People
The aboriginal inhabitants of Botswana, who have made the Kalahari
their home for at least 30,000 years, are the San, or bushmen.
The San number about 60,000 today, constituting a small but fascinating
cultural minority in the country. Almost two millennium ago, a Bantu
people known as the Tswana arrived, supplanting the San and now
constituting the great majority of the population.
The discovery of gold in Botswana in the late 19th century attracted
the interest of the Boers, leading the fiercely independent but
desperate Tswana nations to petition the British for protection.
Botswana was granted protectorate status (as Bechuanaland) in 1885,
though local authority was maintained with determination by the
Tswana chiefs. In 1966, in the same wave of change that brought
independence to much of the continent, Bechuanaland became the independent
Republic of Botswana.
The very next year, the discovery of enormous diamond reserves
in Botswana transformed the poor country's economic prospects. Today
it enjoys one of the highest economic growth rates of any country
in the world, although its national wealth has not solved the problem
of widespread unemployment.
Language
English is the official language while the national language is
Setswana.
Religion
30% Christian. The majority of the population are into Animism.
About 30% of them are Christians while a small number of them are
Muslims and of the Bah�'� Faith.
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