Botswana

Interesting Facts About Botswana

• Botswana is approximately 70% covered by the Kalahari Desert, making it one of the world's most arid countries
• The Tswana people make up approximately 79% of the population, with the Kalanga representing 11% as the largest ethnic minority
• English is the official language, while Setswana is widely spoken; the country's name itself derives from Setswana prefixes - 'Bo' for country, 'Ba' for people, 'Mo' for one person, and 'Se' for language
• An estimated 77% of Botswana's citizens identify as Christian, with Anglicans, Methodists, and the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa forming the majority of Christian denominations
• Fewer than 10,000 San people continue to live their traditional hunter-gatherer way of life in Botswana
• Approximately 20% of Botswana's population identifies with no religion
• Other languages spoken include Kalanga, Sarwa, Ndebele, Kgalagadi, Tswapong, !Xóõ, Yeyi, and in some parts Afrikaans

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