A sparsely populated, arid country, Botswana

Botswana

Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...

has nonetheless managed to incorporate much of its interior into the national economy. An "inner circle" highway

Highway

A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...

 connecting all major towns and district capitals is completely paved, and the all-weather Trans-Kalahari Highway connects the country (and, through it, South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

's commercially dominant Gauteng Province) to Walvis Bay

Walvis Bay

Walvis Bay , is a city in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies...

 in Namibia

Namibia

Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...

.
Botswana possesses 888 km of gauge railway, by 2002 figures, serving a number of towns and connecting the country to its neighbours.
Botswana has rail links with the neighboring countries Zimbabwe

Transport in Zimbabwe

- Railways :The railway operator is National Railways of Zimbabwe.total: 3,077 km , 2,759 km narrow gauge: 3,077 km of gauge , 2,759 km of gauge - Railways :The railway operator is National Railways of Zimbabwe.total: 3,077 km (2002), 2,759 km (1995)narrow gauge:...

 and South Africa

Rail transport in South Africa

Rail transport in South Africa is the most important element of the country's transport infrastructure. All major cities are connected by rail, and South Africa's railway system is the most highly developed in Africa...

.