Indomitable, Botswana is one of the last great refuges for the magnificent splendor of life in the wild. Botswana is stable, peaceful and transparent. It has been at peace since its birth as an independent, sovereign nation in 1966. It has zero tolerance for corruption and prides itself on a solid legal system and adherence to the rule of law. It has consistently been ranked as the least corrupt country in Africa by Transparency International. Botswana is committed to sound fiscal policy, economic freedom and has a steady and dramatic growth rate. Botswana ranks 2nd as the freest economy in Africa. Botswana’s GDP in 2016 was USD 15.6 billion, with a GDP per capita of USD 6,972, an increase of 4.3 percent from the 2015 level. Botswana opens the door to a massive market. It offers investors preferential access to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) market, the entire market - over 293 million people in 14 countries, with a combined GDP of over US$700 billion. Botswana has an area of
581,730 km2, of which 84 percent is the Kalahari Desert. Botswana is centrally located in the heart of Southern Africa. It borders Zambia to the north, Namibia to the north, west and northwest, Zimbabwe to the northeast and South Africa to the south and southeast. Botswana’s population recently exceeded 2 million. Gaborone is the capital and largest city of Botswana with a population of 231,626 (2011 census), about 10 percent of Botswana’s total population.