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.
Botswana is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa, north of South Africa. Botswana occupies an area of 581,730 square kilometres (224,610 sq mi), of which 566,730 km2 (218,820 sq mi) are land.
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.