Using samples from local newspapers, letters and public speeches, this article argues that English assimilates to and reflects the Botswana culture through borrowing and semantic . 10. Spinach, potatoes, carrots, and cabbage grow plentifully, as well as peanuts. Botswana has the highest concentration of wild elephants in Africa, with most of them living in Chobe National Park and the Linyanti region. Many types of melons are popular sources of food and water for those . Although this means prices are on the high side, it also results in . The stew consists of boiling meat with onion and pepper and is then poured over the polenta. More modern Village life and the Kgotla Botswana's infection rate, estimated at 25 per cent of the total population, is among the world's . The territory is roughly triangularapproximately 600 miles (965 km) from north to south and 600 miles from east to westwith its eastern side protruding into a sharp point. The two most common meats in Botswana are beef and goat. Most of the ethnic groups speak Setswana (or Tswana) which is the lingua franca, although there are a few that do not. San (The San are the original inhabitants of the land and have been living there for as long as 50,000 years) gatherers carry water in ostrich eggs. Setapa comes from the Bangwaketse tribe of Botswana. The official language of Botswana is English. Botswana. Culture also imbeds the qualities of respect, communication, participation and creativity amongst the people. 12. There are other smaller languages that are spoken in Botswana such as Kalanga, Sarwa and . Prev Article Next Article. *Some tribes don't appear to have a totem, while others can be ambiguous. As well as military coups, Burkina Faso has suffered from recurring droughts, particularly during the 1970s when drought caused a serious famine and killed an estimated 100,000 people by 1973. Botswana eventually gained its independence from Britain in 1966. 22. The official language of Botswana is English, but it is spoken as a mother tongue by just 2.8% of the population. The largest island in the Okavango Delta, Chief's Island (70km long and 15km wide) is so named because it was once the sole hunting preserve of the local chief. Conse-quently, safer sex practices also lag behind as attested by high teenage pregnancies that are testimonies of ongoing . Botswana is to advance in the next 20 years and beyond.4(p25) The Botswana AIDS Impact Survey (BAIS II)5 also indicates that while HIV/AIDS awareness is high among Botswana youth, comprehensive levels of knowledge are low.

It is believed that watermelon may have originated in Botswana, and it is very popular there. Botswana culture is essentially what the country is known for today; peaceful, democratic, racial harmony, stable, humble and welcoming people and independent. While this represents the political culture, it has tended to seamlessly blend well with the social culture borrowed from all ethnic cultures to create a Botswana culture. Botswana is a landlocked and arid country. The capital does offer a museum/art gallery complex which features a good, permanent exhibit on Botswana's history, environment and culture. At these schools, the young were taught the history of their groups and leaders by learning long poems known Christianity is practiced by almost 80% of Botswanans. Over 50,000 elephants can be found in Botswana. 6 years ago Africa, Economy, Interesing Facts. The San and Khoe Bushmen (Basarwa) were the first known inhabitants of the area now called Botswana. Brief History of Botswana: Batswana is a landlocked African country just north of South Africa. Since the Civil War in Somalia broke out in the early 1990's, over 500,000 people have died. Zimbabweans mostly call every kind of toothpaste "Colgate," every soft drink "Coke," every washing powder "Surf" and every floor polish "Cobra.". The leaders of the Batswana sought assistance from the British. Batswana of European and Asian descent, who began arriving in the early 19th century, have settled mostly in the urban areas and the Okavango Delta. The Basarwa people are believed to have come into Botswana about 40,000 years ago and are well known hunters although at the moment it is extremely hard for them to hunt due to the fact that hunting has been sanctioned off in most of the game parks within Botswana. Designs have long been painted on houses in Botswana, according to "Culture and Customs of Botswana." The designs include depictions of animals, flowers, playing card motifs (clubs . Botswana is a wild and unspoiled country, home of the famous Kalahari desert, as well as grasslands, savannahs and the capital city of Gaborone. Our book contains a diverse selection of the most interesting facts, that will provide your child hours of bonding and exploring. The people of Botswana love to dance and sing Around 38% of the country's surface is dedicated to national parks, reserves and wildlife management areas, which is one of the higher ranks compared to most other countries. Today, Botswana's key domestic priority is to tackle the AIDS pandemic. The Batswana culture of Botswana of Botswana's traditional dress includes gorgeously patterned cotton garments, and they practice a vocal and sometimes drum-accompanied music. The history of Botswana is in general the history of the Kalahari area, intermediate between the more populated savanna of the north and east and the less populated steppe of the south and west. Luckily, in 40 Facts About, we've made it easy. Many fruits are also grown in Botswana, including marula and several different melon varieties. We recommend new arrivals working in Botswana learn about the typical local business culture to know what to expect in the workplace.. Business in Botswana has elements of a conservative society, mixed in with more liberal workplace practices. As of 2017, the gross national income per capita . 23. However, attacks by South African and Rhodesian troops led to the formation of the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) in 1977. Bantu-speaking farmers began migrating to the area in about 190 ce. It is landlocked, sharing borders with South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and a short border with Zambia. Raised above the water level by tectonic activity, it's here that so much of the delta's wildlife retreats as water levels rise. Here are 5 foods to eat in Botswana: 1. (Source: Britannica) 2. Seswaa. Traditional culture is not strongly evident in Botswana's urban centers. The Civil War in Somalia has been going on for over a decade. 10 Facts about the Civil War in Somalia. Botswana is inhabited by people of predominantly Tswana origin (collectively called "Batswana") whose recorded history can be traced back to the 14th century. Botswana Guide YouTube, Expoza Travel It took 4 years for mining to start. Their nomadic hunter-gatherer way of life has remained almost the same since the Middle Stone Age, approximately 30000 years ago. Botswana - History and Culture Botswana has an interesting history. In South Africa, many Tswana live in the area that formed the numerous segments of the former homeland, Bophuthatswana, as well as neighboring areas of the North-West Province and the Northern . It is bordered by Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Additionally, the country has a density of 1.28 elephants per square km, which is the highest elephant concentration in Africa. There is also the largest inland delta in the world, the Okavango, and a wealth of wildlife to discover. Botswana is the worlds biggest diamond producing country in terms of value and the second biggest in terms of production. Setswana, Herero, Basarwa and other tribal cultures can be experienced in rural areas.

Because of their high protein and fat content, reproductive termites are a sought-after food source in the rural areas of Botswana. Lekgapho. The tribal (or ethnic) groups within Botswana (Tswana, Kalanga, Basarwa and Kgalagadi) have different languages, traditional dances and clothing, and live a vastly different lifestyle . Botswana is a mainly flat country with its highest point situated in the Tsodilo Hills at 1489 metres. The national dish of Botswana is called Seswaa. 13. Sereste Khama was the country's first president.

During the 1980s and 1990s, Botswana was an important player in South Africa's apartheid struggle, providing refuge for a number of guerrilla fighters and political exiles. Botswana police ranked Africa's best, Nigeria at bottom of global report. They celebrate their national day on this day to commemorate their independence. Botswana has quite a diverse culture, with many different tribal influences coexisting with European influences, which were brought to the country more recently. The San and Khoe Bushmen (Basarwa) were the first known inhabitants of the area now called Botswana. Facts about Botswana Botswana is about 582 000 square kilometres. 8 Facts About Healthcare in Botswana. Africans regard culture as essential to their lives and future development. Abstract. Botswana is made up of mostly desert, and its population is estimated at roughly 2 million. It is one of the most dominant tribes in this nation and is well known for its unique characteristics. The male African Elephant favors the Savute area which is where they live out their lives in all seasons. 12. BOTSWANA HISTORY & CULTURE. Explore Botswana. Since gaining independence from Britain in 1966, the country enjoys a stable democracy with an upper-middle-income profile. The Civil War has been going on against Ethiopia, warlord-led groups, and even the United States. Botswana has been continuously inhabited by Khoisan (Khoe and San) speaking people for at least 18,000 years from around 17,000 BC to about 1650 AD. 11. This article relies heavily on her . Seswaa. 12. Before independence, Botswana was one of Africa's most peaceful countries and did not even have its own armed forces. Although reduced to a peripheral role in Southern Africa for most of the 20th century, at other times Botswana has been a central area of historical development. Botswana . Location map of Botswana. Interesting facts about Botswana 1. 12. The culture of Botswana includes several factors, including its: social beliefs and customs, religions and festivals, music and dance, literature and arts, and cuisine. 45 Visa Free Countries For Nigerians To Visit. Botswana is home to the largest African elephant population with in excess of 133,000 individual animals having been recorded Botswana is twice the size of Arizona The Okavango Delta is often sited as the largest inland Delta in the World, but it is not (there are two larger ones in Africa alone) - BUT the Okavango Delta is one of the seven . 14. [15] This is only 2.7 persons per km, a small number for a country of this size. In 1967, a huge area of diamonds was discovered at Orapa, at the edge of the. What you will find in our book: A step by step guide for your child; Interesting facts . Watermelon originated in the country, and the Batswana eat and grow it often. Adult Literacy Rate. Tswana culture, people, food, language, traditions, ceremony, dance and traditional attire. The Botswana government has adopted a low-impact tourism model in order to reduce the number of tourists who filter through the reserve. It is hard to find the time to teach your child about the world around them. Approximately two-thirds of the country lies within the Tropics. Strong-willed and resourceful, the people of Botswana are the backbone of their country. 9. The Bangwaketse are one of the eight principal tribes in Botswana, and are ethnic Tswana. However, the overlapping similarities between the different components create a homogenous culture, giving a rich and colorful patchwork of the diverse whole. Nowadays, the US-funded BDF is more involved in disaster-preparation and peacekeeping operations. Once it gained its independence in 1966 Botswana began to run itself with a stable . 20 Unmissable Outdoor Attractions in Botswana. With an area of 582,000 sq km the country is slightly larger than France, or slightly smaller than the U.S. state of Texas. Zimbabwe became independent from the United Kingdom on April 18, 1980. Botswana's population has recently surpassed 2 million. 77% of Botswanans speak Setswana, the most prevalent native language.

About 90% of Batswana actually speak Setswana. Botswana is located right in the center of Southern Africa. The Literacy rate in Botswana was 84.5% in 2010 for adults aged 15 and older, according to the World Bank. Spinach, potatoes, carrots, and cabbage grow plentifully, as well as peanuts. The population of Botswana is about 2.2 million. 13. Other important languages in Botswana include Northern Sotho, Haijjom, and Zulu. They produce about 17.7% of the total world production of diamonds. Besides referring to the language of the dominant people groups in Botswana, Setswana is the adjective used to describe the rich cultural traditions of the Batswana - whether construed as members of the Setswana ethnic groups or of all citizens of Botswana. Seswaa is a dish that is made with meat stew and thick polenta or pap. Its eastern and southern borders are marked by river courses and an old wagon road; its western borders are lines of longitude and latitude through the Kalahari, and . While this represents the political culture, it has tended to seamlessly blend well with the social culture borrowed from all ethnic cultures to create a Botswana culture. This meat dish is made from beef, goat, lamb or chicken and boiled with onion and pepper until soft and tender. Their people left thousands of ancient rock paintings at different sites in the . Facts About Lesotho's Culture, Geography, and History. Language, culture and beliefs: About 4 million Tswana people live in southern Africa; 3 million in South Africa and 1 million in the nation of Botswana. Two-thirds of the country is comprised of the Kalahari Desert, which is covered with grasses and scrub but has scarce surface water. Once the meat is soft, it is pounded or . Botswana has two official languages: Setswana and English. This means it has no ocean coastline. Botswana - History Batswana, like other Africans are poorer today because of a lack of writing culture during the past centuries which could have assisted previous generations to document their . Botswana is a country in Southern Africa. 14. Kalanga History and Culture. Diamonds were discovered in Botswana in 1967. Africa is one of the richest in culture and customs, and its contributions to world civilization are impressive indeed. Dutch Boer settlers entered Botswana from the Transvaal, sparking hostilities with the Batswana. Travel Facts about Africa. Before Europeans arrived in the area, the land was ruled by tribes of herders and farmers. The name Setapa comes from the Setswana phrase "go tapa tapa" describing the tapping motion of the feet during the dance. Botswana, country in the centre of Southern Africa. They migrated northwards, at different . The sheer isolation. Two-thirds of the country is made up of the Kalahari Desert, which is overgrown with grass and shrubs but lacks surface water. They soon came to dominate the country that is now named after them. It is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. Watch video on Botswana What can you learn about Botswana in this video? Culture, Interesing Facts. Person Mothanka, who lives in the village of Nxamaseri, on his wedding day. Botswana has the richest diamond mine by value in the . Like every good stew in southern Africa, it is cooked low and slow in a three-legged cast iron pot. Stretching around 360,000 square miles across Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, the Kalahari Desert is not a desert in the strictest sense of the word. Botswana country profile.

There's nothing quite like the sense of peace and isolation you'll experience in the heart of the Okavango Delta. . Botswana Has Africa's Highest Concentration of Elephants Botswana is home to approximately 130,451 elephants. British Establish the Bechuanaland Protectorate. [citation needed] the Batswana believe in the rich culture of Botho-Ubuntu, ''People are not individuals, living in a state of . If you have been in Botswana, then we bet you have heard of the Tswana culture. BOTSWANA HISTORY & CULTURE. Their people left thousands of ancient rock paintings at different sites in the . Botswana Facts on Language and Culture. It is relatively free of corruption and has a good human . Botswana, a country in Southern Africa, has a total population of around 2.3 million people, with women making up 52% of that number. Food in Botswana tends to not have many seasonings. Definitely one of the most important facts about Botswana. Many crops are grown in Botswana, some main ones are corn, sorghum, beans, and peanuts. Here's our roundup of the most interesting Botswana facts: 1. Rainfall occurs mainly in summer with the peak times being in January. In 1885, because of some local wars, the people of Batswana asked Britain for help and protection. Language 21. It was a British Protectorate until 1966 when it held its first general democratic elections based on universal suffrage, making it the oldest consistently democratic country in Africa. Only its vast expanses of sand, through which precipitation filters rapidly . Expats will find that elders are treated with the utmost respect and the dress code is conservative.

A member of this society is known as a Motswana, and the culture is collectively known as the Batswana, similar to the spelling of the country as a whole. The 2011 census showed that there were 2 024 904 persons in Botswana during the 2011 Population and Housing Census, compared to 1 680 863 in 2001. Botswana is home to the largest African elephant population with in excess of 133,000 individual animals having been recorded Botswana is twice the size of Arizona The Okavango Delta is often sited as the largest inland Delta in the World, but it is not (there are two larger ones in Africa alone) - BUT the Okavango Delta is one of the seven . 11. This is the country where the river ends in the sands of the Kalahari, a land of staggering beautyRead more. Here is our guide to Botswana's 20 unmissable . They are believed to be descendants of King Mogale who lived in the present-day Magaliesberg Mountains in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. Their nomadic hunter-gatherer way of life has remained almost the same since the Middle Stone Age, approximately 30000 years ago. Only in the last thirty years, under the leadership of Dr. Catharina van Waarden has a coherent narrative developed which integrates the archaeological evidence and political history of this people. Once the meat is cooked, and prepared with the polenta, a leafy green called Morogo is added and the dish is complete. The history of the Basarwa people. Facts About the Land At 600 370km (231,788 miles) Botswana is a similar size to Madagascar and is just slightly smaller than Texas and only slightly larger than France. The Kalahari Desert covers over 80% of Botswana resulting in its climate being mostly arid to semi-arid. Culture embodies their philosophy, worldview, behavior patterns, arts, and institutions. The Okavango Delta is a birder's paradise with over 500 recorded species. - Source: Lonely Planet. 13. A virtual guide to Botswana, a landlocked country in southern Africa. A series of interesting and unique facts about Botswana are highlighted below. There are many things to learn about this fascinating mountainous country. Botswana's earliest inhabitants were probably Khoekhoe and San peoples, who may have arrived in the region in about 17,000 bce. People speaking Khoisan (Khoe and San . The average annual precipitation ranges from less than 10 inches (250 mm) per year in the southwest to more than 25 inches (635 mm) in the northeast. It receives too much rainfall - between 5 and 10 inches annually. Botswana, one of Africa's most stable countries, is the continent's longest continuous multi-party democracy. However, a recent study suggests that the ancestral home of modern humans may have been in Botswana.

Best time to visit for birding is during summer between December and March. Many types of melons are popular sources of food and water for those living in the desert of Botswana. Watermelon originated in the country, and the Batswana eat and grow it often. 5 years ago Africa, Interesing Facts. As a result, the Bechuanaland Protectorate was established on March 31, 1885, including modern Botswana and parts of present-day South . The books in this series intend to capture the comprehensiveness Tswana or Setswana is the language spoken by the Tswana people and is one of the Southern Bantu languages of big Niger-Congo language group. Kalahari Fun Facts. In the 1700s the Tswana people arrived and established several powerful states. Another positive factor of culture is that it initiates the wheels of tradition, an important part of human history. Culture. Diamond revenues enable every child in Botswana to receive free education up to the age of 13. Bordering on South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Zambia, it is 224,607 square miles (581,730 square kilometers) in area, about the same size as France. About 70% of its land is made up of a large part of the Kalahari Desert. A minority still follow traditional beliefs like Badimo, the worship of ancestors. People from Botswana are called Batswana. The other important language in the country is the Setswana language, which is spoken by 78% of the population. Botswana was once controlled as a protectorate by Britain, and this is the reason why English has managed to become an important part of the culture. Botswana culture is essentially what the country is known for today; peaceful, democratic, racial harmony, stable, humble and welcoming people and independent. The Kalanga people have been in their current regions for over a thousand years. The most common meat ingredients are beef, mutton, lamb, and chicken. Culture Every one of the many ethnic cultures in Botswana has its own heritage of myths, legends, rituals, values and traditional artistic norms. 12. Lesotho is an independent nation-state enclave within the Republic of South Africa. Nonetheless, the 12 interesting facts provided herein will help you make a quick knowledge hitchhike to its summit. Monday, November 02, 2020 at 5:24 PM by Peter Kinuthia. In addition to other minority indigenous groups, small populations of people of European and Indian descent also reside here. Seswaa is the national dish of Botswana. Setswana which is related to Sesotho and Sependi is . Botswana, the Headquarters of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), is ideally located in the heart of Southern Africa. Sorghum and maize form the basis for many of the meals in Botswana. Animals roam freely around the campsites; so don't leave any food in your tent while camping. A group of Afrikaans-speaking people from South Africa settled in and around the Gantsi district, where they mainly run commercial farming ventures. Their capital village is Kanye, located in the Southern District of Botswana. . When surrounded by people who respect you and can communicate with you, you are saved from depression and loneliness. It is landlocked, bordering Zimbabwe, Namibia, Zambia, and South Africa. came to Botswana in 1871 with the Bakgatla and settled at Mochudi.' Before the Whites came to Botswana we learned our history from our old people and in the initiation schools, bogwera and bojale. This is because most of the country is desert and very dry. 2. Between 1960 and 1983, Burkina Faso experienced six coups and counter-coups. Prior to 1966 Botswana was known as Bechuanaland, a British territory.