Botswana is divided into 15 administrative districts: 9 rural districts and 6 urban districts. These are administered by 15 local authorities (district councils, city councils or town councils). Until 2006, Chobe and Ngamiland Districts shared the same local authority, the North-West District Council.
Politics of Botswana takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Botswana is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Parliament of Botswana. Since independence the party system has been dominated by the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which has never lost power since independence. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.
Situated in the heart of the Kalahari Desert, northern Botswana nevertheless has some of the most fascinating rivers on the planet. There are rivers that spill into the desert sands far from any ocean, and others that flow from other rivers only to peter out in the sands of the Kalahari, and all are part of the legendary wilderness of northern Botswana.