1797. It is now part of the Boston National
Historical Park.
114 Boston BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
ing center. In the late 20th and early
21st centuries the city’s high-technology
and service industries grew.
#More to explore
American Revolution • Massachusetts
Bay Colony
Botany
Botany is the study of plants. It is a
branch of biology. Scientists who work
in the field of botany are called botanists.
Botany is important because people and
animals depend on plants in many ways.
People and animals get food and oxygen
from plants. People also use plants to
make clothing, building materials,
drugs, and countless other things.
Botanists usually focus on a specific area.
Some discover new kinds of plants,
name them, and classify them (group
them with similar plants). Other botanists
study the structure and form of
plants.
Many botanists work as researchers.
Some researchers study plant diseases.
Others experiment with plant chemicals.
Others try to develop plants that are
more useful to humans.
Many botanists are interested in conservation.
Some investigate the effects of
pollution on plants. Others work to
protect rare plants.
Theophrastus, a Greek thinker who
lived in the 300s BC, is considered the
founder of botany. In the 1700s a Swedish
botanist named Carolus Linnaeus
created a system for naming and classifying
plants. Scientists around the world
still use this system today.
#More to explore
Biology • Plant
Botanists make field trips to study
plants in their natural environment.
Children learn how to care for potato plants
at a botanical garden. Such gardens are
designed to teach the public about the
plants that are on display.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Botany 115
Botswana
Since gaining independence in 1966, the
African country of Botswana has
enjoyed a stable government, economic
growth, and harmony between its
peoples. The country’s unspoiled wilderness
draws many visitors. The capital is
Gaborone.
Geography
Botswana is bordered by Zimbabwe,
South Africa, Namibia, and Zambia.
Rivers, including the Chobe, the Limpopo,
and the Molopo, form several of
the borders. The country is almost
entirely flat, with hills only in the southeast
and northwest. The Kalahari Desert
covers most of the south and west. The
Okavango Swamp lies in the northwest.
Much of the country has hot summers
and cooler winters.
Plants and Animals
Savannas, or grasslands with scattered
trees, cover much of Botswana. The
Kalahari has desert grasses and scrub.
True forests occur only in the far north.
Botswana’s wildlife includes lions,
elephants, leopards, giraffes, buffalo,
antelopes, zebras, wildebeests, ostriches,
snakes, and scorpions. Hippopotamuses,
crocodiles, and hundreds of types of
birds live near the rivers.
People
Botswana’s largest ethnic group is the
Tswana, followed by the Kalanga. Scattered
groups of San live in the Kalahari.
About half of the people live in cities
and towns, mainly in the southeast. The
official language is English, but most
people speak Setswana in daily life.
About 40 percent of the people follow
traditional African religions. The rest of
the people are mostly Christians.
Economy
Botswana’s economy is based largely on
mining. The country has rich deposits of
Lions rest in Botswana’s Chobe National
Park.
116 Botswana BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
diamonds, soda ash (sodium carbonate),
copper, nickel, and coal. Diamonds are
Botswana’s most valuable export. Manufacturers
make cars, beverages, and
bricks. Tourism is a major source of
income.
Livestock raising and farming, the traditional
occupations of the Tswana, still
employ most of the workers. Farmers
raise goats, cattle, and sheep. They grow
sorghum, legumes, and corn.
History
Botswana’s earliest inhabitants were
probably Khoekhoe and San peoples.
Archaeologists believe that these people
first arrived in the region in about
17,000 BC. Bantu-speaking farmers
began migrating to the area in about AD
190. In the 1700s the Tswana people
arrived and established several powerful
states. They soon came to dominate the
country that is now named after them.
In 1867 the discovery of gold excited
European interest in the area. In 1885
the region came under the control of the
British, who called it the Bechuanaland
Protectorate.
In 1966 Bechuanaland gained independence
as the Republic of Botswana. The
country’s first president, Seretse Khama,
promoted democracy and built up the
economy. Problems between Botswana,
Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), and South
Africa eased in the 1980s and 1990s.
Stability in southern Africa allowed
Botswana to focus on solving its own
problems. In the early 21st century
those problems included a large gap
between the rich and the poor, unemployment,
and a high rate of HIV infection
and AIDS.
..More to explore
Africa • Gaborone • Kalahari
The Okavango River delta in northern Botswana is a vast swampland.
Facts About
BOTSWANA
Population
(2008 estimate)
1,842,000
Area
224,848 sq mi
(582,356 sq km)
Capital
Gaborone
Form of
government
Republic
Major cities
Gaborone, Francistown,
Molepolole,
Selebi-
Pikwe, Maun
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Botswana 117
Boxing
Boxing is a sport in which two people
