Breathtaking Botswana Trivia Quiz

Answer: Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia

Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia meet midstream in the Zambezi River at Kazungula, which means "little sausage tree". A large brown pole at the confluence of the Zambezi and Chobe Rivers indicates the point where the Four Corners of Africa touch. This is the eastern end of the Caprivi Strip, which was created when Britain ceded territory to German South West Africa in order to allow them access to the Zambezi River. Botswana has only 1.6 kilometres of river frontage on the Zambezi River. The town of Kasane is the Botswana terminus for the Kazungula Ferry across the river to Zambia.

Namibia abuts Botswana to the west with Zimbabwe as its northeastern neighbour, while the border with Zambia is restricted to the above-mentioned single point.

Of the wrong answers, Botswana borders South Africa in the south and southeast, but has no common border with Angola.

Answer: Kalahari Desert

The Kalahari Desert is a large arid and semi-arid area, of which over 900,000 square kilometres covers approximately 84% of Botswana. The desert stretches across seven countries and is a sand-filled basin averaging over 1000m above sea level. It is not a true desert as parts receive over 250mm of rainfall per annum and it is only truly arid in the southwest. It supports some animal and plant life and is classified as a fossil desert. The name means "thirstland". The vegetation is comprised mainly of grasses, thorny shrubs and Acacia trees and the only permanent river is the Okavango which forms the Okavango Delta in the northwest. The best known inhabitants are the San Bushman, who number only a few thousand.

Of the incorrect answers, the Drakensburg Mountains is the highest mountain chain in South Africa. The Namib Desert is found along the Atlantic Coast of Namibia and stretches into southern Angola. Lake Kariba, the largest man-made lake and reservoir in the world, lies on the Zambezi River along the Zambia Zimbabwe border.

Answer: Great Britain

Growing concern about the threatened union across the Kalahari of German South West Africa and the independent Boer Republic of the Transvaal in the east led, after a request by local Botswana leaders, to Great Britain creating the Protectorate of Bechuanaland in 1885. When the Union of South Africa was created in 1910 it was envisaged that this, together with current day Lesotho and Swaziland, would be incorporated into the Union. However, the election of the Nationalist government in 1948 put paid to these plans and it was decided to develop the Protectorate for political and economic self sufficiency. In 1964, proposals for democratic self government were accepted by Britain and, after elections, the country became self governing in 1965 with Sir Seretse Khama as the first Prime Minister. Upon independence in 1966, he became the first President of the Republic of Botswana.

Of the wrong answers, German South West Africa was made a mandate of the League of Nations administered by South Africa until eventually gaining independence as Namibia. Portugal's two colonies in the region became Angola and Mozambique.

Answer: It is created by the discharge of the Okavango River into the Kalahari Desert

"The Jewel of the Kalahari", the Okavango Delta is located in the northwest of the country and is the world's largest inland delta, covering between 15,000 and 17,000 square kilometres at its peak. It is formed when the waters of the Okavango River, which rises in the highlands of Angola and flows more than 1000 kilometres through Namibia, discharges its waters into an endorheic basin in the Kalahari desert. Although referred to as a delta, it is technically an alluvial fan as the river does not discharge into a standing body of water. It is subject to seasonal flooding with approximately 11,000 cubic kilometres of water flowing into the delta and, at peak flooding, stretches some 150 kilometres from east to west. There is a less than two m height variation across this expanse. However, over 60% of this water is lost to plant transpiration and over 30% to evaporation with another 2% draining into Lake Ngami.

With over 2500 species of plants, 450 species of birds, 65 species of fish, as well as a large and varied animal population including Africa's "Big Five", the delta provides spectacular game viewing and is Botswana's top tourist attraction.

Answer: Rain - as this is a scarce and valuable commodity in the country

Pula literally means "rain". In a country where the climate is classified as semi-arid with a short rainy season, water is a vital commodity. The word also means blessing and stands for luck, life and prosperity and is often used as a greeting. Setswana is a Bantu language and, although spoken by the majority of the inhabitants, is not the country's official language which is English.

The Pula was introduced in 1976 to replace the South African Rand at par. It is divided in to 100 Thebe, which means shield in Setswana. The ISO code for the Pula is BWP.

Answer: Tsodilo Hills

Situated in the northwest of Botswana in the barren landscape of the Kalahari Desert, Tsodilo Hills has one of the highest rock art concentrations in the world with over 4500 paintings contained in an area of less than ten square kilometres. It gives an archaeological account of over 100,000 years of human activity. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001, it has a deep spiritual and religious significance to the local people and was referred to by Sir Laurens van der Post in his book "The Lost World of the Kalahari".

Of the wrong answers, Makgadikgadi Pan lies south east of the Okavango delta and is a series of salt pans, the largest of which are the Sua, Ntwetme and Nxai pans. The Tuli Block is a thin finger of land about 10-20 kilometres wide and about 350 kilometres long which demarcates Botswana's south eastern border and consists of mainly private game reserves. Moremi Gorge is nestled in the Tswapong Hills and is believed to have supernatural powers.

Answer: Diamond mining

Diamond mining accounts for about 33% of Botswana's GDP and over 80% of its export earnings. Until the 1970s, Botswana's economy was almost completely dependent on livestock production. Over time, however, the country has become the world's leading producer of gem-quality diamonds by value. Debswana, which is a joint venture between the government and De Beers Consolidated Mines, is the largest non-government employer in the country. Its flagship mine Jwaneng, which means "place of little stones", is the world's richest diamond mine by value recovered.

Agriculture, while employing over eighty percent of the country's labour force, accounts for less than four percent of the GDP and only provides for about fifty percent of the country's food requirements. Tourism has become increasingly important and contributes nearly twelve percent of GDP. There has been active encouragement from the government for the development of the financial services sector as it seeks to diversify the economy.

Answer: A meat stew

Seswaa, also known as Chotlho, is a dish of meat, usually beef, which is slowly simmered in water with onion and seasonings until soft. It is then drained and pounded with a pestle until flaky. It is usually served with bogobe, which is a porridge made from maize (corn) meal or moroho, which is dried bean leaves cooked with onion in water until soft.

Madila is fermented milk which can be drunk on its own or added to bogobe together with a lerotse, a cooking melon. The Mapone worm is a large edible caterpillar which is usually either fried in its own body fat or boiled in water.

Answer: South Africa

The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park straddles the border of Botswana and South Africa. It was formally declared by Presidents Festus Magoe of Botswana and Thabo Mbeki of South Africa on May 12, 2000. The park is made up of the Kalahari National Gemsbok Park in South Africa and the Gemsbok National Park in Botswana. Situated in the Kalahari, the park is 38,000 square kilometres of which 28,400 is in Botswana and 9,600 in South Africa.

The name Kgalagadi means "place of thirst" and is home to abundant wildlife, including the black-maned lions of the Kalahari.

The Gemsbok, after which both constituent parks are named, is the Oryx Gazella, a large striking antelope which is well adapted to hot arid conditions.

Answer: Mma Precious Ramotswe

Situated between the Kgali and Oodi Hills in the south-east of Botswana, Gaborone is the largest city in the country and is named after Chief Kgosi G Gaborone. Known locally as "Gabs", the city houses the seat of government and is also the administrative and financial heart of the country. It is serviced by the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport, which is named after the first president of Botswana.

Mma Precious Ramotswe, the first female private detective in Botswana, is the heroine of the series of novels written by Alexander McCall Smith. She first appeared in the 'Ladies No 1 Detective Agency'.

Of the incorrect answers, Jock of the Bushveld is the eponymous protagonist of the book by Sir Percy Fitzpatrick which tells of his travels with his dog Jock in the Transvaal. Stephen Khumalo is the hero of Alan Paton's classic 'Cry, the Beloved Country' and Sean Courtney appears in the 'Courtney' series of novels by Wilbur Smith.