Botswana
Southern Africa
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About
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70% of its territory being a part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the south and southeast, Namibia to the west and north, Zambia to the north, and Zimbabwe to the northeast. With a population of slightly over 2.4 million people and a comparable land area to France, Botswana is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. While it is not enshrined by statutory law, Botswana is de facto the nation state of the Batswana people, who constitute nearly 80% of the population while legally undistinguished Kalanga people, who account for another 11%, are the single largest ethnic minority.
Read more on Wikipedia →The Flag
History
The national flag of Botswana consists of a sky blue field cut horizontally in the centre by a black stripe with a thin white frame. Adopted in 1966 to replace the Union Jack, it has been the flag of the Republic of Botswana since the country gained independence that year. It is one of the few African flags that utilises neither the colours of the Pan-Africanist movement nor the colours of the country's leading political party.
Design & symbolism
The rectangular flag is defined as having a 2:3 ratio. Race is a very important feature of the flag. It was designed in order to contrast with the flag of South Africa at the time when apartheid was in effect. The blue is associated with the sky, and water which is scarce. The country's motto, Pula, means water, rain, and the life that is derived from it. The black band with the white frame has two meanings. The first meaning is to represent the harmony and cooperation between the people of different races who live in Botswana, as well as the racial diversity of the country. The second meaning is to repersent the zebra, which is Botswana's national animal.
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