The Bechuanaland Protectorate maintained its semi-independent status until 1966, when it gained full independence as the Republic of Botswana.

In 1966, Botswana gained independence and Khama became its first president.

The BNF was founded in 1965, shortly after the Botswana Democratic Party ( BDP )' s landslide victory in the self-government elections and just before Botswana gained independence.

After Botswana gained its independence in 1966, Francistown was no longer segregated.

The seven censuses of Botswana before its independence happened irregularly.

There have been five censuses after the independence of Botswana, each occurring every ten years in the year ending in 1 ( i. e. 1971, 1981, 1991, 2001, and 2011 ).

Since independence the party system has been dominated by the Botswana Democratic Party ( BDP ), which has never lost power since independence.

Since independence, Botswana has had the highest average economic growth rate in the world, averaging about 9 % per year from 1966 to 1999.

The United States considers Botswana an advocate of and a model for stability in Africa and has been a major partner in Botswana's development since its independence.

* 1966 – The British protectorate of Bechuanaland declares its independence, and becomes the Republic of Botswana.

* Independence Day or Botswana Day, celebrate the independence of Botswana from United Kingdom in 1966.

** Botswana achieves independence.

Prior to this, he was a leading figure in the independence movement and then the new government, and played a crucial role in facilitating and protecting Botswana ’ s steady financial growth and development.

In 1965 the Democratic Party won 28 of the 31 contested seats in the new Legislative Assembly, giving it a clear mandate to lead Botswana to independence.

Elections in Botswana have been held regularly since independence, and have been consistently judged free and fair by international observers.

Botswana has held ten democratic elections since its independence in 1966, more than any other nation in mainland sub-Saharan Africa.

Though Botswana is usually considered to be a democratic country, it is also considered a one party dominant state with the Botswana Democratic Party in power since independence.

With the advent of independence for these territories, the agreement was updated and on December 11, 1969 it was relaunched as the SACU with the signing of an agreement between the Republic of South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland.

Until independence in 1966, Botswana was the British Protectorate of Bechuanaland, which had the unique problem in that it was the only country in the world where the capital was outside the borders of the country.

Since independence for Botswana, folk music has been revived, though still the most popular music is from elsewhere in Africa ( especially South Africa ), United States and Europe.

In the late 19th century, hostilities broke out between the Shona inhabitants of Botswana and Ndebele tribes who were migrating into the territory from the Kalahari Desert.

Botswana is affected by periodic droughts, and seasonal August winds blow from the west, carrying sand and dust, which can obscure visibility.

Research from the University of Botswana has found that the common practice of overstocking cattle to cope with drought losses actually depletes scarce biomass, making ecosystems more vulnerable.

Botswana, like many nations in southern Africa, suffers from a high AIDS infection rates, estimated in a 2002 UN report to be 38. 8 % for adults.

Demographic data from the 2001 Botswana census are included for comparison with 2006 CIA estimates.

All passenger services have been suspended in Botswana, with the only remaining service being an international link to Zimbabwe from Francistown, the only railway station that is still in service.

Air passengers arriving to and departing from Botswana during 2003 totalled about 183, 000.

Russia has an embassy in Gaborone, while Botswana covers Russia from its embassy in Stockholm ( Sweden ) and an honorary consulate in Moscow.

Botswana, however, continues to benefit along with its neighbours in the region from USAID's Initiative for Southern Africa, now based in Pretoria, and USAID's Southern Africa Global Competitiveness Hub, head-quartered in Gaborone.

Botswana still struggles to seal its border from thousands of Zimbabweans who flee economic collapse and political persecution.

The amounts to be sold comprise approximately 44 tons from Botswana, 9 tons from Namibia, 51 tons from South Africa, and 4 tons from Zimbabwe.

The second point of transfer was near the Caprivi Strip and the Okavango River, where it was apparently the Yeyi language which borrowed the clicks from a West Kalihari Khoe language, and which in turn passed on a reduced click inventory to the neighboring Mbukushu, Kwangali, Gciriku, Kuhane, and Fwe languages in Angola, Namibia, Botswana, and Zambia.

In the 15 years of existence, the OUT has enrolled students from Malawi, Uganda, Kenya, Namibia, Hungary, Burundi, Libya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Lesotho, Botswana and most of the United Republic of Tanzania.

There are also drier than normal conditions from December to February in south-central Africa, mainly in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Botswana.

CITES allowed the sale of 49 tonnes of ivory from Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana in 1997 to Japan.

Shared with South Africa and Botswana, it has a variety of localized environments ranging from hyper-arid sandy desert, to areas that seem to defy the common definition of desert.

* B6 from Windhoek to Buitepos ( Botswana border ), 335 km

The Southern African Catholic Bishops ' Conference ( Botswana, South Africa, Swaziland ) put into effect the changes in the people's parts of the revised English translation of the Order of Mass from 28 November 2008, when the Missal as a whole was not yet available.

In June 1964, Britain accepted proposals for democratic self-government in Botswana.

Klum's photographs have been exhibited in one-man shows at reputable museums and art galleries in the USA, Sweden, Malaysia, India, Japan, Great Britain, Estonia, Denmark, Botswana, Spain, China and Singapore among other countries.

The Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of Botswana signed the Agreement on Cultural, Scientific and Educational Cooperation in September 1999.

Botswana is one of the 15 focus countries for PEPFAR, the President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, and has received more than $ 230 million since the program began in January 2004 through September 2007.

To this end, Operation Boleas, consisting of South African and ( later ) Botswana troops, entered Lesotho on September 22, 1998 to put down the mutiny and restore the democratically elected government.

In September 1966, when the British Protectorate of Bechuanaland became the new Republic of Botswana, the Duchess of Kent was appointed again to represent the Queen at the celebrations.

The national flag of Botswana was adopted on September 30, 1966.

It became the Republic of Botswana on 30 September 1966.

*" Botswana: First female paramount chief welcomed " ( September 3, 2003 ), IRINnews. org

From 30 September 1966 the Bechuanaland Protectorate became the Republic of Botswana and stamps from that time were marked Botswana.

In July 2009, Air Botswana signed a codeshare agreement with Kenya Airways, which began flights to Gaborone on 6 September with three flights per week.

The following players were called for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Botswana on 8 September 2012.

On 4 September 2010, the BCP contested by elections in Tonota North constituency with the support of the other three opposition parties, Botswana National Front ( BNF ), Botswana Peoples Party ( BPP ) and the BDP breakaway party Botswana Movement for Democracy ( BMD ).

In September 1992, South Africa played its first junior international against Botswana at under-16 level in Lenasia and to date the country has entered a team in each of FIFA's and CAF's competitions, from under-17 to national team level, and also for the women ’ s team.

Knighted in 1966, in September of the same year he witnessed the independence of the Protectorate as Botswana.

He was made a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in the New Year Honours List of 1966 and he witnessed the independence of the Republic of Botswana on 30 September 1966.