Southern is one of the

districts of Botswana Botswana is divided into ten administrative districts, two cities, and five towns. These are administered by 17 local authorities (district councils, city councils or town councils). As well as the main districts, Botswana also has seven ur ...

. The capital of Southern district is Kanye, home to the

Bangwaketse The Bangwaketse (also known as the BaNgwaketse, or Ngwaketse) are one of the eight principal tribes in Botswana, and are ethnic Tswana. (The "Ba" or "Bo" prefix in African tribal names in southern Africa means "people of" or "people who speak" ...

and Barolong in Botswana. The Southern district is home to Botswana's second largest beef farmers where there are large privately owned ranges, and several government run beef ranges which provide agricultural support to the local farmers. Maize and

sorghum ''Sorghum bicolor'', commonly called sorghum () and also known as great millet, broomcorn, guinea corn, durra, imphee, jowar, or milo, is a species in the Poaceae, grass genus ''Sorghum (genus), Sorghum'' cultivated for its grain. The grain i ...

, Botswana's staple crop, are also raised in the area. Southern district is where the third diamond mine of Botswana was found (the

Jwaneng diamond mine The Jwaneng diamond mine is the richest diamond mine in the world, and also the second largest in the world. It is nicknamed "the Prince of Mines", and is located in south-central Botswana about southwest of the city of Gaborone. Jwaneng mean ...

), which buoys Botswana's economic state of prosperity. It was the first district to house the capital city before being moved to

Gaborone Gaborone ( , , ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Botswana, largest city of Botswana, with a population of 246,325 based on the 2022 census, about 10% of the total population of Botswana. Its metropolitan area is home to 534, ...

after independence. In the south, Southern borders the North West Province of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. Domestically, it borders South-East District in east,

Kweneng District Kweneng is one of the districts of Botswana and is the recent historical homeland of the Bakwena people, the first group in Botswana converted to Christianity by famed missionary David Livingstone. Various landmarks, including Livingstone's Cave, ...

in north,

Kgalagadi District Kgalagadi is a district in southwest Botswana, lying along the country's border with Namibia and South Africa. The administrative center is Tsabong. The district of Kgalagadi covers a large part of the Kalahari Desert. It has a total area of 105,20 ...

and south west. As of 2011, the total population of the district was 197,767 compared to 171,652 in 2001. The growth rate of population during the decade was 1.43. The total number of workers constituted 51,187 with 29,043 males and 22,141 females, with a majority involved in agriculture. The district is administered by a district administration and district council which are responsible for local administration.

Geography

In the south, Southern borders the North West Province of

. Domestically, it borders South-East District in east,

in north,

and south west. Southern District is traversed by the northwesterly line of equal latitude and longitude. Most part of Botswana has tableland slopes sliding from east to west. The region has an average elevation of around above the mean sea level. The vegetation type is

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

, with tall grasses, bushes and trees. The annual precipitation is around , most of which is received during the summer season from November to May. Most of the rivers in the region are seasonal prone to

flash flood A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice and snow. Flash f ...

s. Southern district is where the third diamond mine of Botswana was found (the

), which drives Botswana's economic state of prosperity.

Administration

Botswana gained independence from the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

in 1966 and adapted the colonial administration framework to form its district administration. The policies were modified during 1970–74 to address some of the basic issues. The district is administered by a district administration and district council which are responsible for local administration. The policies for the administration are framed by the Ministry of Local Government. The major activities of the council are Tribal Administration, Remote Area Development and Local Governance. The executive powers of the council are vested on a commissioner appointed by the central government. Technical services wing of the Department of Local Government is responsible for developing roads, infrastructure in villages like water supply, schools and recreational facilities. All the staff of the local administration expect District Administration are selected via Unified Local Government Services (ULGS) and the Ministry of Local Government is responsible for their training, deployment and career development. The sub-districts of Southern District created as a part of National Development Park of the district are Barolong, Ngwaketse and Ngwaketse West. In the 2022 Census the following are listed as big villages under each sub-district: * Demographics As of 2011, the total population of the district was 197,767 compared to 171,652 in 2001. The growth rate of population during the decade was 1.43. The population in the district was 9.77 per cent of the total population in the country. The sex ratio stood at 93.97 for every 100 males, compared to 92.25 in 2001. The average house hold size was 3.51 in 2011 compared to 4.60 in 2001. There were 5,405 craft and related workers, 1,656 clerks, 11,018 people working in elementary occupation 724 legislators, administrators and managers 2,069 plant and machine operators and assemblers, 1,195 professionals, 3,820 service workers, shop and market sales workers, 3,646 skilled agricultural and related workers, and 2,705 technicians and associated professionals, making the total work force 32,431.

Education and economy

As of 2011, there were a total of 128 schools in the district, with 8.30 per cent private schools. The total number of students in the Council schools was 40,973, while it was 1,602 in private schools. The total number of students enrolled in the district was 42,575: 20,704 girls and 21,871 boys. The total number of qualified teachers was 1,819, 1,370 female and 449 male. There were around 73 temporary teachers, 41 male and 114 female. There were 2 untrained teachers in the district. As of 2006, 18,751 were involved in Agriculture, 1,832 in Construction, 5,042 in Education, 304 in Electricity & Water, 399 in Finance, 1,339 in Health, 1,082 in Hotels & Restaurants, 4,059 in Manufacturing, 373 in Mining and Quarrying, 1,012 in Other Community Services, 1,758 in Private Households, 4,635 in Public Administration, 2,480 in Real Estate, 1,399 in Transport & Communications6,722 in Wholesale & Retail Trade. The total number of workers constituted 51,187 with 29,043 males and 22,141 females.

References

{{Authority control Districts of Botswana

Geography

Administration

Education and economy

See also

References