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Gaborone ( , , ) is the
capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...
and largest city of Botswana with a population of 246,325 based on the 2022 census, about 10% of the total population of Botswana. Its agglomeration is home to 421,907 inhabitants at the 2011 census. Gaborone is situated between Kgale Hill and Oodi Hill, near the confluence of the Notwane River and Segoditshane River in the south-eastern corner of Botswana, from the South African border. The city is served by the
Sir Seretse Khama International Airport Sir Seretse Khama International Airport , located north of downtown Gaborone, is the main international airport of the capital city of Botswana. The airport is named after Sir Seretse Khama, the first president of Botswana. It was opened in 1984 ...
. It is an administrative district in its own right, but is the capital of the surrounding South-East District. Locals often refer to the city as ''GC or Motse-Mshate''. The city of Gaborone is named after
Chief Gaborone Gaborone (c. 1825 – 1931) was a ''kgosi'' (chief) of the Tlokwa, a tribe of the larger Tswana people in what is now Botswana. He became the tribe's chief around 1880, after the death of his father, and secured the Tlokwa's status as the "smalles ...
of the Tlokwa tribe, who once controlled land nearby. Because it had no tribal affiliation and was close to fresh water, the city was
planned Planning is the process of thinking regarding the activities required to achieve a desired goal. Planning is based on foresight, the fundamental capacity for mental time travel. The evolution of forethought, the capacity to think ahead, is co ...
to be the capital in the mid-1960s when the Bechuanaland Protectorate became an independent nation. The centre of the city is a long strip of commercial businesses, called "Main Mall" with a semicircle-shaped area of government offices to its east. Gaborone was once one of the fastest-growing cities in the world, and this has created problems with housing and illegal settlements. The city has also dealt with conflicts spilling into the country from Zimbabwe and South Africa during the 1980s. Gaborone is the economic capital as well as the government capital; it is headquarters to numerous companies and the Botswana Stock Exchange. Gaborone is also home to the Southern African Development Community (SADC), a regional economic community established in 1980. Many languages are spoken there, Setswana ( Tswana) being the main tongue. English,
Kalanga Kalanga may refer to: * BaKalanga people * Kalanga language Kalanga, or ''TjiKalanga'' (in Zimbabwe), is a Bantu language spoken by the Kalanga people in Botswana and Zimbabwe. It has an extensive phoneme inventory, which includes palatalise ...
, and
Kgalagadi Kgalagadi, meaning "Land of the thirst", is a geographical area located in Southern Africa. It may also refer to: * Kgalagadi District, Botswana * Kgalagadi language * Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is a large wildlif ...
are also spoken.


History

Evidence shows that there have been inhabitants along the Notwane River for centuries. In more recent history, the Tlokwa left the Magaliesberg ranges to settle in the area around 1880, and called the settlement ''
Moshaweng Moshaweng is a village in Kweneng District of Botswana. It is located 60 km west of Molepolole. The population of Moshaweng was 974 in 2001 census. It was the ancient name of Gaborone Gaborone ( , , ) is the capital and largest cit ...
'' . The word "Gaborone" literally means "it does not fit badly" or "it is not unbecoming". The city was then called "Gaberones" by early European colonizers. Gaberones, a shortening of "Gaborone's Village", was named after
Chief Gaborone Gaborone (c. 1825 – 1931) was a ''kgosi'' (chief) of the Tlokwa, a tribe of the larger Tswana people in what is now Botswana. He became the tribe's chief around 1880, after the death of his father, and secured the Tlokwa's status as the "smalles ...
of the Tlokwa, whose home village (now called Tlokweng) was across the river from the Government Camp, the name of the colonial government headquarters. The nickname, "GC", comes from the name "Government Camp". In 1890, Cecil John Rhodes picked Gaberones to house a colonial fort. The fort was where Rhodes planned the Jameson Raid. The city changed its name from Gaberones to Gaborone in 1969. The modern town was only founded in 1964, after a decision was taken to establish a capital for Botswana, which became a self governing territory in 1965, before becoming a fully independent republic on 30 September 1966. In 1965, the capital of the Bechuanaland Protectorate moved from
Mafeking Mafikeng, officially known as Mahikeng and previously Mafeking (, ), is the capital city of the North West province of South Africa. Close to South Africa's border with Botswana, Mafikeng is northeast of Cape Town and west of Johannesburg. In ...
to Gaberones. When Botswana gained its independence, Lobatse was the first choice as the nation's capital. However, Lobatse was deemed too limited, and instead, a new capital city would be created next to Gaberones. The city was chosen because of its proximity to a fresh water source, its proximity to the railway to Pretoria, its central location among the central tribes, and its lack of association with those surrounding tribes. The city was planned under Garden city principles with numerous pedestrian walkways and open spaces. Building of Gaborone started in mid-1964. During the city's construction, the chairman of Gaberones Township Authority, Geoffrey Cornish, likened the layout of the city to a "brandy glass" with the government offices in the base of the glass and businesses in the "mall", a strip of land extending from the base. Most of the early town was built within three years, as a small town designed to accommodate 20,000 people – only to later develop after independence into a modern city. Buildings in early Gaborone include assembly buildings, government offices, a power station, a hospital, schools, a radio station, a telephone exchange, police stations, a post office, and more than 1,000 houses. Because the town was built so quickly, there was a massive influx of labourers who had built illegal settlements on the new city's southern industrial development zone. These settlements were named Naledi. The latter term literally means "the star", but could also mean "under the open sky" or "a community that stands out from all others". In 1971, because of the growth of illegal settlements, the Gaborone Town Council and the Ministry of Local Government and Lands surveyed an area called Bontleng, which would contain low-income housing. However, Naledi still grew, and the demand for housing was greater than ever. In 1973, the Botswana Housing Corporation (BHC) built a "New Naledi" across the road from the "Old Naledi". Residents from Old Naledi would be moved to New Naledi. However, the demand for housing increased yet again; moreover, the residents who relocated to New Naledi disliked the houses. The problem was solved in 1975 when Sir Seretse Khama, the president of Botswana, rezoned Naledi from an industrial zone to a low-income housing area. On 30 September 1966, Bechuanaland became the eleventh
British dependency The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remnants of the former Bri ...
in Africa to become independent. The first mayor of Gaborone was Reverend Derek Jones. The old Gaberones became a suburb of the new Gaborone, and is now known as "the Village". In the mid-1980s, South Africa attacked Botswana and conducted raids on Gaborone and other border towns. The Raid on Gaborone resulted in twelve deaths. After the 1994 General Elections, riots started in Gaborone because of high unemployment and other issues. Today, Gaborone is growing very rapidly. In 1964, Gaborone only had 3,855 citizens; seven years later, the city had almost 18,000 residents. The city originally planned on 20,000 citizens, but by 1992, the city had 138,000 people. This has led to many squatter settlements on undeveloped land. Former mayor Veronica Lesole has stated that Gaborone's development problems were caused by the original city planners.


Geography

Gaborone is situated at between Kgale and Oodi Hills, on the Notwane River in the south-eastern corner of Botswana, and from the South African border The city lies at an elevation of above sea level. Gaborone is surrounded by the following cities:
Ramotswa Ramotswa is a village in South-East District of Botswana, southwest of the capital of Gaborone. The population was 27,760 in 2011 census. It is the tribal capital of the BaLete, an ethnic majority springing from the Nguni tribe. Ramotswa's m ...
to the southeast,
Mogoditshane Mogoditshane is a town located in the Kweneng District of Botswana. Population Its population was 14,246 at the 2001 census, and 57,637 at the 2011 census. Gaborone It is in conurbation to the capital Gaborone, whose agglomeration is now home ...
to the northwest, and
Mochudi Mochudi is one of the larger villages in Botswana with a population of 44,815 people in 2011. It is situated in the Bakgatla tribal region, in Kgatleng District, about northeast of Gaborone. The village lies several kilometres from the main G ...
to the east, and Tlokweng across the river. Most of them are commuter towns for Gaborone. Suburbs in Gaborone include Broadhurst, Gaborone West, The Village, Naledi.
Phakalane Phakalane is a suburb in Botswana situated a few kilometers from the capital city Gaborone. It is 12.5 km north of the city centre via the A1 road. It is a commercial and residential area, which has experienced significant growth and develop ...
, an affluent suburb, lies about 13 km north of the city center. In the centre of the city lies the Main Mall which houses many diplomatic missions. At the eastern end of the Mall, one can find the Civic Centre along with the Pula Arch that commemorates Botswana's independence. The Botswana Stock Exchange, National Museum and Art Gallery, and the main campus of the University of Botswana also lie near the Main Mall. To the west of the Main Mall is the Government Enclave. This area contains the governmental buildings such as the National Assembly of Botswana and Ntlo ya Dikgosi buildings. The National Archives building is also found here.


Climate

Gaborone has a hot semi-arid climate ( Köppen climate classification '' ''BSh''''). Most of the year, Gaborone is very sunny. The summers are usually hot. The nights are cool. Usually, the summers with little rainfall are warmer than summers with regular rainfall. If there is a drought, the hottest temperatures of the year are usually in January or February. If there is normal rainfall, the hottest temperatures are usually in October, right before the rain starts. During the winter, days are still warm, and the nights are cold. There are on average seventy-four days per year with temperatures above . There are on average 196 days per year with temperatures above . There are on average fifty-one days per year with temperatures below . There is on average one day per year with temperatures below . The average dew point peaks around January and February at and hits the lowest levels in July at . The average dew point in a given year is . The record high temperature ever registered in Gaborone was . The lowest temperature registered in Gaborone was . Precipitation in Gaborone is scanty and erratic. Most of the rainfall in Gaborone falls during the summer months, between October and April. There are on average forty days of thunderstorms per year, most of them happening during the summer months, and four days of fog, usually happening during the winter months. Gaborone has been affected by three floods based on records going back to 1995, one in 2000, one in 2001 that caused an estimated 5,000,000 Botswana pula worth of damage, and one in 2006. The highest humidity occurs in June at 90% while the lowest humidity is in September at 28%. Solar irradiance ranges from 4.1 kWh m−2 d−1 in June to 7.3 kWh m−2 d−1 in December. It is windier from September to November at , and it is calmer from May to August at . The average wind speed in a given year is .


Demographics

The population, based on the 2022 census, is 246,325. There are 118,727 males and 127,598 females in the city. There are 58,476 households in Gaborone. In 2001, the average household size was 3.11 people. The city of Gaborone is home to over 10% of the population of Botswana. Almost half of Botswana citizens live within of Gaborone. The population growth rate of Gaborone is 3.4%, the highest in the country. This is most likely because the city has a more developed infrastructure, making it more livable. Gaborone is one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. Much of the growth is based on net in migration from the rest of Botswana. The sex ratio of Gaborone is 96.3, meaning that there are 963 men for every 1,000 women. Most of the marriages in Botswana are registered in Gaborone; about 15% of all marriages in Botswana were registered in Gaborone in 2007. On average, there are 3.3 persons per household in Gaborone. This is a low number compared to the rest of Botswana.


Places of worship

Among places of worship,
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
churches and temples predominate. These include houses of worship affiliated with the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Botswana The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Botswana is an Evangelical Lutheran church in Botswana. It has a membership of 22,000, and has been a member of the Lutheran World Federation since 1986. It is also affiliated with its regional expression, the L ...
( Lutheran World Federation),
Assemblies of God The Assemblies of God (AG), officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 144 autonomous self-governing national groupings of churches that together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination."Assemblies of God". ...
,
International Pentecostal Holiness Church The International Pentecostal Holiness Church (IPHC) or simply Pentecostal Holiness Church (PHC) is a Holiness-Pentecostal Christian denomination founded in 1911 with the merger of two older denominations. Historically centered in the Southeaster ...
,
Christ Embassy Christ Embassy (also known as LoveWorld Incorporated or Believers' Loveworld) is a megachurch and Christian denomination founded by Pastor Chris Oyakhilome in 1987. The Church, with the headquarters in Lagos, Nigeria, has since become a global ...
,
Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaborone The Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaborone ( la, Dioecesis Gaboronensis) is a diocese located in the city of Gaborone, Botswana, in the Ecclesiastical province of Pretoria in South Africa. The motto of the diocese is ', which means "God is love." H ...
( Catholic Church). Accompanying a significant community of ethnic Serbs in the city, there are also two Serbian Orthodox churches within Gaborone; the St. Nicholas Church and the St. Sava Church.


Culture

The National Museum and Art Gallery is located just northwest of the Mall along Independence Road. The museum opened in 1968. It holds many things from traditional crafts to works of art by local artists. The museum houses original paintings by
Thomas Baines (John) Thomas Baines (27 November 1820 – 8 May 1875) was an English artist and explorer of British colonial southern Africa and Australia. Life and work Born in King's Lynn, Norfolk, on 27 November 1820, Baines was apprenticed to a coach ...
and
Lucas Sithole Lucas Sithole (1931-1994) was a South African sculptor best known for his work in mainly indigenous woods, as well as for his sculptures in bronze, Rock (geology), stone and other media. He was born on 15 November 1931, in Springs, Transvaal ...
. Exhibits include ''Artists in Botswana'', ''Children's Art Competition'' and ''Thapong International''. Outside the museum, there are various forms of transportation such as wagons, sledges, and ''bakkies'' (
pickup truck A pickup truck or pickup is a light-duty truck that has an enclosed cabin, and a back end made up of a cargo bed that is enclosed by three low walls with no roof (this cargo bed back end sometimes consists of a tailgate and removable covering) ...
s). There is also an exhibit on the San, the earliest inhabitants of southern Africa. The museum opened a botanical garden called the National Botanical Garden on 2 November 2007. The garden was built to protect Botswana's indigenous plant life, and 90% of its total plant species are native plants from Botswana. The introduction of the ministry of youth sports and culture has immensely contributed to the growth of arts and culture, with few elements of culture used to create a living for the youth, the ministry buys the locally designed ornaments and artifacts. the culture depicted is not just a way of living but shared experience that improves individuals lives. with different crafts people of Gaborone have managed to sustain their lives, be it in sports, and or performing arts. The Maitisong Festival was started in 1987 and is held every year for seven days on either the last week of March or the first week of April. The festival holds outdoor concerts, plays, and films in various venues around the city. "My African Dream" was a performing-arts competition during the 2000s that was held every year at the Gaborone International Convention Center. The show featured many kwaito dancers and musicians. The book series ''
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency ''The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency'' is a series of novels by Alexander McCall Smith set in Botswana and featuring the character Mma Precious Ramotswe. The series is named after the first novel, published in 1998. Twenty-two novels have been p ...
'', written by Scottish author Alexander McCall Smith, is set in Gaborone. The books follow Precious Ramotswe, the first female private detective in Botswana, and the mysteries that she solves. The Detective Kubu series, by Michael Stanley (South African co-writers Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip), features Assistant Superintendent David 'Kubu' Bengu of the Botswana Police Service Criminal Investigation Department.


Economy

Gaborone is the center of the national economy. The headquarters of important financial institutions such as the Bank of Botswana, Bank Gaborone, BancABC, and the Botswana Stock Exchange are centrally located, as well as the headquarters for
Air Botswana Air Botswana Corporation is Botswana's state-owned national flag carrier, with its headquarters located in Gaborone. It operates scheduled domestic and regional flights from its main base at Sir Seretse Khama International Airport. Air Botswana ...
,
Consumer Watchdog Consumer Watchdog (formerly the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights) is a non-profit, progressive organization which advocates for taxpayer and consumer interests, with a focus on insurance, health care, political reform, privacy and ener ...
,
Botswana Telecommunications Corporation Botswana Telecommunications Corporation (BTC) is a telecommunications and Internet service provider in Botswana, and is headquartered in Gaborone. It provides telecommunications services throughout the country. The company was formerly a gover ...
, and Debswana, the joint diamond mining venture between
De Beers De Beers Group is an international corporation that specializes in diamond mining, diamond exploitation, diamond retail, diamond trading and industrial diamond manufacturing sectors. The company is active in open-pit, large-scale alluvial and c ...
and the Botswana government. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has its headquarters in Gaborone; the organization was formed in 1980 to increase economic cooperation among its members and reduce dependence on South Africa. Several international companies have invested in the city:
Hyundai Hyundai is a South Korean industrial conglomerate ("chaebol"), which was restructured into the following groups: * Hyundai Group, parts of the former conglomerate which have not been divested ** Hyundai Mobis, Korean car parts company ** Hyundai ...
,
SABMiller SABMiller plc was a South African multinational brewing and beverage company headquartered in Woking, England on the outskirts of London until 10 October 2016 when it was acquired by Anheuser-Busch InBev. Prior to that date, it was the world's ...
, Daewoo, Volvo, and
Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad. The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', '' ...
. Orapa House, owned by Debswana, is where the diamonds mined from Debswana are sorted and valued. Orapa House is located at the intersection of Khama Crescent and Nelson Mandela Drive. It has a unique style of architecture that allows the optimal amount of indirect sunlight to shine through the windows in order to accurately sort diamonds. A Diamond Technology Park was recently opened, this is as part of Botswana Government's vision for establishment of downstream diamond industry. Companies dealing in diamonds have established their local operations in the park. The Botswana Resource Conference is held annually at the Gaborone International Conference Centre. The unemployment rate in Gaborone is 11.7% . 19.7% of the population in Gaborone is employed in the financial sector. According to
Mercer Mercer may refer to: Business * Mercer (car), a defunct American automobile manufacturer (1909–1925) * Mercer (consulting firm), a large human resources consulting firm headquartered in New York City * Mercer (occupation), a merchant or trader ...
's 2011 Worldwide Cost of Living Survey, Gaborone has the 195th highest cost of living for expatriates in the world, up from 203rd in 2010. Gaborone comes between Chennai, India and
Quito Quito (; qu, Kitu), formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital and largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its urban area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha. Quito is located in a valley o ...
, Ecuador. Gaborone is the fourth least expensive city for expatriates in Africa, coming in above Addis Ababa, Ethiopia at 211th, Kampala, Uganda at 202nd and Windhoek, Namibia at 198th.


Sports

There are several football stadiums located in and around Gaborone. These include
SSKB Stadium Sir Seretse Khama Barracks Stadium, popularly known as SSKB Stadium, is a multi-use stadium in Mogoditshane, Kweneng, Botswana. It is used mostly for football matches and serves as the home stadium of Botswana Defence Force XI. The stadium holds 5 ...
,
Mochudi Stadium Mochudi Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Gaborone, Botswana. It is used mostly for football matches and serves as the home stadium of Centre Chiefs Mochudi Centre Chiefs Sporting Club are a professional football club based in Gaborone, Botsw ...
, and
Botswana National Stadium The Botswana National Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Gaborone, Botswana. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium holds 25,000 people. Overview The pitch is surrounded by an athletics track, the stadium is coupled wi ...
. There are also several football teams representing Gaborone, which include, amongst others, Botswana Defence Force XI,
Gaborone United Gaborone United Sporting Club (GU) is a football club from Botswana based in Gaborone. It is the only professional sporting club in Botswana. Its official sponsor is Bank Gaborone, who signed a three-year deal at the beginning of the 2022-23 seaso ...
,
Police XI Botswana Police XI Sporting Club is a football (soccer) club from Botswana based in village of Otse southern of Gaborone. Achievements *Botswana Premier League : 1 ::2006 * Botswana FA Cup : 1 ::1983 Performance in CAF competitions *CAF Champi ...
,
Township Rollers Township Rollers Football Club is a football club based in Gaborone, Botswana. Rollers are also known as Popa, The Blues or Tse Tala, the official nicknames of the club. The club is also often referred to as Mapalastina, a nickname that develop ...
and
Uniao Flamengo Santos FC Uniao Flamengo Santos is a football club from Gabane, Botswana, based in Gaborone. They play their home matches at UB Stadium in Gaborone. The club is named after two Brazilian clubs: Flamengo and Santos. Its colors, however, are blue and whit ...
, which is based in nearby
Gabane Gabane is a village in Kweneng District of Botswana. It is located 15 km (10 mi) west of Gaborone, the capital of Botswana. The population was 10,399 in 2001 census, making it the fourth largest settlement in Kweneng. Its population was ...
; all of them have played in the Botswana Premier League. The
Botswana national football team The Botswana national football team was founded in 1970 to represent Botswana in association football and is governed by the Botswana Football Association (BFA). It qualified for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. History It took part in its fi ...
plays in the National Stadium, but has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup, even though they recently qualified for the
Africa Cup of Nations The Africa Cup of Nations referred to as AFCON (french: Coupe d'Afrique des Nations, sometimes referred to as CAN, or TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons), and sometimes as African Cup of Nations, is the main internati ...
, held in Gabon in January 2012. The
Botswana Cricket Association The Botswana Cricket Association (BCA) is the official Sport governing body, governing body of the sport of cricket in Botswana. Its headquarters is in Gaborone, Botswana. It is affiliated with Botswana National Sports Council (BNSC) and the Bots ...
, the governing body of cricket in Botswana, is headquartered in Gaborone. There are two Ovals where cricket is played in the city. The
Steinmetz Gaborone Marathon The Diacore Gaborone Marathon is a marathon in Gaborone, Botswana. The marathon is governed by the International Association of Athletics Federations and the Botswana Athletics Association. It is open for to ages 19 and up, and the race is a quali ...
, the second
marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...
in Botswana, was held for the first time on 18 April 2010. The route started at the Phakalane Golf Estate in Phakalane, north of the city, and went through Gaborone, passing the National Assembly Building. The marathon, which was cancelled in 2011, has been held annually starting from 2012.


Parks and recreation

The
Gaborone Dam The Gaborone Dam is a dam on the Notwane River in Botswana with a capacity of . The dam is operated by the Water Utilities Corporation, and supplies water to the capital city of Gaborone. Location The Gaborone Dam is located south of Gaborone ...
is located south of Gaborone along the Gaborone-Lobatse road, and provides water for both Gaborone and Lobatse. The dam is the second biggest in Botswana, able to hold . It is also starting to be marketed as a recreational area. The northern end of the reservoir is planned to become an entertainment venue called ''The Waterfront''. There is a yacht club, called Gaborone Yacht Club, also on the northern side of the lake. The southern end houses the Kalahari Fishing Club and a new public facility called City Scapes. City Scapes contains parks, playgrounds, and boating facilities. The dam is popular with birdwatchers,
windsurfers Windsurfing is a wind propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the aerospace and surf culture of California. Windsurfing ga ...
, and anglers. However, there is no swimming due to the presence of
crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term crocodile is sometimes used even more loosely to inclu ...
s and parasitic bilharzias.


Wildlife

The Gaborone Game Reserve is a park east of the city on Limpopo Drive. The reserve was built in 1988 and is now the third-busiest in Botswana. Examples of animals in the park are
impala The impala or rooibok (''Aepyceros melampus'') is a medium-sized antelope found in eastern and southern Africa. The only extant member of the genus '' Aepyceros'' and tribe Aepycerotini, it was first described to European audiences by Germa ...
, kudu, ostriches, wildebeest, zebras,
gemsbok The gemsbok or South African oryx (''Oryx gazella'') is a large antelope in the genus ''Oryx''. It is native to the extremely dry, arid regions of Southern Africa; notably, the Kalahari Desert. Some authorities formerly classified the East Afric ...
,
bushbuck The Cape bushbuck (''Tragelaphus sylvaticus'') is a common and a widespread species of antelope in sub-Saharan Africa.Wronski T, Moodley Y. (2009)Bushbuck, harnessed antelope or both? ''Gnusletter'', 28(1):18-19. Bushbuck are found in a wide ra ...
, springbok,
duiker A duiker is a small to medium-sized brown antelope native to sub-Saharan Africa, found in heavily wooded areas. The 22 extant species, including three sometimes considered to be subspecies of the other species, form the subfamily Cephalophina ...
, common eland, and
common warthog The common warthog (''Phacochoerus africanus'') is a wild member of the pig family (Suidae) found in grassland, savanna, and woodland in sub-Saharan Africa. In the past, it was commonly treated as a subspecies of ''P. aethiopicus'', but today th ...
s. The park is a destination for birdwatching. Birds in the marshy section of the park include snake eagles, boubou, gallinule, kingfishers, and
hornbill Hornbills (Bucerotidae) are a family (biology), family of bird found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia. They are characterized by a long, down-curved bill which is frequently brightly coloured and sometimes has a Casque (an ...
s. Kgale Hill is located a few hundred metres from the city. The hill is nicknamed the ''Sleeping Giant'' and is . There are three different paths to reach the top, usually taking two hours. The
Mokolodi Nature Reserve Mokolodi Nature Reserve is a private not-for-profit game reserve in southern Botswana. Founded in 1994 by The Mokolodi Wildlife Foundation, it is situated on of donated land, south of the capital Gaborone. The nature reserve is inhabited by a w ...
is a reserve that was created in 1994. It is located south of Gaborone. There are many different species of animals found in the park such as
common warthog The common warthog (''Phacochoerus africanus'') is a wild member of the pig family (Suidae) found in grassland, savanna, and woodland in sub-Saharan Africa. In the past, it was commonly treated as a subspecies of ''P. aethiopicus'', but today th ...
s,
steenbok The steenbok (''Raphicerus campestris'') is a common small antelope of southern and eastern Africa. It is sometimes known as the steinbuck or steinbok. Description Steenbok resemble small oribi, standing 45–60 cm (16"–24") at the ...
, kudu, zebras,
giraffe The giraffe is a large African hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa''. It is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on Earth. Traditionally, giraffes were thought to be one species, ''Giraffa camelopardalis ...
s, common eland, ostriches, hippos and rhinos. The park helps with wildlife projects in Botswana that include: the reintroduction of the
white rhino The white rhinoceros, white rhino or square-lipped rhinoceros (''Ceratotherium simum'') is the largest extant species of rhinoceros. It has a wide mouth used for grazing and is the most social of all rhino species. The white rhinoceros consists ...
and the relocation of "problem" cheetahs. Mokolodi also holds the Education Centre, which teaches children about the conservation projects.
Somarelang Tikologo Somarelang Tikologo (Environment Watch Botswana) is a member-based environmental NGO located in Gaborone, Botswana. The organization aims to promote sustainable environmental protection by educating, demonstrating and encouraging best practices ...
(Environment Watch Botswana) is a member-based environmental NGO housed inside an ecological park at the heart of Gaborone. The aim of the organization is to promote sustainable environmental protection by educating, demonstrating and encouraging best practices in environmental planning, resource conservation and waste management in Botswana. The park was officially opened by the Botswana Minister of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism, Onkokame kitso Mokaila on 27 February 2009. The park contains a playground for children to play on throughout the day, a community organic garden, a recycling drop-off center, and a shop where visitors can purchase products made of recycled material.


Government


Local government

Gaborone is controlled by the
Gaborone City Council The Gaborone City Council is the governing body of the city of Gaborone, Botswana. In terms of generated revenue, it is the wealthiest council in Botswana. It is composed of 35 councillors representing the wards of Gaborone. Structure The Townsh ...
, the wealthiest council in Botswana. It is composed of 35 councillors representing the wards of Gaborone. The Townships Act mandates the structure of local governments in Botswana. Because Botswana is a unitary state, the power of the local councils are delegated from the national level. The Ministry of Local Government, Land and Housing has a major influence in terms of personnel hiring and training, budgeting, and development planning. The city commission-style
council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...
is run by the city clerk and the deputy city clerk. The city is governed by the mayor, deputy mayor, and several committees run by councillors: the financial and general purposes committee; the public health, social welfare and housing committee; the Self-Help Housing Agency (SHAA) management committee; the town planning committee; the trade licensing committee; and the education committee. The councillors elect the mayor in a first-past-the-post system and place each other in the committees yearly. The council has 2,515 employees. An income tax called the Local Government Tax used to be the main source of income of the city council, but it was abolished. Today, the city council derives most of its revenue from property rates. City councillors feel that because of recurrent obligations, they have little room to institute new solutions. The city council has been criticised by the Botswana Association of Local Authorities for its closed elections and minimal authority. In 2010, the council had problems with waste management: Frenic, the waste management company hired by the city, sued the Gaborone City Council for unpaid compensation. This has led to a buildup of uncollected garbage. Haskins Nkaigwa, mayor of Gaborone from 2011, has stressed the importance of more local autonomy. He advocates for a stronger city council with the power to determine budgets and hire and fire clerks and officers.


National government

Gaborone is the political centre of Botswana. Most government buildings are located west of the Main Mall in an area called the Government Enclave. The National Assembly of Botswana, the Ntlo ya Dikgosi, the National Archives, the
Department of Taxes and Attorney General's Chambers Building The Department of Taxes and Attorney General's Chambers Building (sometimes shortened to Attorney General's Chambers Building) is currently the tallest building in Botswana and one of the most expensive buildings built in Africa. The building, lo ...
, and the Ministry of Health. Near the entrance of the parliament building, there is a statue of Sir Seretse Khama, Botswana's first president as well as a memorial dedicated to the three hundred Batswana who were killed from 1939 to 1945. Another monument pays tribute to the Botswana Defence Force soldiers who died in the Rhodesian Bush War. Before 1982, Gaborone held one parliamentary constituency, one seat in the Parliament of Botswana. From 1982 to 1993, Gaborone was divided into two constituencies, Gaborone North and Gaborone South. A third seat in Parliament was given to a member elected for the whole city of Gaborone. In January 1993, two new constituencies were created: Gaborone West and Gaborone Central. For local government elections, the four constituencies were divided into wards. Gaborone North had seven, Gaborone West had seven. Gaborone Central had six, and Gaborone South had five. In 2019, the city had five constituencies: Gaborone North, Gaborone Central, Gaborone South, Gaborone West North, and Gaborone West South. An International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) was established on 24 July 2000 in Gaborone. The academy would provide training for middle managers for the countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). There are 21 diplomatic missions in Gaborone.


Education

There are more people who have earned a degree or postgraduate qualifications in Gaborone than anywhere else in Botswana. 70.9% of the population of Gaborone have earned at least a secondary-level education 2.6% of the population of Gaborone has never attended school. Gaborone has many primary and secondary schools, both public and private. These include
Westwood International School Westwood International School is an English medium international school in Gaborone, Botswana. It was founded in 1988 with sponsorship from the American and British governments and in collaboration with the Botswana Ministry of Education. US, Br ...
,
Maru-a-Pula School Maru-a-Pula School is a co-educational, independent day and boarding secondary school in Gaborone, Botswana. It was founded in 1972. The school prepares students for the Cambridge International General Certificate of Education The Cambridge I ...
,
St. Joseph's College, Kgale St. Joseph's College is a government-aided Catholic school in Gaborone, Botswana. The school was founded in 1928 by the Catholic Church to form and inform Batswana children. A government-aided mission school, it is financed by the government o ...
, Legae Academy, Northside Primary School, Thornhill Primary School and Hillcrest International School. Seventeen of the sixty private schools in Botswana are located in Gaborone. The main campus of the University of Botswana (which was established in 1982) is on the eastern extent of the city. In addition there are other universities or institutions of higher education that cater to specialized study and instruction:
Limkokwing University Of Creative Technology Limkokwing University of Creative Technology (also called Limkokwing and LUCT) is a private university that has a presence across Africa, Europe, and Asia. With its main campus in Malaysia, the university has over 30,000 students from more tha ...
(which also has a campus in Gaborone); the
Botswana Accountancy College The Botswana Accountancy College, or BAC, is a business school headquartered in the city of Gaborone, Botswana. Initially funded and established through a joint venture between Ministry of Finance and Development Planning and Debswana, the colle ...
(which caters to both accounting and IT students);
Botswana Open University Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...
(offering long-distance learning); Gaborone Technical College; Boitekanelo College; Botho University (which offers courses ranging from computing, accounting and finance, business, engineering and health information management); and Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, situated approximately from the city centre. Further, in year 2006, the Gaborone Universal College of Law, opened its main campus in Gaborone, with its first group of students graduating in 2010.


Media

Newspapers published in Gaborone include '' Mmegi'', '' The Botswana Gazette'', The Monitor, Midweek Sun, The Patriot on Sunday, Sunday Standard, and '' The Voice''. Magazines published are Lapologa, Peolwane, Kutwlano among others. Radio station Yarona FM broadcasts from Gaborone; its frequency in Gaborone is 106.6 FM. Another small, local radio station in Gaborone is Gabz FM, Duma FM & Yarona FM. 86.6% of Gaborone households own a working radio. Before 2000, residents of Gaborone received television programming from BOP TV in Mahikeng via a repeating transmitter on the summit of Kgale Hill. Today, the Gaborone Broadcasting Company and
Botswana TV Botswana Television (also known as BTV and Botswana TV) is the national broadcaster in Botswana. Botswana's first national television service started in 2000 following a 1997 government decision. The station delivers thirteen hours of local and in ...
provide television programming for Gaborone. 78.7% of the households in Gaborone have a working television. Other local channels based in Gaborone are Now TV, Khuduga HD, Access TV & Maru TV. 93.7% of the households in Gaborone have a cell phone.


Infrastructure

Gaborone is one of the fastest-growing cities in Africa. The growth of Gaborone, especially suburban growth, has caused much of the farmland surrounding the city to be absorbed into the city. Much of the food for Gaborone comes from north of the city with some smaller-scale farms on the southern end. The city centre was planned to be functionalist, with major buildings designed and built in the style of Modern architecture. The city is surrounded by smaller buildings. The city's central business district (CBD) is still under construction so when one says ''downtown'', they actually mean the ''Main Mall'' and ''Government Enclave'' areas where tall buildings are usually found. The Main Mall, a car-free shopping and commercial area, runs in an east–west direction with the Government Enclave and National Assembly on the west end and the Gaborone City Town Council complex on the east. Gaborone's CBD is home to the new Square Mall, The Tower, the new SADC headquarters, the Industrial Court, a court specifically for settling trade disputes, and the
Three Dikgosi Monument The Three Dikgosi Monument is a bronze sculpture located in the Gaborone Central Business District, Central Business District of Gaborone, Botswana. The statues depict three kgosi, dikgosi (tribal chiefs): Khama III of the Mangwato tribe, Bangwa ...
, a landmark featuring the statues of Khama III, Sebele I, and
Bathoen I Bathoen I (1845 – 1 July 1910) was a ''kgosi'' (paramount chief) of the Ngwaketse people (1889-1910). Together with Khama III and Sebele I he is credited with saving the young British Bechuanaland Protectorate, a predecessor of Botswana, from b ...
, three dikgosi, or chiefs, who traveled to Great Britain to establish the Bechuanaland Protectorate separate from Southern Rhodesia (present-day Zimbabwe) or the Cape Colony (present-day South Africa). The monument was inaugurated on 29 September 2005. While the statues represent famous historical figures, there has been some controversy over the cost of the construction, P12,000,000 (approx. US$1.7M, €1.4M, or £1.1M as of June 2010), and over the construction company, North Korean
Mansudae Overseas Projects Mansudae Overseas Projects is a construction company based in Jongphyong-dong, Phyongchon District, Pyongyang, North Korea. It is the international commercial division of the Mansudae Art Studio. As of August 2011, it had earned an estimated US ...
, putting the wrong inscription date. Other buildings under construction in the CBD include the Holiday Inn Gaborone, retail space, and office space.


Utilities

The city gets most of its water from the reservoir formed from the
Gaborone Dam The Gaborone Dam is a dam on the Notwane River in Botswana with a capacity of . The dam is operated by the Water Utilities Corporation, and supplies water to the capital city of Gaborone. Location The Gaborone Dam is located south of Gaborone ...
on the southeast side of the city, which has facilitated growth. The city of Gaborone was originally constructed as a small town, so the Gaborone Dam needed to be built to provide water for all its citizens. From 2007 to 2008, of water was sold in Gaborone. The government sector bought the most water, . of water was bought for domestic use, and of water was bought by the commercial and industrial sectors. In 2008, the city of Gaborone consumed of water, and the water consumption per capita was per person per year, the lowest rate since 1999. Gaborone has some of the highest water tariffs in the country because of high transportation costs and high water consumption. The high tariffs may also be due to the fact that some of Gaborone's water supply is imported from the
Letsibogo Dam The Letsibogo Dam is a dam on the Motloutse River in Botswana, built to initially provide water to the industrial town of Selebi-Phikwe and surrounding local areas, with potential for use in irrigation. The dam now supplies Gaborone, the capital o ...
. The average pH of the water in the Gaborone Dam is 7.95 as of February 2006. The concentration of calcium in the reservoir was 14.87milligrams per litre from April 2001 to August 2006. During the same period, the concentration of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) was 57.73 milligrams per litre, slightly over Botswana's ideal concentration which means the water is
hard Hard may refer to: * Hardness, resistance of physical materials to deformation or fracture * Hard water, water with high mineral content Arts and entertainment * ''Hard'' (TV series), a French TV series * Hard (band), a Hungarian hard rock super ...
. Also during the same period, the chloride concentration was 6.44 mg/l, the
fluoride Fluoride (). According to this source, is a possible pronunciation in British English. is an inorganic, monatomic anion of fluorine, with the chemical formula (also written ), whose salts are typically white or colorless. Fluoride salts typ ...
concentration was 0.54 mg/l, the potassium concentration was 6.72 mg/l, and the sodium concentration was 10.76 mg/l.


Healthcare

The
Botswana Red Cross Society The Botswana Red Cross Society, also known as LRC, was founded in 1968. It has its headquarters in Gaborone, Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label= Setswana, ), is a landlocked countr ...
, established in 1968, is headquartered in Gaborone. The Princess Marina Hospital is the main referral hospital in Gaborone and houses 500 beds. There is also
Gaborone Private Hospital Gaborone ( , , ) is the capital and largest city of Botswana with a population of 246,325 based on the 2022 census, about 10% of the total population of Botswana. Its agglomeration is home to 421,907 inhabitants at the 2011 census. Gaboron ...
and Sidilega Private Hospital all operating in the city of Gaborone. The Cancer Association of Botswana is a voluntary non-governmental organization established as a trust in 1998. The association is a leading service provider in supplementing existing services through provision of cancer prevention and health promotion programmes, facilitating access to health services for cancer patients and offering support and counselling to those affected. Its headquarters is at Ditlhakore Way, Extension 12, Gaborone.


HIV/AIDS

AIDS is a very serious problem in Gaborone. 17,773 Gaborone citizens, 17.1% of the total population of Gaborone, have tested positive for HIV. There is a higher prevalence of HIV among women; 20.5% of women have tested positive compared to 13.6% of men. The population between 45 and 49 years of age are most likely to have AIDS with 35.4% of the residents in that age group testing positive. HIV/AIDS education is extensive in Gaborone. However, a 2008 study shows that 14.5% of Gaborone residents between 10 and 64 who have heard of HIV/AIDS believe that HIV can be spread through witchcraft, and 31.3% of the residents believe HIV can be spread through mosquito bites.


Transportation


Railways

The railway that served the founding purpose of the city remains important, bisecting the city in a north–south direction. Botswana Railways runs a line that goes from Cape Town to Harare via Bulawayo. The railway station in Gaborone is located south of the Parliament House in the city's centre. The line stops at the following cities in and near Botswana:
Ramatlabama Ramatlabama (or Ramatlhabama) is a village and railway station north of Mafikeng, in the North West province of South Africa. It is located on the border with Botswana, and serves as a border post for road and rail traffic. At the time of the 2 ...
on the South African border, Lobatse, Gaborone, Palapye,
Serule Serule is a village in Central District of Botswana. Serule, with a latitude of -21.95 (21° 56' 60 S) and a longitude of 27.3 (27° 18' 0 E), is a streets, highways, roads, or railroad (railroad siding). The village is located along the road ...
, Francistown,
Ramokgwebana Ramokgwebana is a village in the North-East District (Botswana), North-East District of Botswana, close to the eastern border, which is defined by the Ramokgwebana River. Plumtree, Zimbabwe is on the other side of the border crossing. The village ...
, and Plumtree, Zimbabwe. The line became a cargo-only line on 1 April 2009 but passenger services resumed in early 2016.


Airports

Sir Seretse Khama International Airport Sir Seretse Khama International Airport , located north of downtown Gaborone, is the main international airport of the capital city of Botswana. The airport is named after Sir Seretse Khama, the first president of Botswana. It was opened in 1984 ...
( ICAO code: FBSK IATA code: GBE) lies north of the city and in 2018 has flights to Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Addis Ababa and various domestic destinations. It is the headquarters of
Air Botswana Air Botswana Corporation is Botswana's state-owned national flag carrier, with its headquarters located in Gaborone. It operates scheduled domestic and regional flights from its main base at Sir Seretse Khama International Airport. Air Botswana ...
, the national airline of Botswana. In 2008, Sir Seretse Khama International Airport handled 15,844 aircraft movements, second only to Maun Airport ( ICAO code: FMBN IATA code: MUB) Air traffic in Gaborone has decreased since 2006. However, Gaborone has the most air passenger traffic, accounting for 51.6% of all passenger movement in Botswana. International passengers total 244,073 passengers while domestic air passenger movement comes up to 333,390 passengers. Gaborone International Airport terminal was rebuilt into a modern terminal in 2010.


Roads

Highways in and around Gaborone include the
Trans-Kalahari Highway The Trans-Kalahari Corridor is a paved highway corridor that provides a direct route from Walvis Bay and Windhoek in central Namibia, through Botswana, to Pretoria in Gauteng province in South Africa. It initially cost approximately 850 million Nam ...
, A1 Highway, A10 Highway and the Cairo-Cape Town Highway. There are five major roads in Gaborone that go to Lobatse,
Kanye Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ear ...
,
Molepolole Molepolole is a large village in Kweneng District, Botswana. The people who reside in Molepolole are called Bakwena, who are one of the eight major tribes in Botswana. The Bakwena Kgosi (Chief), Sebele I was among the three chiefs who went to En ...
, Francistown via
Mochudi Mochudi is one of the larger villages in Botswana with a population of 44,815 people in 2011. It is situated in the Bakgatla tribal region, in Kgatleng District, about northeast of Gaborone. The village lies several kilometres from the main G ...
, and Tlokweng.


Public transport

;Kombi Public transport in the city is generally reliable, when compared with major African cities. '' Kombis'' (small vans) and taxis ply the routes within the city, while buses serve surrounding villages and other towns in Botswana.


Private traffic

Gaborone has several vehicle licensing stations. 15,538 new private motor vehicles, accounting for 46.5% of Botswana's total new vehicle registrations, were registered in Gaborone in 2008, of which 8,440 were passenger cars, 440 were minibuses, 204 were motorcycles, and 181 were tractors. The total has increased from 12,690 new vehicle registrations in 2007. Gaborone also has the highest number of vehicle registration renewals at 73,206 in 2008. Including the district of Gaborone West, Gaborone had 9,415 vehicle accidents with 74 human fatalities in 2008. Most of the traffic collisions in that year, 3,146 collisions, were
side collision A side collision is a vehicle crash where the side of one or more vehicles is impacted. These crashes typically occur at intersections, in parking lots, and when two vehicles pass on a multi-lane roadway. Occurrences and effects For fatali ...
s. 263 accidents involved animals. The city has also seen 679 pedestrian casualties in 2008; 24 pedestrians were killed. The majority of vehicle accident casualties involved pedestrians, and most traffic accidents occur between 16:00 and 18:00.


Notable people

*
Kgosi Gaborone Gaborone (c. 1825 – 1931) was a ''kgosi'' (chief) of the Tlokwa, a tribe of the larger Tswana people in what is now Botswana. He became the tribe's chief around 1880, after the death of his father, and secured the Tlokwa's status as the "smalles ...
( 1825–1931), Motswana
chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...
, after whom the city is named *
Alec Campbell Alexander William Campbell (26 February 1899 – 16 May 2002) was the final surviving Australian participant of the Gallipoli campaign during the First World War.Shaw, John"Alec Campbell, Last Anzac at Gallipoli, Dies at 103" ''The New York Ti ...
(1932–2012), archaeologist and museum curator * Thamsanga Mnyele (1948–1985), member of the African National Congress and artist *
Vernon Nkadimeng Vernon Nkadimeng (25 June 1958 in Alexandra – 21 May 1985 in Gaborone, Botswana) was a member of the African National Congress who was killed while in exile in Botswana by the apartheid secret police. Life He fled South Africa following t ...
(1958–1985), member of the African National Congress, killed in Gaborone by the apartheid police *
Boniface Tshosa Setlalekgosi Boniface Tshosa Setlalekgosi (14 September 1927 – 25 January 2019) was the Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Gaborone, Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a ...
(b. 1927), Roman Catholic bishop of the
Diocese of Gaborone The Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaborone ( la, Dioecesis Gaboronensis) is a diocese located in the city of Gaborone, Botswana, in the Ecclesiastical province of Pretoria in South Africa. The motto of the diocese is ', which means "God is love." H ...
, Botswana from 1981 to 2009 *
Wally Serote Mongane Wally Serote (born 8 May 1944) is a South African poet and writer. He became involved in political resistance to the apartheid government by joining the African National Congress (ANC) and in 1969 was arrested and detained for several m ...
(b. 1944), poet and anti-apartheid activist *
Dipsy Selolwane Diphetogo "Dipsy" Selolwane (born 27 January 1978) is a Botswana former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He has also played as a striker in Major League Soccer. Club career Selolwane first played for Gaborone United in the Bo ...
(b. 1978), football player *
Mpule Kwelagobe Mpule Keneilwe Kwelagobe (born 14 November 1979) is a Motswana investor, businesswoman, model, and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Universe 1999. She was the first black African woman to win one of the Big Four international beauty pageants, ...
(b. 1979), Miss World Botswana 1997,
Miss Universe Botswana Miss Universe Botswana is a beauty pageant that was first held in 1999, with winner competing in the Miss Universe pageant. History 1999–2004 The first ever Miss Universe Botswana pageant was held at the Grand Palm Hotel Casino Resort in th ...
1999 and Miss Universe 1999 * Alister Walker (b. 1982), squash player *
Abednico Powell Abednico Powell (born 28 January 1983) is a Botswana footballer who currently plays for Mogoditshane Fighters. Career Powell began his professional career in 2006 with ECCO City Green and signed in summer 2007 with Extension Gunners. He left in ...
(b. 1983), football player * Joel Mogorosi (b. 1984), football player *
Dirang Moloi Dirang Moloi (born 28 November 1985) is a Botswana international footballer, who plays for Botswana club Gaborone United in the Botswana Premier League. Career Moloi started his senior career 2005 with Notwane FC in Gaborone. After four and a ...
(b. 1985), member of the
Botswana national football team The Botswana national football team was founded in 1970 to represent Botswana in association football and is governed by the Botswana Football Association (BFA). It qualified for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. History It took part in its fi ...
*
Donald Molosi Donald Leungo Gosego Molosi (born 11 December 1985) is a Botswana actor, writer and playwright. Molosi debuted off-Broadway in 2010 as Philly Lutaaya in ''Today It's Me'' making him the first Motswana to perform off-Broadway. In 2011, Molosi w ...
(b. 1985), actor, writer and playwright attended Maru a Pula School in his teens, and the National Arts Festival in South Africa *
Sumaiyah Marope Sumaiyah Pandor Marope (born c. 1987) is a business student from Gaborone, Botswana, was Miss Botswana 2009. She was crowned at the Gaborone International Conference Center (GICC), on 2 May 2009. Marope traveled to South Africa to represent her ho ...
( 1987), Miss Botswana 2009 *
Emma Wareus Emma Wareus (born 28 July 1990 in Gaborone) is a Botswana model and beauty queen who placed first runner-up to Miss World 2010 on October 30, 2010, in Sanya, China. This is the highest placement for a woman from her country in the history of the ...
(b. 1990), Miss World Botswana 2010, first runner-up to Miss World 2010 *
Matsieng Matsieng is a Setswana traditional music trio formed in 2005 in Gaborone, Botswana. They burst into the scene with their 2005 festive season album, Semakaleng. Known for their explicit lyrics, the trio has toured Botswana, Malaysia and South Afr ...
, a Setswana traditional music group, formed in Gaborone in 2005


International relations

Gaborone has been twinned with: *
Burbank Burbank may refer to: Places Australia * Burbank, Queensland, a suburb in Brisbane United States * Burbank, California, a city in Los Angeles County * Burbank, Santa Clara County, California, a census-designated place * Burbank, Illinois, ...
, United States * Sorong, Indonesia * Worcester, South Africa * Walvis Bay, Namibia


Gallery

File:GaboroneStreetScene.jpg, alt=A road with a Bank Gaborone building to the left and a taller building with curved truss structures on the windows to the Street scene near the Main Mall File:RhodesiaRailcar.jpg, alt=A brown train, viewed from the side, is at rest under a small open station. "1035 Rhodesia Railways" is written in gold letters over the train's windows. There is a white fence and a brick walkway in front of the train., Rhodesia Railways car at the national museum File:Khama statue.jpg, alt=A bronze-colored, life-size statue of a prominent black man in a suit, his hands in front of his stomach. The statue is on top of a pedestal which is on top of a large brown rock, surrounded by smaller rocks. The statue has trees behind it, and it is in a small brick-paved square., Statue of Khama outside the Botswana Parliament building File:Kgale Hill 2.jpg, View from Kgale Hill (Oodi Hill on horizon) File:Gaborone Dam 1.jpg, Gaborone Dam File:Gaborone Dam 2.jpg, Gaborone Dam File:Botswana Gaborone I Towers.jpg, Botswana Gaborone I Towers File:Gaborone, Botswana Hindu Temple.jpg, Gaborone Hindu Temple File:Gaborone, Botswana Mosque.jpg, Gaborone Mosque File:Botswana, Gaborone Central Business District.jpg, CBD File:Gaborone, Botswana New Development CBD.jpg, CBD Developments File:Gaborone, Botswana - 51207616203.jpg, New Construction Developments File:Gaborone, Botswana Room 52 Rooftop Restaurant.jpg, Room 52 Roof Top Restaurant File:Gaborone, Botswana - 51208479090.jpg, New CBD File:Gaborone, Botswana Christ The King Cathedral.jpg, Christ The King Cathedral File:Gaborone, Botswana - 51206700752.jpg, CBD Mall File:Gaborone, Botswana - Sir Seretse Khama International Airport.jpg, SSKI Airport


References


External links


Gaborone City Council Website

Gaborone
Satellite view at WikiMapia (not affiliated with Wikipedia/ Wikimedia Foundation)
Gaborone
''Encyclopædia Britannica'' entry
Map of Gaborone
{{Authority control Capitals in Africa Cities in Botswana South-East District (Botswana) District capitals in Botswana Populated places established in 1964 Planned capitals 1964 establishments in Africa New towns started in the 1960s