Botswana

The Republic of Botswana is a country located to the north of South Africa.

Gaining independence from the UK in 1966 (as a colony, the name was spelled "Bechuana", as in "British Bechuanaland"), Botswana has had a better experience with it than other countries. It's grown economically at a high rate indeed. It is now a middle-income country, has little foreign debt at all and has a lot of reserve foreign currency. This has been helped massively by the diamond industry.

The country has been a democracy since independence, has a good human rights record and is considered the least corrupt country in Africa.

There are two rather big problems in recent years- the recent moving of the ǃKung (sic, the ! is a clicking sound) people, deemed unconstitutional by the courts, and HIV/AIDS. Botswana has the second highest HIV/AIDS rate in the world (only Swaziland is worse), with 1 in 3 Botswana having the virus. The country now has an average life expectancy of 34 years for those born in 2005, one of the lowest in the world. There have been recent budget deficit problems.

Interestingly, Botswana also has a growing metal scene, particularly in the capital. They look like something off a Motorhead album, particularly Ace Of Spades.

Botswana in fiction
 * The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, being adapted for TV.
 * The Gods Must Be Crazy- possible Unfortunate Implications on that one.
 * Usutu in Heroes is from Botswana and several characters visit him there.
 * Bessie Head's Where Rain Clouds Gather.
 * The Professional Wrestling gimmick Kamala has many Captain Ersatzes, one of which is Botswana Beast.
 * Not really fiction, but Ian Khama (then vice-president, now president) appeared in Top Gear`s Africa Special, in which the presenters crossed Botswana's Makadikadi salt flats in old cars.