; Court of Appeal; Magistrates' Courts
(one in each district)

Political parties and leaders: Botswana Democratic Party or BDP
[Festus MOGAE]; Botswana National Front or BNF [Kenneth KOMA];
Botswana Congress Party or BCP [Michael DINGAKE]; Botswana Alliance
Movement or BAM [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO]

note: main parties are: BDP, BNF, BCP; other minor parties joined
forces in 1999 to form the Botswana Alliance Movement or BAM
[Ephraim SETSHWAELO, chairman] but did not capture any parliamentary
seats; the BAM parties are: the United Action Party [Ephraim Lepetu
SETSHWAELO], the Botswana Peoples Party, the Independence Freedom
Party [Motsamai MPHO], and the Botswana Progressive Union [D. K.
KWELE]

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA,
FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Kgosi SEEPAPITSO IV

chancery: 1531-1533 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone: [1] (202) 244-4990

FAX: [1] (202) 244-4164

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
John E. LANGE

embassy: address NA, Gaborone

mailing address: P. O. Box 90, Gaborone

telephone: [267] 353982

FAX: [267] 356947

Flag description: light blue with a horizontal white-edged black
stripe in the center

Botswana Economy

Economy - overview: Botswana has maintained one of the world's
highest growth rates since independence in 1966. Through fiscal
discipline and sound management, Botswana has transformed itself
from one of the poorest countries in the world to a middle-income
country with a per capita GDP of $6,600 in 2000. Diamond mining has
fueled much of Botswana's economic expansion and currently accounts
for more than one-third of GDP and for three-fourths of export
earnings. Tourism, subsistence farming, and cattle raising are other
key sectors. The government must deal with high rates of
unemployment and poverty. Unemployment officially is 19%, but
unofficial estimates place it closer to 40%. HIV/AIDS infection
rates are the highest in the world and threaten Botswana's
impressive economic gains.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $10.4 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 6% (2000 est.)