How did British colonial rule classify the Tswana states of Botswana?

Under British colonial rule, the territory of the Bechuanaland Protectorate was organized into a specific administrative structure that prioritized colonial control and white settlement interests.

The territory was divided into the following classifications:

• Tribal Reserves: Eight areas were designated as largely self-administering reserves for the Indigenous population.12
• White Settler Farm Blocks: Five areas were set aside for white settlers.12
• Crown Lands: The remainder of the territory was classified as crown (state) lands.12

This administrative division was part of a broader colonial strategy that viewed the protectorate as a temporary entity intended to eventually be incorporated into the Union of South Africa or Rhodesia. Consequently, development within the territory was kept to a minimum, and the administration remained centered in Mafeking—a location situated outside the protectorate's borders—until 1964.12