Central is the largest of Botswana's districts in terms of area and population. It encompasses the traditional homeland of the Bamangwato people. Some of the most politically connected Batswana have come from the Central District, including former President

Sir Seretse Khama Sir Seretse Goitsebeng Maphiri Khama, Order of the Bath, GCB, Order of British Empire, KBE (1 July 1921 – 13 July 1980) was a Motswana politician who served as the first President of Botswana, a post he held from 1966 to his death in 1 ...

, former President

Festus Mogae Festus Gontebanye Mogae (born 21 August 1939) is a Motswana politician and economist who served as the third President of Botswana from 1998 to 2008. He succeeded Quett Masire as President in 1998 and was re-elected in October 2004. After ten ...

, and former President Lt. General Seretse Ian Khama. The district borders the Botswanan districts of Chobe in the north, North-West in the northwest, Ghanzi in the west,

Kweneng Kweneng is a village in Kweneng District of Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the ...

in southwest, Kgatleng in the south and

North-East The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, Radius, radially arrayed compass directions (or Azimuth#In navigation, azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A ''compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, ...

in the northeast, as well as

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

also in the northeast (

Matabeleland North Matabeleland North is a province in western Zimbabwe. With a population of 827,645 as of the 2022 census, it is the country's second-least populous province, after Matabeleland South, and the least densely Zimbabwean populated province. Matabele ...

and Matabeleland South Provinces) and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

in the southeast (

Limpopo Limpopo () is the northernmost Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The term Limpopo is derived from Rivombo (Livombo/Lebombo), a ...

Province). As of 2022, the total population of the district was 706,135 compared to 638,604 in 2011. The growth rate of population during the decade was 0.96. The population in the district was 29.9 per cent of the total population in the country. Main population centers in Central include

Palapye Palapye is a growing town in Botswana, situated about halfway between Francistown and Gaborone ( from Francistown and from Gaborone). Over the years its position has made it a convenient stopover on one of Southern Africa's principal north–so ...

and

Serowe Serowe (population approximately 60,000) is an urban village in Botswana's Botswana Central District, Central District. A trade and commercial centre, it is Botswana's third largest village. Serowe has played an important role in Botswana's histor ...

, two of Africa's largest traditional villages. The district also contains tributaries of the

Limpopo River The Limpopo River () rises in South Africa and flows generally eastward through Mozambique to the Indian Ocean. The term Limpopo is derived from Rivombo (Livombo/Lebombo), a group of Tsonga settlers led by Hosi Rivombo who settled in the mou ...

, which are prone to

flash flood A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice and snow. Flash f ...

s when sudden rainstorms drain eastward into the Limpopo. The district is administered by a district administration and district council which are responsible for local administration. The total number of workers constituted 186,943 with 95,717 males and 91,221 females, with a majority working in transport and communication sector.

Geography

In the northeast, Central borders Zimbabwe's

and Matabeleland South Provinces, and in the southeast Central borders South Africa's

Province. It borders

in the northeast, Kgatleng in the south,

in southwest, Ghanzi in the North and North-West in the northwest direction. The major tourists attractions and game areas in the district along with the Eastern region are

Francistown Francistown is the second-largest city in Botswana, with a population of about 103,417 inhabitants and 147,122 inhabitants in its agglomeration at the 2022 census. It is located in eastern Botswana, about north-northeast from the capital, Gabo ...

, Selebi-Phikwe, Solomon's Wall, Lepokole Hills,

Tswapong Hills The Tswapong Hills are a mountain range in the Central District, Botswana. They rise to an elevation of 300 to 400 m above the hardveld of the almost 900 m high surrounding plateau. Geologically, these flat-topped hills are similar to the Waterb ...

, Moremi Gorge, Motlhabaneng Rock Paintings, Letsibogo Dam, Khama Rhino Sanctuary, Shoshong Hills, Khama III Memorial Museum, Supa Ngwao Museum, Khama Royal Residence and Cemetery and Mashatu Game Reserve. Most part of Botswana has tableland slopes sliding from east to west. The region has an average elevation of around above the mean sea level. The vegetation type is

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

, with tall grasses, bushes and trees. The annual precipitation is around , most of which is received during the summer season from November to May. Most of the rivers in the region are seasonal, with

, which are prone to

s, being the most prominent. There are conflicts between

agricultural expansion Agricultural expansion describes the growth of agricultural land ( arable land, pastures, etc.) especially in the 20th and 21st centuries. The agricultural expansion is often explained as a direct consequence of the global increase in food and e ...

and protection of indigenous

wildlife Wildlife refers to domestication, undomesticated animals and uncultivated plant species which can exist in their natural habitat, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wilderness, wild in an area without being species, introdu ...

within the Central District. There are several seasonal rivers in the district including the Boteti River and the Lepashe River, whose flows in the rainy season reach the Makgadikgadi Pans.

Demographics

As of 2011, the total population of the district was 576,064 compared to 501,381 in 2001. The growth rate of population during the decade was 1.40. The population in the district was 28.45 per cent of the total population in the country. The sex ratio stood at 94.01 for every 100 males, compared to 91.82 in 2001. The average house hold size was 3.37 in 2011 compared to 4.51 in 2001. There were 18,838 craft and related workers; 5,678 clerks; 35,256 people working in elementary occupation; 2,359 legislators, administrators and managers; 5,921 plant and machine operators and assemblers; 3,022 professionals; 12,864 service workers, shop and market sales workers; 9,019 skilled agricultural and related workers; and 7,325 technicians and associated professionals, making the total work force of 101,149.

Education and economy

As of 2011, there were a total of 264 schools in the district, with 23.30 per cent private schools. The total number of students in the Council schools was 113,632, while it was 3,848 in private schools. The total number of students enrolled in the district was 117,480: 57,378 girls and 60,102 boys. The total number of qualified teachers was 4,585, 3,441 female and 1,144 male. There were around 132 temporary teachers, 69 male and 201 female. There were no untrained teachers in the district. As of 2006, 80,594 were involved in agriculture, 8,423 in construction, 14,237 in education, 1,165 in electricity and water, 1,034 in finance, 49 in foreign mission, 4,396 in health, 4,218 in hotels and restaurants, 10,664 in manufacturing, 4,900 in mining and quarrying, 2,894 in other community services, 8,385 in private households, 16,022 in public administration, 4,489 in real estate, 3,927 in transport and communications, and 21,546 in wholesale and retail trade. The total number of workers was 186,943, 95,717 male and 91,221 female.

Administration

Botswana gained independence from the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

in 1966 and adapted the colonial administration framework to form its district administration. The policies were modified during 1970–74 to address some of the basic issues. The district is administered by a district administration and district council which are responsible for local administration. The policies for the administration are framed by the Ministry of Local Government. The major activities of the council are Tribal Administration, Remote Area Development and Local Governance. The executive powers of the council are vested on a commissioner appointed by the central government. Technical services wing of the Department of Local Government is responsible for developing roads, infrastructure in villages like water supply, schools and recreational facilities. All the staff of the local administration expect District Administration are selected via Unified Local Government Services (ULGS) and the Ministry of Local Government is responsible for their training, deployment and career development. The six sub-districts of Central District created as a part of National Development Park of the district are Bobonong, Boteti, Mahalapye, Orapa, Serowe Palapye and Tutume.

Villages

References