An African success story, Botswana achieved independence from Britain in 1966 and immediately thereafter, in a mad stroke of luck, discovered three of the world’s richest diamond mines. And just like a good mystery story, it takes time to unravel the country’s secrets. Beyond the narrow eastern corridor, where the majority of the population is concentrated, Botswana is a largely roadless wilderness of savannas, deserts, wetlands and salt pans. As freedom of speech and equality are all guaranteed under the country’s constitution, the greatest threat to Botswana’s stability is posed by the AIDS virus