page_title: Flag of Botswana
section_title: Design
hierarchical_section_title: Flag of Botswana / Design
caption_attribution_description: Flag of Botswana (construction)
context_page_description: The national flag of Botswana consists of a light 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.
context_section_description: The colours of the flag carry cultural, political, and regional meanings.  The light blue represents water—specifically, in its form of rain, as it is a precious resource in Botswana, which relies on agriculture and suffers from frequent droughts due to the dry and arid climate of the Kalahari Desert.  The blue also alludes to the motto featured on the coat of arms of Botswana—Pula, which means "Let there be rain" in Setswana—as well as life, which is sustained by water.
  The black band with the white frame has two meanings.  Firstly, they symbolise the harmony and cooperation between the people of different races who live in Botswana, as well as the racial diversity of the country.  Furthermore, they represent the stripes of the zebra, the national animal of Botswana.
caption: Construction sheet for the Botswana flag.
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