History

The Semi-nomadic San people were Botswana's earliest inhabitants. Bantu speaking tribes from the north moved into the area before the first millennium. And European missionaries arrived in the mid 19 ^th century..In 1885, to counter Boer expansion from South africa and Ndebele incursions from the north led by Mzilikazi, Botswana came under British protection. By 1895, Rhodes' British South Africa Company hoped to annex Botswana, prompting three Botswana chiefs to persuade Queen Victoria to keep her land under British control. The British administered the Bechaunaland protectorate until 1966 when it granted Botswana full independence under the leadership of Sir Seretse Khama. Diamonds were discovered in 1967, which brought rapid growth to Botswana. Today, the country boasts healthy foreign reserves and is considered one Africa's economics success stories.