The Republic of Botswana, home to 1.6 million people, attained independence on September 30, 1966. At the time of independence, Botswana was among the poorest countries in the world. Since independence, it has seen remarkable economic transformation, largely as a result of the discovery of diamonds and other minerals. The resulting development has increased access to clean water and led to good roads, improved health care services and education. Forty-three percent of its population is younger than 15 years of age.

It is a landlocked country and is about 3000 feet above sea level, covering an area slightly larger than France and is a little smaller than Texas. Botswana is bounded by Zimbabwe, the Republic of South Africa, and Namibia. Angola and Zambia are close neighbors. The climate of Botswana is sub-tropical but dry. It is hot and rainy in the summer months (December-March) and cold and dry in the winter (May – August). Botswana is a multi-racial, multi-party democracy with a president and a parliament elected by the people. Gaborone, the capital area, has been inhabited for at least a million and half years. Stone and Iron Age remains survive to this day in some communities. In the northwest corner of the country, the waters of the Okavanga River from western Angola form the world’s largest inland delta, with marshes that are home to a variety of animal life.

In Botswana, the public health system consists of health facilities owned or supported by government, as well as other facilities open to the public, such as mine hospitals. HIV/AIDS has become a national emergency and its prevention and control is being accorded the highest priority. AIDS and tuberculosis are now the leading causes of adult mortality, and these two diseases have had a major impact on health service delivery. Currently 60 percent to 70 percent of medical and pediatric wards in the two referral hospitals and over 30 percent in district hospitals are occupied by patients with HIV-related illnesses. HIV prevention and care remain high priorities in the national response. A part of the health sector response has been to strengthen community and home-based care programs to ensure quality of care across the continuum as part of a multi-sector response to the epidemic. This includes involving family and community members in caring for individuals living with HIV/AIDS and the chronically ill, thus making home-based care an entry point in the prevention of HIV infection. Prevention of mother-to-child transmission is an integral part of Botswana’s prevention strategy.

Embassy of the United States in Gaborone, Botswana