| Botswana Economy |
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| Tuesday,January 09,2007 Posted: 14:42 BJT(0642 GMT) 驻博经商处 |
Since independence, Botswana's economic progress has been one of the few success stories of the African continent. The country was once one of the 20 poorest countries in the world. Today, it is considered the richest non-oil producing country in Africa.
As a British protectorate, the incoming government of Botswana had very little infrastructure on which to launch a sound economy in 1966. By 1991, GDP was P7 billion (US$ 3,5 billion) and the economy has been growing at 13 percent annually. Gaborone had developed into a city of over 140 000 inhabitants.
Foreign exchange reserves are, in per capita terms, one of the highest in the world and are sufficient to pay for 26 months of imports. Economic growth can be ascribed to mineral and beef exports, tourism and donor aid.
Diamonds are by far the most important source of income for Botswana. The discovery of diamonds in 1967. There are four diamond mines so far.
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