Bechuanaland, an extensive tract in South Africa, inhabited by the Bechuanas, extending from 28° S. lat. to the Zambesi, and from 20° E. long. to the Transvaal border. The Bechuanas also still occupy a considerable portion of the Transvaal, from which the Boers never wholly expelled them. British protection extends over Bechuanaland as far as 22° S. lat. since 1884; more northward, it is under the Imperial British South Africa Company (see ZAMBESIA). To the south of the river Molopo the territory has been a crown colony since 1885; and this has an area of 51,000 sq. m. (larger than England without Wales), and a pop. (1891) of 60,376—5524 being whites. The protectorate beyond has an area of 120,000 sq. m.—larger than the Transvaal, and almost as large as Great Britain and Ireland.
Bechuanaland is a portion of an elevated plateau 4000 to 5000 feet above the level of the sea, and though so near the tropics, is suitable for the British race. In winter there are sharp frosts, and snow falls in some years. The rains fall in summer, and then only the rivers are full. It is an excellent country for cattle; sheep thrive in some parts, and there are extensive tracts available for corn-lands; but it is not a wheat country on account of the summer rains. Though apparently subject to droughts, it is not more so than the Cape Colony, and the greater portion will be available for farming operations when the necessary dams have been constructed. It can be reached from Capetown, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Delagoa Bay, and the Zambesi. There are extensive forests to the north-east, and to the west the Kalahari Desert, which only requires wells dug to make it inhabitable.
The enormous quantities of buck which roam over the land attest the productiveness of the soil. Gold has been found near Sitlagoli, and there are indications of gold-bearing quartz reefs in many directions. Diamondiferous soil is also said to exist in several localities; indeed, diamonds were discovered at Vryburg in the autumn of 1887.
The province of Stellaland is principally inhabited by Boers, and the remainder of the country by Bechuanas. The Bechuanas are a black race, possessing a language in common with the Bantu (q.v.) races of South Africa, extending as far north as the equator. Their ancestors are said to have come from the north, and, progressing south-west, met the Hottentots from the Cape of Good Hope journeying north. The Bechuanas have divided up within the last 150 years, and comprise the Bahurutse, Bamangwato, Bakwena, Bangwaketse, Barolongs, Batlapins, and Batlaros. Each tribe has an animal as an emblem or heraldic sign, which it is said they hold in esteem (see TOTEMISM). They have since 1832 been at enmity with the Matabele, and in later years the Transvaal Boers have on one pretext or another endeavoured to occupy their country. During the native risings in 1878, the Bechuanas invaded Griqualand West, and were in turn subdued by British volunteers as far as the Molopo. When the British government withdrew from Bechuanaland in 1880, the natives, being helpless, were left to the mercy of the Boers of the Transvaal, whose harsh treatment in 1882 and 1883 led to the Bechuanaland expedition in 1884. At the beginning of the 19th century, the Bechuanas were further in advance in civilisation than other nations of South Africa, and they are still ahead in this respect. All important matters are decided in the public assembly of the freemen of the town, but matters are previously arranged between the chief and headmen, the chiefs exercising real control only by personal influence and adroitness. Since 1895 the Crown Colony has been incorporated with the Cape Colony, the Governor of the Cape being represented by an administrator at Vryburg; while in the Protectorate, Khama (q.v.) and the other chiefs rule under the protection of the Queen, a resident commissioner representing the High Commissioner of the Cape. The Kuruman Mission of the London Society has done good work among the Bechuanas. See Mackenzie's Austral Africa (1887) and books named at CAPE COLONY.