BOTSWANA

Less known than its South-African neighbor, Botswana offers its wild beauty to the adventuroustravellers. Attention however with the epidemics whichstrongly developed lately.

Identity card

• Capital : Gaborone.
• Currency : le pula.
• National day : September 30th.
• Jet lag: winter, add 1 hour compared toFrance. No jet lag in summer.
• Official language : english.
• Main cities : Gaborone, Francistown, Serowe, Molepolole.
• Religion : animists 50 % ; christians 30 % ; others 20 %.

Population

Population: 2,000,000 inhabitants.

Climat

Botswana’s climate is semi-arid. The north and east are hot and sunny from May to October and are experiencing heavy rainfall during the rainy season from November to April. The nights are cold. South knows a desert climate.

Geography

The Kalahari Desert in south-western Botswana, occupies most of the territory of the country. In the west, the Okavango River infiltrates the desert to form the second largest delta in the world. In the north lies the Makgadikgadi Pan, a large salt desert.

Surface

581 730 km².

Highest peak

Otse Hill, 1 491 m.

When to go

Winter (late May to late August) is the ideal time to travel to Botswana: the days are clear, warm and sunny. Animals, staying near water points are easier to observe.