Botswana

Africa · desert · wildlife · sparsely populated

Mostly desert land. About 70% of Botswana is covered by the Kalahari Desert, one of Africa's biggest deserts, making it a landscape of sand, scrubland, and scattered water holes.

Huge but empty. Botswana is about the same size as France, but only 2.4 million people live there, making it one of the least crowded countries in the world.

Amazing animals. The Kalahari Desert and other parts of Botswana are home to lions, elephants, zebras, giraffes, and hundreds of other wildlife species that roam freely.

Completely landlocked. Botswana has no ocean coastline and is surrounded by four countries: South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The Batswana people. Most Batswana people have lived in this region for centuries and are the main ethnic group, making up about 80% of the population today.