PART II A. GENERAL INFORMATION The Republic of Botswana is a landlocked country situated at the centre of the Southern African region with a surface area of 581,730 square kilometres. It is bordered by Zambia to the north, Namibia to the west and north, South Africa to the south and south-east, and Zimbabwe to the north-east. Botswana was formerly known as the Bechuanaland Protectorate until it attained its independence in 1966. Gaborone is the capital-city. Setswana and English are the official languages. The Pula (BWP) is the national currency of the country. Botswana is a multi-party democracy which, since its independence, holds free and fair elections every five (5) years. The latest elections were held in 2014. Policy, accountability and governance institutions are fully fledged and functioning. The branches of government in Botswana comprise the National Assembly, the Executive, the Judiciary and the House of Chiefs (Ntlo ya Dikgosi). Local Government comprises 16 Administrative Districts and 16 District Councils in which district, town and city councillors are regularly elected. Election to political office is generally determined through the ballot system at all levels, except for Specially Elected Members of Parliament. According to the Population and Housing Census of 2011, Botswana’s population was 2,038,228 with an annual population growth of 1.9% between 2001 and 2011. Females comprise 52% while males comprise 48% of the population. Botswana is still predominantly rural at 78% and the remaining 22% of the population resides in urban areas.1 Over the past 40 years, Botswana has been amongst the fastest growing economies in the world, characterised by prudent macroeconomic policies and good governance. This economic growth has seen Botswana graduate from a category of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) to an Upper Middle Income country. According to data from Statistics Botswana, GDP growth in the economy has been positive over the past few years, averaging 4.3 percent between 2012 and 2015. The economy recorded a growth rate of 4,3 per cent in 2012, 3,9% in 2013, and by 3.2 per cent in 1 See Central Statistics Office, 2011. 10 | P a g e