Botswana

[ bot-swah-nuh ]
/ bɒtˈswɑ nə /

noun

a republic in S Africa: formerly a British protectorate; gained independence 1966; member of the Commonwealth of Nations. 275,000 sq. mi. (712,250 sq. km). Capital: Gaborone.
Formerly Bechuanaland.

Example sentences from the Web for botswana

British Dictionary definitions for botswana

Botswana
/ (bʊˈtʃwɑːnə, bʊtˈswɑːnə, bɒt-) /

noun

a republic in southern Africa: established as the British protectorate of Bechuanaland in 1885 as a defence against the Boers; became an independent state within the Commonwealth in 1966; consists mostly of a plateau averaging 1000 m (3300 ft), with the extensive Okavango swamps in the northwest and the Kalahari Desert in the southwest. Languages: English and Tswana. Religion: animist majority. Currency: pula. Capital: Gaborone. Pop: 2 127 825 (2013 est). Area: about 570 000 sq km (220 000 sq miles)

Cultural definitions for botswana

Botswana
[ (bot-swah-nuh) ]

Republic in south-central Africa, bordered on the south by South Africa, the west by Namibia, the north by Angola and Zambia, and the northeast by Zimbabwe; formerly called Bechuanaland. The capital and largest city is Gaborone.

notes for Botswana

Botswana became independent from British control in the 1960s.