Botswana
Type of Government: Parliamentary Republic
Independence: 1966 from the UK
Head of State: President Festus G. Mogae (since April 1, 1998)
2007/2008 UN Development Index ranking (out of 177 countries): 124
2007 TI Corruption Perception Index (out of 179): 38
Political Development: Since independence the country has held regular, free and fair elections on a regular schedule and without incident. There are two main political parties and several smaller parties but the ruling party, the Botswana Democratic Party, has never been out of power.
Adult HIV Rate: 37.3%
Life Expectancy: 50.58
GDP: $9.761 billion
Inflation: 11.5%
Poverty: 30.3%
Petroleum: N/A
Leading Export Partner: European Free Trade Association (EFTA) 87%
Economic Note: Botswana has maintained one of the world’s highest economic growth rates since independence in 1966. On the downside, the government must deal with high rates of unemployment and poverty. Unemployment officially was 23.8% in 2004, but unofficial estimates place it closer to 40%. HIV/AIDS infection rates are the second highest in the world and threaten Botswana’s impressive economic gains. An expected leveling off in diamond mining production overshadows long-term prospects.
