Botswana

Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name upon independence in 1966. Four decades of uninterrupted civilian leadership, progressive social policies, and significant capital investment have created one of the most dynamic economies in Africa. Mineral extraction, principally diamond mining, dominates economic activity, though tourism is a growing sector due to the country's conservation practices and extensive nature preserves. Botswana has one of the world's highest known rates of HIV/AIDS infection, but also one of Africa's most progressive and comprehensive programs for dealing with the disease.
==Economical characteristics==
* Currency: Pula (ISO code: BWP)
* Central bank discount rate: 15% (31 December 2008)
* Commercial banks lending rate: 16.54% (31 December 2008)
* Stock of money (M1): $1.008 billion (31 December 2008)
* Quasi money (with M1 makes M2): $4.183 billion (31 December 2008)
===Statistics===
Statistic / Year 	1999 	2000 	2001 	2002 	2003 	2004 	2005 	2006 	2007 	2008
GDP (million USD)World Bank. "Botswana: GDP", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-10-01. 	5 623	6 177	6 033	5 933	8 278	9 827	10 513	11 006	12 343	13 414
Govt. debt (% of GDP)World Bank. "Botswana: government debt", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-10-01. 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Govt. revenue (% of GDP)World Bank. "Botswana: government revenue", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-10-01. 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Govt. expenses (% of GDP)World Bank. "Botswana: government expenses", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-10-01.	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Debt to revenue (years) 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
==References==
Note: statistical data was rounded. Different sources may use different methodologies for their estimates. Debt to revenue is calculated by dividing the two variables from their original ('unrounded') values. It represents how long it would a government take to repay its entire debt if it used its whole revenue for this purpose.
==External links==
* Botswana on Wikipedia
* Central bank of Botswana
* Country profile (pdf) from the Enterprise Studies page (part of the The World Bank Group)
* BBC country profile
Category:Countries