27 fun facts about Botswana – Land of the Tswana

Botswana is one of those countries that isn’t high on many people’s travel wishlists. But it should. It’s a beautiful country. One, I had a lot of fun traveling through. Maybe these fun facts can convince you.

My personal highlights

• Getting a tour by a San person showing us how he lives and makes fire
• Going into the Okavango Delta by little boat (and spotting lots of hippos along the way)
• A mokoro boat ride through the Okavango Delta
• Flying with a helicopter over the Okavango Delta (check my two week itinerary for more)
• Spotting my first leopard in Moremi Game Reserve
• An African wild dog eating an impala’s head right in front of us
• Ewing baby hyenas greet their mother
• Lightning on the Makgadikgadi saltpans

Botswana just normal facts

Let’s get some information about Botswana out of the way first. Some facts that aren’t necessarily fun, but they’re nice to know anyway.

1. Botswana is entirely landlocked (by Zimbabwe, Namibia, Zambia, and South Africa)
2. It has 2.4 million inhabitants in a region as big as France (which has 68.29 million)
3. Botswana became independent in 1966, making it one of the oldest democratic states in Africa.
4. The capital is Gaborone
5. Neighboring countries are South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
6. English is the official language in Botswana.

Fun facts about Botswana

Okay, time to dive into the actually interesting and fun facts about the beautiful country of Botswana.

7. 70% of Botswana’s territory is part of the Kalahari Desert
8. Botswana was inhabited by early humans at least 400.000 years ago
9. And modern humans lived there 73.000 years ago
10. Botswana won its first Olympic medal in 2012. Runner Nijel Amos won silver in the 8000 metres.
11. The Makgadikgadi Pan is one of the world’s most extensive salt flats
12. The Makgadikgadi Pan is suggested to be the place where Homo Sapiens started to evolve 200.000 year ago. It was also the place for Taylor Swift’s Wildest Dreams video.
13. The black and white bands on Botswana’s flag represent the diverse people and races of Botswana.
14. The national animal is the zebra. This has to do with the black and white stripes, which symbolize racial harmony.
15. There are approximately 130,000 elephants in Botswana, with around 50,000 of them residing in Chobe National Park.
16. Pula, their national currency, also means rain.
17. 45% of the country is protected as national parks and wildlife reserves. Ideal for eco-tourists!
    1. Do a game drive by car, boat, or even on foot.
18. Botswana has a massive diamond production. They produce 20% of the world’s diamonds. Second to Russia
19. The national bird of Botswana is the Kori Bustard—the largest flying bird of Africa.
20. Botswana and Zambia share one of the shortest borders in the world, measuring only 150 meters in length.

Fun Facts about the Okavango Delta

Since the Delta is such an essential part of Botswana, I wanted to share some fun facts about it.

21. The Okavango Delta is one of the few deltas that do not flow into a sea or ocean.
22. The Okavango Delta is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa.
23. 70% of the islands in the Okavango started as termite mounds.
24. The largest island, Chief’s Island, was formed by a fault line.
25. You can spot the Big Five in the delta.
26. Bird-watchers can find over 400 bird species in the delta. The African fish eagle is, in my opinion, the most impressive.
27. There are 71 different fish species, some as long as 1.4 meters.

Let me know in the comments which fun fact about Botswana is your favorite!