The Tswana have a rich tradition of folklore, music, and dancing, and their lives are still strongly influenced by tribal institutions. Stock raising is the occupation of most Tswana. Cattle, hides, meat, and other by-products are among the country's chief exports and are sold primarily to neighboring South Africa. Thousands of Tswana are miners in South Africa. Botswana's rich mineral resources include copper, nickel, semiprecious stones, and coal.
Diamonds are a valuable export.
Industry in Botswana is confined to a few factories. The largest towns are Gabronne, which is the capital, Francistown, Selebi-Pikwe, and Molepolole. The San are the native inhabitants of Botswana, the Tswana having immigrated to the country from farther north. In 1885, after repeated clashes between the Bechuana and the Boers, Great Britain extended its protection over the land. The territory became the Bechuanaland Protectorate, administered by Britain.