The primary airport for international flights is at Gaborone. Additional notable international access points to this region of Africa would be nearby Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Livingstone in Zambia, both to the North, or Johannesburg, South Africa, to the South. There are a number of airports in Botswana. However, not all Botswana airports have regularly scheduled flights. We do not list the smallest Botswana airports, since there is no way to provide you flights from those airports. AirGorilla offers flights, hotels, and rental car reservations for Botswana.
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana (Tswana: Lefatshe la Botswana), is a landlocked nation in Southern Africa. Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on September 30, 1966. It is bordered by South Africa to the south and southeast, Namibia to the west, Zambia to the north, and Zimbabwe to the northeast. The economy, closely tied to South Africa's, is predominated by mining (especially diamonds), cattle, and tourism. The country is named after its largest ethnic group, the Tswana.
Botswana is predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest. Botswana is dominated by the Kalahari Desert, which covers up to 70% of the land surface of the country. The Okavango Delta, the world's largest inland delta, is in the Northwest. The Makgadikgadi Pan, a large salt pan lies in the North.
Botswana has diverse areas of wildlife habitat, including the Okavango Delta, the Kalahari Desert, grasslands and savannas, the latter where Blue Wildebeest and many antelopes as well as other mammals and birds are found. Tourism plays a role in Botswana. A number of national parks and game reserves, with their abundant wildlife, are a top draw for tourists.
Botswana's impressive economic record has been built on the foundation of wisely using revenue generated from diamond mining to fuel economic development through prudent fiscal policies and a cautious foreign policy. Debswana, the only diamond mining company operating in Botswana, is 50% owned by the government and generates about half of all government revenues.
However, economic development spending was cut by 10% in 2002-2003 as a result of recurring budget deficits and rising expenditure on healthcare services. Botswana has been hit very hard by the AIDS epidemic; the average life expectancy is approximately 40 years, third to Zimbabwe and Swaziland. Approximately one in three Batswana has HIV, giving Botswana the second highest HIV infection rate in the world after Swaziland. ()
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