Botswana is a country of contrasts. More than 80 percent of its
land is described as desert, yet it is far from barren. The red
sand of the Kalahari conceals boundless wealth in the form of
coal, methane, copper, and diamonds. Culturally, the people
are overwhelmingly Bantu, but with more than twenty different
ethnic groups and over thirty languages spoken, the society is
by no means homogeneous. In the years since independence
the country and its economy have made extraordinary strides,
and Botswana is rightly seen as a model of democratic,
planned development. But, for all that, traditional African
values lie close to the surface.
Culture Smart! Botswana introduces you to the lives of the
people. It looks at the history that has shaped the society and
shows the importance of traditional customs and values for
both travelers and business people alike. It describes how the
Batswana live, work, and play, and how to avoid the pitfalls of
cultural misunderstanding.