Botswana is a
landlocked country in Southern Africa nestled between Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe,
with an area of 575,000 square kilometres and a population of approximately 1.5 million
people, of whom 79% live in the rural areas. A former British Protectorate of
Bechuanaland, it gained its independence on September 1966. Since then, Botswana has
remained one of the most stable, prosperous and democratic countries in Africa.
Botswana suffers from
lack of water, and unreliable and inadequate rainfall. However, the large scale diamond
mining in the country has transformed the largely agricultural economy, and it contributes
to two-third of foreign earnings. Cattle farming remains the major agricultural
activity. Botswana has also extensive coal reserves which are exploited for electric
generation. The economic growth rate is among the highest in the continent with a GNP per
capita over US$ 3,310. Despite the country's wealth, the mining sector does not provide
enough jobs for the growing labour force.
Botswana has one of
the modern telecommunications infrastructure in Africa. There are 150,300 telephone lines
connected resulting in a telephone density of 9.27 lines per hundred population. The
Botswana Telecommunications Corporation Bill (1996) and the Telecommunications Bill (1996)
which were converted into legislation in September 1996 represented a step forward towards
the liberalisation of the sector and the setting up of a regulatory authority.
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