Botswana - Transportation



In 2002, Botswana had 10,217 km (6,349 mi) of roads, of which 5,620 km (3,492 mi) were paved. Bituminous roads have been extended to the Zambian and Zimbabwean borders, thereby reducing Botswana's economic dependence on South Africa. There were some 154,300 registered motor vehicles in 2000, of which 135,700 were passenger cars and 18,600 commercial vehicles.

The main railroad from Cape Town in South Africa to Bulawayo in Zimbabwe runs through Botswana for a distance of 641 km (398 mi), connecting Lobatse, Gaborone, and Francistown. Two branch lines totaling 71 km (44 mi) connect the coal field of Morupule and the copper-nickel complex at Selebi-Phikwe with the main line; these lines are owned by Botswana but operated by National Railways of Zimbabwe. In 1991, a new 165 km (103 mi) spur connecting Sua Pan to Francistown was completed, at a cost of $45 million. Botswana had a total of 888 km (552 mi) of railways in 2002.

In 2001 there were 92 airports, ten of which are paved. The government-owned Air Botswana operates scheduled flights to Francistown, Gaborone, Maun, and Selebi-Phikwe. There is international service to Johannesburg, South Africa; Mbabane, Swaziland; and Harare, Zimbabwe. A new international airport near Gaborone was opened in 1984. Air passengers arriving and departing Botswana during 2001 totaled 168,000.

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