Kari Golden

Logan
Issues P.3
8 February 2015

Botswana
Who is involved?

Legislative branch
Local government
Political parties and elections
Judicial branch
International organization participation

Political Structure: The type of Government in Botswana is parliamentary

representative democratic republic. Ian Khama was elected president and the head of
government on 24 October 2014. Constitution and Government: Botswanas current
government began on the 30th of September in 1966 when they achieved full
independence. They break their constitution into 9 different parts, such as individual
rights and so on. Their government is ran by nine district councils and five town councils to
make Botswana as great is it possibly can be. With the constitution they have a president,
vice president, parliament, political parties, elections, administrative divisions, foreign
relations, and human rights. Stability and politics of present government: In Botswana
they have a very good and stable government. Botswana's Government is very open to
new parties and new ideas.The Botswana National Front and the Botswana Congress
Party are two of the most major opposition parties.

Natural Resources: Trade agreements: Botswana is a member of the World Trade

Organisation, the make many regional trade agreements. Many of the trade
agreements are for free market access, while another trade agreement is for
other countries to have access to Botswanas goods and services in the
market. Botswana has entered or still trying to negotiate with some of these
countries: Zimbabwe, Malawi, Korea, and many others. Degree of selfsufficiency: Botswanas income per person is a pretty stable income. They
have about $16,500 coming in to them every year. All of the diamonds that
Botswana has is accounted for about three/fourths of their income. Other
exports that help with their income can be nickel, copper, meat, and tourism.

Cultural Factors: Ethnic groups: Ethnic groups in Botswana divided mainly into three
different ethnic groups, the Tswana people (79%), Kalanga people (11%), and Basarwa
(3%). Others speak a language called Kgalagadi which consists the other 7% and then
a remaining 1% of non african people. Religion: The most common religion in Botswana
is Christianity, about 72% of the population is Christian. 21% of Botswanas population

has no religion. And another 6% practices a religion called Badimo. Ever since the
people of Botswana got their independence their religions freedom was protected due
to the constitution. Christianity is showed proudly in schools of young children, they
pray in school to start of the day and sing Christian hymns before classes. Customs:
This country has many different customs, such as customs for music, dances, cattle
ownership, and how the rich dominates over the poor.

Defense: Military Structure: The military structure in Botswana is called the Botswana
Defence Force (BDF). The Commander-in-Chief is basicly the head of the whole
structure, they decide the duties for the BDF and they order any of the Defence Force to
be deployed out of Botswana. Their overall military structure is very stable. Dependency
on other nations: Botswana depends mainly on itself as a country but if they really need
help they will reach out to other nations for help. Botswana reaches out to other nations
mainly for resources.

Geography: Botswana is the world's 48th-largest country. Also the Kalahari Desert
covers about 70% of Botswanas surface. Bordering countries: South Africa, Namibia,
Zimbabwe, and Zambia are the only countries that border Botswana. Topography:
Botswana is parted into two different distinct topographical regions, the east and west
region. The east region is more of a grassland area, and the west region is more of a
swampy area but includes the Kalahari Desert as well. Environmental issues: Drought
and Desertification are the two major environmental issues currently happening in this
country. Because of the drought that is happening it is causing deforestation which is
really bad for this country. Around 75% of Botswanas people and animal population are
very dependent of the groundwater that they have. Another problem causing
deforestation is communal grazing due to about 95% of the population raising cattle and
livestock.

History: General: The UK in June 1964 accepted proposals for a democratic selfgovernment in Botswana. The first general elections in the 1965 constitution led to
independence 30 September 1966. Botswanas first presidents name was Seretse
Khama, he was a leader in the independence movement. Seretse was re-elected twice.
Botswana has only had 4 presidents so far. Seretse Khama (30 September 1966-13
July 1980), Quett Masire (13 July 1980-18 July 1980), Festus Mogae (1 April 1998-1
April 2008), and Ian Khama (1 April 2008-Incumbent). Last 50 years: These past 50
years in Botswana have had their ups and downs. For instance the lion population there
has decreased rapidly. About 68% of the population is gone, going from 10,0000 to just
35,000 lions in the past 50 years. Botswanas has the highest economic growth rate in
the world since their independence, from 1966 to 1999 they had an average of about
9% per year. The foundation of diamond mining, prudent fiscal policies, international
financial and technical assistance, and cautious foreign policy in this country has helped
with its amazing economic record. During the year 2013 Botswana was rated the least
corrupt country in its continent. Botswana was one of the poorest countries in Africa until
they gained independence from Britain in 1966 although as years have passed
Botswana managed to become a very wealthy country. Recent History: Recently
Botswana had an outbreak of Ebola. 83 people had died. This past year has been the

most affected by the current drought that is happening. Overall Botswana has a lot of
history, and a lot of history to come.

Economy: Monetary system: The monetary system in Botswana is pretty simple.

They have pula and thebe, 100 thebe = 1 pula. If you were to bring 1 United States
dollar bill to Botswana Africa it would equal about 9.62 Botswanan Pula. Dependency &
debt: In 2013, Botswanas Gross Domestic Product (The GDP is the total value of
products and services per year) in United States Dollars rounds up to be $14.84 billion.
Botswana has a strong dependence to many countries around the world. On the other
hand Botswana does not depend on many other countries, it mainly just depends on the
diamonds that they have. Membership in economic and trade organizations: Botswana
is a member of the World Trade Organization. This country is also a member of the
African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), the South African Customs Union (SACU),
the South African Development Community (SADC). Size of economy; major types of
jobs; strength of the economy: In USD Botswanas size of economy equals 14.78 billion.
So if the US has about $17,000,000,000,000 for their GDP and Botswanas GDP
rounds up to be about $15,000,000,000 that means that for every $1 in Botswana is a
little over $1,000 in the US. That shows how much bigger the United States economy is
compared to Botswana. The largest source of jobs come from the following industries:
mining, tourism, and livestock production. One in three jobs in the country come from
the livestock production and mining. Botswana itself as a nation has a good stable
industry. There GPD = 24.3%. I know that this country has a good stable industry
because of its economic indicator. This means that Botswana has more money than
they do debt and that is a great thing for countries.

Views on World Problems: Roles & influence on the world: This country is a
very big influence all around Africa. I say this because they are the most organized
stable country in their continent. All of the other countries in Africa want to be like
Botswana, where the people live in an organized, wealthy, happy environment. Because
of these traits that Botswana has many people from other countries have moved to this
country to live better lives. Their diamonds have also had a huge impact on the world.
Botswana is known for their diamonds, two of the major mines that they have are called
Orapa and Jwaneng in 1982. A few years later in 1990 Botswana was the worlds
largest producer of diamonds. International agreements: Botswana is part of about
39 International agreements. They are a part of interpol, Alliance for Climate Protection
(ACP), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and many many more. Disputes with
other countries: Botswana and Namibia are long term enemies. they are enemies
because they have had a long dispute about who should be the owner of the Kasikili /
Sedudu island in the Chobe River. Botswana ended up taking ownership of this island in
December 1999.

ISSUES: The biggest issue currently in Botswana is the HIV/AIDS that is going around
this country. Even children HIV, around 14,000 kids under the age of 15 test HIV
positive. But, even though many kids have HIV only very few will receive antiretroviral
therapy. HIV and AIDS affect many of the adults almost a quarter of the adult population
in Botswana. A lot of the HIV/AIDS that the girls and women are caused by sexual

abuse and rape. These diseases are the biggest problems in Botswana today, but there
are still many more problems that this country is facing currently, such as early
childhood development services. Around 82% of children dont have access to
preschool, no standards exist for providing quality early childhood development
services. Also about 24% of the people in Botswana only live on $1 a day. That is
definitely not enough pula (money) to survive on. Because of the heavy rain in 2006
there is poor hygiene and sanitation which produced epidemic of diarrhoea. 486 deaths
were recorded in just a three month period in Botswana. As you can see there are many
issues that need to be resolved in this country. UNICEF is where Botswanas biggest
support comes from. UNICEF mainly helps Botswana with the problems concerning the
children and mothers, all of the rest of the problems dont really have any help or
support.
*Always called Botswana. The people of Botswana are called the Tswana people.
*Gaborone is the capital of Botswana.