Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Formerly known as the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana took on its new name after becoming independent on 30 September 1966. Botswana is said to have the best perceived corruption ranking in Africa since at least 1998. Hard to believe, but Botswana is currently Africa's oldest continuous democracy. Topographically flat, the Kalahari Desert covers around 70% of the 581,730 km² (224,610 square miles) land. It has a population of just over 2 million people, making Botswana one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. The capital and largest city, Gaborone is home to only 10% of the population. In the 1960s it had a GDP per capita of about US$70 per year, but since then has transformed itself into one of the world's fastest-growing economies. The economy is sustained by mining, cattle, and tourism. Today, Botswana has an astonishing GDP per capita of about $18,825 per year as of 2015, which is one of the highest in Africa, a growth of almost 27,000% from 1960. The currency is the Pula (translated as rain) divided into 100 Thebe (raindrops). The first coins were issued to commemorate the independence in 1966, while first circulation coins were only issued in 1976, 10 years after independence. Wikidata: Q963
1 Thebe
1976-1991 Standard circulation coin
Aluminium-magnesium • 0.7 g • ⌀ 18.5 mm
KM# 3,
Schön# 3,
N# 4373
5 Pula (Gemsbok)
1978 Non-circulating coin: 15th anniversary of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
Silver (.500) • 28.30 g • ⌀ 38.61 mm
KM# 11,
Schön# 12,
N# 46476
5 Pula (Gemsbok)
1978 Non-circulating coin: 15th anniversary of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
Silver (.925) • 28.50 g • ⌀ 38.61 mm
KM# 11a,
Schön# 12a,
N# 134977
10 Pula (Klipspringer)
1978 Non-circulating coin: Wildlife Series - Klipspringer
Silver (.500) • 35.00 g • ⌀ 42 mm
KM# 12,
Schön# 13,
N# 107229
10 Pula (Klipspringer)
1978 Non-circulating coin: Wildlife Series - Klipspringer
Silver (.925) • 35 g • ⌀ 41 mm
KM# 12a,
Schön# 13a,
N# 32328
150 Pula (Brown Hyena)
1978 Non-circulating coin: Conservation series
Gold (.900) • 33.437 g • ⌀ 34 mm
KM# 13,
Schön# 14,
N# 66449
5 Pula (Disabled persons)
1981 Non-circulating coin: International Year of Disabled Persons
Silver (.925) • 28.500 g • ⌀ 38.61 mm
KM# 15,
Schön# 15,
N# 43697
50 Thebe
1991 Standard circulation coin
Nickel clad steel • 11.17 g • ⌀ 28.5 mm
KM# 7a,
Schön# 8a,
N# 11920
5 Thebe
1991-1996 Standard circulation coin
Bronze clad steel • 2.8 g • ⌀ 19.5 mm
KM# 4a,
Schön# 5a,
N# 8957
1 Pula
1991-2007 Standard circulation coin
Nickel brass • 8.8 g • ⌀ 24 mm
KM# 24,
Schön# 28,
N# 3232
2 Pula
1994 Standard circulation coin
Nickel brass • 6.03 g • ⌀ 26.4 mm
KM# 25,
Schön# 29,
N# 3233
50 Thebe
1996-2001 Standard circulation coin
Nickel clad steel • 4.82 g • ⌀ 21.3 mm
KM# 29,
Schön# 27,
N# 5411
10 Thebe
1998-2008 Standard circulation coin
Nickel clad steel • 2.8 g • ⌀ 18 mm
KM# 27,
Schön# 25,
N# 8959
5 Thebe
1998-2009 Standard circulation coin
Copper plated steel • 2.41 g • ⌀ 16.9 mm
KM# 26,
Schön# 24,
N# 5410
25 Thebe
1998-2009 Standard circulation coin
Nickel clad steel • 3.5 g • ⌀ 20 mm
KM# 28,
Schön# 26,
N# 3231
5 Pula
2000-2007 Standard circulation coin
Bimetallic: copper-nickel centre in brass ring • 6.0 g • ⌀ 23.5 mm
KM# 30,
Schön# 31,
N# 9187
2 Pula
2004 Standard circulation coin
Brass plated steel • 6.02 g • ⌀ 24.6 mm
KM# 25a,
Schön# 30,
N# 8962
5 Thebe
2013 Standard circulation coin
Nickel clad steel • 2.218 g • ⌀ 18 mm
KM# 31,
Schön# 32,
N# 58715
25 Thebe
2013 Standard circulation coin
Nickel clad steel • 4.2 g • ⌀ 22 mm
KM# 33,
Schön# 34,
N# 58717
50 Thebe
2013 Standard circulation coin
Nickel clad steel • 5.3 g • ⌀ 24 mm
KM# 34,
Schön# 35,
N# 57875
10 Thebe
2013-2016 Standard circulation coin
Nickel clad steel • 2.8 g • ⌀ 20 mm
KM# 32,
Schön# 33,
N# 58716
5 Pula
2013-2016 Standard circulation coin
Bimetallic: copper-nickel plated steel centre in brass plated steel ring • 8.7 g • ⌀ 28 mm
KM# 37,
Schön# 38,
N# 57610
1 Pula
2013-2022 Standard circulation coin
Brass plated steel • 7.8 g • ⌀ 26 mm
KM# 35,
Schön# 36,
N# 57873
2 Pula
2013-2022 Standard circulation coin
Bimetallic: bronze plated steel centre in nickel plated steel ring • 7.3 g • ⌀ 27 mm
KM# 36,
Schön# 37,
N# 57611
The Numista referee for coins of this issuer is Pcoetzee5.