
Since its independence in the 1960’s when Botswana was a poor British protectorate, known as Bechuanaland, the government’s motto of democracy, development, self-reliance and unity has become a reality in this landlocked republic in the middle of Southern Africa. Botswana, named after its largest ethnic group the Tswana people, now boasts one of the most rapid growing economies in the world.
Botswana is a well-functioning democracy with an independent judiciary and elections are held regularly and have always been declared to be free and fair. The Botswana Democratic Party has been in charge since independence.
Recently and through concerted effort to conserve its unique wildlife, one fifth of the country, which houses some of the world’s greatest ecological marvels like the Okavango Delta, the world’s largest inland delta with its unique eco-system and the Kalahari Desert, have now been converted to Wildlife Management Areas. Its national parks, the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, the Chobe National Park and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park have become prime destinations for safari tourism and Chobe specifically is known to house one of the largest concentrations of large game on the continent. It is home to about 60 000 elephants. The seasonal migration of game to and from the Okavango Delta is a magnificent sight which annually draws many tourists. The Makgadigadi Salt Pans, where archeologists have made many prehistoric finds, also become a birdwatcher’s paradise in flood season when, amongst others, great flocks of flamingoes can be seen there.