Botswana

Botswana is located in Southern Africa. It is a land-locked country surrounded by South Africa, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is also a politically stable African country and is fast becoming a major attraction as a safari destination. There are numerous reasons for this but the most important is that it is a large country with a small population. It covers an area of over 600,000 sq kms and has a population of just over 1,6 million people (2006 estimate). Due to this fact the country has vast tracts of land where wildlife can thrive in undisturbed conditions. The government is also dedicated to the preservation of this valuable natural resource.

The southern and central areas of Botswana comprises the Kalahari Desert which is a semi arid savanah area. The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Khutse and Central Kalahari Game Reserves are located in this region. The capital, being Gaborone, is situated in the south eastern part of the country and the population density is concentrated in the eastern part of the country along the border with South Africa. The Makgadikgadi Pans are situated to the west of Francistown, a city about 400 kms north of Gaborone. The Makgadikgadi Pans National Park is situated to the west of this large salt pan system and the Nxai Pan National Park is directly north of the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. Maun, considered the tourism capitial, is situated to the west of the Makgdikgadi Pans and is about 480 kms from Francistown. The Okavango Delta, the largest inland delta in the world, covers an area of about 16,000 sq kms and is situated north of Maun in the north west district. The origin of the Okavango Delta is in the highlands of Angola and is fed by the Okavango River which is also the border between Namibia and Angola before entering Botswana.

The Moremi Game Reserve encompasses a large part of the Okavango Delta which includes Chief’s Island, a large island in the centre of the Delta. The Okavango Delta has also been declared a Ramsar site which means that it is a wetland site of world importance.

The Chobe National Park is situated in the north eastern part of Botswana. Kasane is situated on the boundry of this national park. Kasane is also located on the banks of the Chobe River which is also the border between Botswana and Namibia. The Chobe River flows into the Zambezi River not far from Kasane and there is a point in the Zambezi River where the borders of 4 countries meet, these being Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Botswana, with it’s friendly people and free roaming wildlife, is definitely worth a visit for those who wish to experience Africa in it’s pristine state. This is becoming increasingly rare as development and land use, in many African countries, are encrouching on pristine areas and on wildlife. Although wildlife management is used in many African countries this is not quite the same as living and being part of nature where wildlife is free.