Barney stands next to a statue of Seretse Khama, Botswana's first president after Independence from Britain. Botswana is set apart from other African countries because of its stability and peaceful transition to independence from colonial powers. Botswana gained its independence in 1969 and has had a stable democracy ever since. Mogae was the 2nd president and was recently awarded a prize for good governance. BBC has an article about it: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7679391.stm. Ian Khama, Seretse's son, is the current president. Although Botswana is starting to feel the effects of the global recession as the demand for diamonds declines, the new president was given funds for his projects which include increasing funding for youth sports and music.
Sunset at the Gaborone Dam. The Notwane River flows through Gaborone and the city gets its water supply from the reservoir created by the dam. Botswana is landlocked, bordered by Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. Overall, Botswana is a dry country, home to the Khalahari desert, with the exception of the northern area. Up north is the Okavango Delta, the largest inland delta in the world. Years ago, the Okavango flowed to the sea, and now it stops in northern Bots. We'll definitely plan a trip up there when possible. The Okavango River, as well as the Cunene and the Zambezi all flow from Angola, to the northwest of Botswana. The Cunene and Zambezi create the northern boundary of southern Africa. Once again, when time and money permit, plans are in line for a hair raising trip to Vic Falls and the Zambezi. We're told it's possible to body board down the Zambezi, which is chock full of whitewater. That oughta settle the itch to get out of town.
No comments:
Post a Comment