Flag of Botswana
The national flag of Botswana (Setswana: folaga ya 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.
In 1885, Bechuanaland became a protectorate of the United Kingdom within its colonial empire. This occurred after the leaders of the Tswana people negotiated with the British to offer them protection from the Boers, who were invading their lands from the neighbouring South African Republic. In spite of this newfound protection, South Africa continued to pressure the British to allow them to annex Bechuanaland into their union. This did not occur due to widespread opposition from the Batswana people, and Bechuanaland gained independence from Britain in 1966; the new nation was renamed Botswana.
Before it gained independence, Botswana did not have its own distinctive colonial flag, with the flag of the United Kingdom serving as the de facto flag of the protectorate. When Botswana's national flag was created in 1966, it was symbolically designed to contrast with the flag of South Africa, since the latter country was ruled under an apartheid regime. Hence, the black stripe with the white frame came to epitomise the peace and harmony between the people of African and European descent who reside in Botswana. The new flag was first hoisted at midnight on 30 September 1966, the day Botswana became an independent country.
In 1885, Bechuanaland became a protectorate of the United Kingdom within its colonial empire. This occurred after the leaders of the Tswana people negotiated with the British to offer them protection from the Boers, who were invading their lands from the neighbouring South African Republic. In spite of this newfound protection, South Africa continued to pressure the British to allow them to annex Bechuanaland into their union. This did not occur due to widespread opposition from the Batswana people, and Bechuanaland gained independence from Britain in 1966; the new nation was renamed Botswana.
Before it gained independence, Botswana did not have its own distinctive colonial flag, with the flag of the United Kingdom serving as the de facto flag of the protectorate. When Botswana's national flag was created in 1966, it was symbolically designed to contrast with the flag of South Africa, since the latter country was ruled under an apartheid regime. Hence, the black stripe with the white frame came to epitomise the peace and harmony between the people of African and European descent who reside in Botswana. The new flag was first hoisted at midnight on 30 September 1966, the day Botswana became an independent country.
National flag
Country - Botswana
Warning: getimagesize(/Image/Map/MP933860.gif): failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/mapnlee7/public_html/MAPNALL/article.php on line 532
 |
A country of slightly over 2.3 million people, Botswana is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. About 11.6 percent of the population lives in the capital and largest city, Gaborone. Formerly one of the world's poorest countries—with a GDP per capita of about US$70 per year in the late 1960s—it has since transformed itself into an upper-middle-income country, with one of the world's fastest-growing economies.