Gaborone ( , , ) is the

capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

and

largest city The United Nations uses three definitions for what constitutes a city, as not all cities in all jurisdictions are classified using the same criteria. Cities may be defined as the cities proper, the extent of their urban area, or their metrop ...

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 Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the sou ...

, with a population of 246,325 based on the 2022 census, about 10% of the total population of Botswana. Its metropolitan area is home to 534,842 inhabitants at the 2022

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

. Gaborone is situated between

Kgale Hill Hill (Setswana for "The Place that Dried Up") is a hill located in Gaborone, Botswana. Nicknamed "The Sleeping Giant", Kgale Hill reaches a summit elevation of above sea level. The hill used to be home to a television repeater and is now a touri ...

and Oodi Hill, near the confluence of the

Notwane River The Notwane River (or Ngotwane River) is a river in southeastern Botswana. Certain sections of its course form the international boundary with South Africa. Its mouth is at the head of the Limpopo River. It has a catchment area of . Course The ...

and Segoditshane River in the southeastern corner of Botswana, within 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 ...

. 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'' (King) of the Tlokwa, a tribe of the larger Tswana people in what is now Botswana. He became the tribe's King around 1880, after the death of his father, and secured the Tlokwa's status as the "smalles ...

of the Tlokwa people, who once controlled land nearby. Because it was not affiliated with any specific indigenous group and was close to fresh water, the city was planned to be the capital in the mid-1960s when the

Bechuanaland Protectorate The Bechuanaland Protectorate () was a British protectorate, protectorate established on 31 March 1885 in Southern Africa by the United Kingdom. It became the Botswana, Republic of Botswana on 30 September 1966. History Scottish missionary ...

became an independent nation. The centre of the city comprises a long strip of commercial businesses, called "Main Mall", with a semi-circular 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 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 ...

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 ...

during the 1980s. Gaborone is the political and economic capital of Botswana, home to its largest companies and the

Botswana Stock Exchange The Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) is a stock exchange located in Gaborone, Botswana. The Botswana share market was established in 1989 and became the Botswana Stock Exchange in 1994. It is governed by the Botswana Stock Exchange Act. The BSE ha ...

. It is also serves as the headquarters of the

Southern African Development Community The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Goals The SADC's goal is to further regional socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and se ...

(SADC). The main spoken languages in the city include Setswana (

Tswana Tswana may refer to: * Tswana people, the Bantu languages, Bantu speaking people in Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and other Southern Africa regions * Tswana language, the language spoken by the (Ba)Tswana people * Tswanaland, ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

Kalanga Kalanga may refer to: * Kalanga people * Kalanga language Kalanga, or TjiKalanga (in Zimbabwe), is a Bantu language spoken by the Kalanga people in Botswana and Zimbabwe which belongs to the Shonic(Shona-Nyai) group of Language. It has an ext ...

, and Kgalagadi.

History

Evidence shows that there have been inhabitants along the

for centuries. In more recent history, the Tlokwa left the

Magaliesberg The Magaliesberg (historically also known as ''Macalisberg'' or ''Cashan Mountains'') of northern South Africa, is a modest but well-defined mountain range composed mainly of quartzites. It rises at a point south of the Pilanesberg (and the ...

ranges to settle in the area around 1880, and called the settlement '' Moshaweng''. 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

of the Tlokwa, whose home village (now called

Tlokweng Tlokweng is a peri-urban settlement classified as an urban village located east of the capital of Botswana, Gaborone and falling under the jurisdiction of South East District Council. It can be considered part of the conurbation of Gaborone. ...

) 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 Cecil John Rhodes ( ; 5 July 185326 March 1902) was an English-South African mining magnate and politician in southern Africa who served as Prime Minister of the Cape Colony from 1890 to 1896. He and his British South Africa Company founded ...

picked Gaberones to house a colonial fort. The fort was where Rhodes planned the

Jameson Raid The Jameson Raid (Afrikaans: ''Jameson-inval'', , 29 December 1895 – 2 January 1896) was a botched raid against the South African Republic (commonly known as the Transvaal) carried out by British colonial administrator Leander Starr Jameson ...

. 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

moved from

Mafeking Mahikeng (Tswana for "Place of Rocks"), formerly known as Mafikeng and alternatively known as Mafeking (, ), is the capital city of the North West province of South Africa. Close to South Africa's border with Botswana, Mafikeng is northeast o ...

to Gaberones. When Botswana gained its independence,

Lobatse Lobatse is a town in south-eastern Botswana, 70 kilometres south of the capital Gaborone, situated in a valley running north towards Gaborone and close to the border with South Africa. Lobatse has a population of 29,772 as of 2022. The town is ...

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 Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country. Pretoria strad ...

, 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 Sir Seretse Goitsebeng Maphiri Khama, GCB, 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 1980. Born into an influential royal famil ...

, 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 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 The Raid on Gaborone (referred to as "Operation Plecksy" by the then South African Defence Force) took place on 14 June 1985 when South African Defence Force troops, under the order of General Constand Viljoen, crossed into Botswana violating I ...

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

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 to the southwest,

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 Gaborone ( , , ) is the Ca ...

to the northwest, and

Mochudi Mochudi is one of the larger villages in Botswana with a population of 50,321 people in 2022. It is situated in the Bakgatla tribal region, in Kgatleng District, about northeast of Gaborone. The village lies several kilometres from the main ...

to the east, and

across the river. Most of them are

commuter town A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

s for Gaborone. Suburbs in Gaborone include Broadhurst, Gaborone West, The Village, Naledi. Phakalane, 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

, National Museum and Art Gallery, and the main campus of the

University of Botswana The University of Botswana (UB) was established in 1982, as the first institution of higher education in Botswana. The university currently has three campuses: one in the capital city Gaborone, one in Francistown, and another in Maun. The Unive ...

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 The National Assembly is the sole Legislature, legislative body of Botswana's unicameral Parliament of Botswana, Parliament, of which consists of the President of Botswana, President and the National Assembly. The House passes laws, provides Min ...

and

Ntlo ya Dikgosi The ''Ntlo ya Dikgosi'' ( Tswana for "House of Chiefs") in Botswana is an advisory body to the country's parliament.National Archives National archives are the archives of a country. The concept evolved in various nations at the dawn of modernity based on the impact of nationalism upon bureaucratic processes of paperwork retention. Conceptual development From the Middle Ages i ...

building is also found here.

Climate

Gaborone has a hot

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of se ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

'' ''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 The dew point is the temperature the air needs to be cooled to (at constant pressure) in order to produce a relative humidity of 100%. This temperature depends on the pressure and water content of the air. When the air at a temperature above the ...

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 The Pula (also known as the Botswana dollar) is the currency of Botswana. It has the ISO 4217 code ''BWP'' and is subdivided into 100 ''thebe''. ''Pula'' literally means "rain" in Setswana, because rain is very scarce in Botswana—home to much o ...

worth of damage, and one in 2006. The highest

relative humidity Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation (meteorology), precipitation, dew, or fog t ...

occurs in June at 90% while the lowest is in September at 28%.

Solar irradiance Solar irradiance is the power per unit area (surface power density) received from the Sun in the form of electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range of the measuring instrument. Solar irradiance is measured in watts per square metre ( ...

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 Population growth is the increase in the number of people in a population or dispersed group. The global population has grown from 1 billion in 1800 to 8.2 billion in 2025. Actual global human population growth amounts to around 70 million annu ...

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 A sex ratio is the ratio of males to females in a population. As explained by Fisher's principle, for evolutionary reasons this is typically about 1:1 in species which reproduce sexually. However, many species deviate from an even sex ratio, ei ...

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 A place of worship is a specially designed structure or space where individuals or a group of people such as a congregation come to perform acts of devotion, veneration, or religious study. A building constructed or used for this purpose is so ...

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

churches and temples predominate. These include houses of worship affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Botswana (

Lutheran World Federation The Lutheran World Federation (LWF; ) is a global Communion (religion), communion of national and regional Lutheran denominations headquartered in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. The federation was founded in the Swedish city of L ...

Assemblies of God The World Assemblies of God Fellowship (WAGF), commonly known as the Assemblies of God (AG), is a global cooperative body or communion of over 170 Pentecostal denominations that was established on August 15, 1989. The WAGF was created to provi ...

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

International Pentecostal Holiness Church The International Pentecostal Holiness Church (IPHC) or simply Pentecostal Holiness Church (PHC) is an international Holiness-Pentecostal Christian denomination founded in 1911 with the merger of two older denominations. Historically centered in ...

Christ Embassy Christ Embassy (also known as LoveWorld Incorporated or Believers' Loveworld) is a megachurch and Christian denomination founded in 1987 by Chris Oyakhilome from Edo State, Nigeria. The denomination, with its headquarters in Lagos, has since ...

Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaborone The Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaborone () 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." History * 24 April 1959: Es ...

(

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

). Accompanying a significant community of ethnic Serbs in the city, there are also two

Serbian Orthodox The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodox Christian churches. The majority of the populat ...

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 OIS (1931-1994) was a South African sculptor best known for his work in mainly indigenous woods, as well as for his sculptures in bronze, stone and other media. He was born on 15 November 1931, in Springs, Transvaal, Republic ...

. 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 Truck_classification#Table_of_US_GVWR_classifications, light or medium duty truck that has an enclosed cabin (truck), cabin, and a back end made up of a cargo bed that is enclosed by three low walls with no roof (th ...

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 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 Kwaito is a music genre that emerged in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa, between the late 1980s and 1990s. It is a sound that features the use of African sounds and samples. Kwaito songs occur at a slower tempo range than other styles of h ...

dancers and musicians. The book series '' The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency'', written by Scottish author

Alexander McCall Smith Sir Alexander "Sandy" McCall Smith (born 24 August 1948) is a Scottish legal scholar and author of fiction. He was raised in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and was formerly Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. He became an ...

, is set in Gaborone. The books follow

Precious Ramotswe Precious may refer to: Music * Precious (group), a British female pop group Albums * ''Precious'' (Chanté Moore album), 1992 * ''Precious'' (Conrad Sewell album), 2023 * ''Precious'' (Cubic U album), 1998 * ''Precious'' (Ours album), 200 ...

, 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 The Botswana Police Service is the police service of Botswana and it is a part of Ministry of Defence and Security (Botswana), Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security. The force has 9,500 police officers. History Colonial era The service has its ...

Criminal Investigation Department.

Economy

Gaborone is the center of the national economy. The headquarters of important financial institutions such as the

Bank of Botswana The Bank of Botswana (BoB; ) is the central bank of Botswana. When Botswana gained independence from Britain in 1966, the country was part of the Common Monetary Area, Rand Monetary Area (RMA). In 1974 Botswana withdrew from the RMA, and the Ban ...

Bank Gaborone Bank Gaborone Limited (Bank Gaborone) is a commercial bank in Botswana. It is a subsidiary of the Capricorn Group. , the bank had 5 branches and over 30 ATMs throughout the country. History The Bank of Botswana issued a license to Bank Gaboro ...

BancABC Access Bank Botswana, is a commercial bank formerly known as BancABC Botswana, that is headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. In October 2021, Access Bank Group concluded the acquisition of 78.15 percent shareholding in the stock of the erstwhil ...

, and the

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, Contemporary progressivism, progressive organization which advocates for taxpayer and consumer interests, with a focus on insurance, health care, politi ...

, Botswana Telecommunications Corporation, and

Debswana Debswana Diamond Company Limited, or simply Debswana, is a mining company located in Botswana, and is the world's leading producer of diamonds by value. Debswana operates four diamond mines in the eastern and central parts of Botswana, as well ...

, the joint diamond mining venture between

De Beers The De Beers Group is a South African–British corporation that specializes in the diamond industry, including mining, exploitation, retail, inscription, grading, trading and industrial diamond manufacturing. The company is active in open-pi ...

and the Botswana government. The

(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 former 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 Asan, a real estate construction ...

SABMiller SABMiller plc was an Anglo–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 AB InBev for US$107-billion. It was the world's sec ...

Daewoo Daewoo ( ; ; ; ; literally "great universe" and a portmanteau of "''dae''" meaning great, and the given name of founder and chairman Kim Woo-choong) also known as the Daewoo Group, was a major South Korean chaebol (type of conglomerate) and aut ...

Volvo The Volvo Group (; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distribution and sale of truck ...

, and

Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational technology conglomerate. It is focused on industrial automation, building automation, rail transport and health technology. Siemens is the largest engineering company in Europe, and holds the positi ...

. Orapa House, owned by

, 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 (automobile), a defunct American automobile manufacturer (1909–1925) * Mercer (consulting firm), a human resources consulting firm headquartered in New York City, US * Mercer (occupation), a merchant or tra ...

's 2011 Worldwide Cost of Living Survey, Gaborone has the 195th highest

cost of living The cost of living is the cost of maintaining a certain standard of living for an individual or a household. Changes in the cost of living over time can be measured in a cost-of-living index. Cost of living calculations are also used to compare t ...

for

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. The term often refers to a professional, skilled worker, or student from an affluent country. However, it may also refer to retirees, artists and ...

s in the world, up from 203rd in 2010. Gaborone comes between

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

, India and

Quito Quito (; ), officially San Francisco de Quito, is the capital city, capital and second-largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its metropolitan area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha Province, P ...

, Ecuador. Gaborone is the fourth least expensive city for expatriates in Africa, coming in above

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; ,) is the capital city of Ethiopia, as well as the regional state of Oromia. With an estimated population of 2,739,551 inhabitants as of the 2007 census, it is the largest city in the country and the List of cities in Africa b ...

, Ethiopia at 211th,

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,875,834 (2024) and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kampala, Kawempe Division, Kawempe, Makindy ...

, Uganda at 202nd and

Windhoek Windhoek (; ; ) is the capital and largest city of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level, almost exactly at the country's geographical centre. The population of Windhoek, which ...

, Namibia at 198th.

Sport

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 Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (foot ...

, Mochudi Stadium, 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 w ...

. There are also several football teams representing Gaborone, which include, amongst others,

Botswana Defence Force XI Botswana Defence Force XI Football Club is a football club from Botswana based in Mogoditshane and playing home games in Gaborone. It is the club of the Botswana Defence Force, composed mostly of military players. players were eligible to play ...

Gaborone United Gaborone United Sporting Club (GU) is a football club from Botswana based in Gaborone. Its official sponsor is Bank Gaborone, who signed a three-year deal at the beginning of the 2022–23 season. Gaborone United play their home games at Gaborone ...

, Police XI,

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 whi ...

, 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 wa ...

; all of them have played in the

Botswana Premier League The Botswana Premier League is the highest level Association football, football league in Botswana. Organised by the Botswana Football Association, the league was formed in 1978 to replace the pre-independence Bechuanaland Union African Soccer L ...

. 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, Botswana Football Association (BFA). The team has qualified for two Africa Cup of Nati ...

plays in the National Stadium, but has never qualified for the

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...

, even though they recently qualified for the

Africa Cup of Nations The Africa Cup of Nations, commonly abbreviated as AFCON and officially known as the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, is the main biennial international men's association football competition in Africa. It is s ...

, held in

Gabon Gabon ( ; ), officially the Gabonese Republic (), is a country on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, on the equator, bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo to the east and south, and ...

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 second

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), 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 ...

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 A yacht club is a boat club specifically related to yachting. Description Yacht clubs are mostly located by the sea, although there some that have been established at a lake or riverside locations. Yacht or sailing clubs have either a mar ...

, 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 Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device such as binoculars or a telescop ...

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 Californian aerospace and surf culture. Windsurfing gain ...

, 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 more loosely to include ...

s and parasitic

bilharzia Schistosomiasis, also known as snail fever, bilharzia, and Katayama fever is a neglected tropical disease caused by parasitic flatworms called schistosomes. It affects both humans and animals. It affects the urinary tract or the intestines ...

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'', lit. 'black-footed high-horn' in Ancient Greek) is a medium-sized antelope found in eastern and southern Africa. The only extant member of the genus '' Aepyceros'', and tribe Aepycerotini, it ...

kudu The kudus are two species of antelope of the genus '' Tragelaphus'': * Lesser kudu, ''Tragelaphus imberbis'', of eastern Africa * Greater kudu, ''Tragelaphus strepsiceros'', of eastern and southern Africa The two species look similar, th ...

ostrich Ostriches are large flightless birds. Two living species are recognised, the common ostrich, native to large parts of sub-Saharan Africa, and the Somali ostrich, native to the Horn of Africa. They are the heaviest and largest living birds, w ...

es,

wildebeest Wildebeest ( , ,), also called gnu ( or ), are antelopes of the genus ''Connochaetes'' and native to Eastern and Southern Africa. They belong to the family Bovidae, which includes true antelopes, cattle, goats, sheep, and other even-toed ...

zebra Zebras (, ) (subgenus ''Hippotigris'') are African equines with distinctive black-and-white striped coats. There are three living species: Grévy's zebra (''Equus grevyi''), the plains zebra (''E. quagga''), and the mountain zebra (''E. ...

gemsbok The gemsbok (''Oryx gazella''), or South African oryx, is a large antelope in the genus '' Oryx''. It is endemic to the dry and barren regions of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and (parts of) Zimbabwe, mainly inhabiting the Kalahari and Nami ...

bushbuck Bushbuck is a common name that may refer to one of the following African antelopes: *Cape bushbuck The Cape bushbuck (''Tragelaphus sylvaticus''), also known as imbabala is a common, medium-sized bushland-dwelling, and a widespread species of ant ...

springbok The springbok or springbuck (''Antidorcas marsupialis'') is an antelope found mainly in south and southwest Africa. The sole member of the genus (biology), genus ''Antidorcas'', this bovid was first Species description, described by the Germa ...

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 Cephalophinae ...

common eland The common eland (''Taurotragus oryx''), also known as the southern eland or eland antelope, is a large savannah and plains antelope found in East Africa, East and Southern Africa. An adult male is around tall at the shoulder and can weigh up ...

, 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 Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device such as binoculars or a telescop ...

. Birds in the marshy section of the park include snake eagles, boubou,

gallinule Moorhens—sometimes called marsh hens—are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family (Rallidae). Most species are placed in the genus ''Gallinula'', Latin for "little hen." They are close relatives of coots. They are ...

kingfisher Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species living in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, ...

s, and

hornbill Hornbills are birds found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia of the family Bucerotidae. They are characterized by a long, down-curved bill which is frequently brightly coloured and sometimes has a horny casque on the upper ...

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 ...

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

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 ...

giraffe The giraffe is a large Fauna of Africa, African even-toed ungulate, hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa.'' It is the Largest mammals#Even-toed Ungulates (Artiodactyla), tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on ...

es,

hippo The hippopotamus (''Hippopotamus amphibius;'' ; : hippopotamuses), often shortened to hippo (: hippos), further qualified as the common hippopotamus, Nile hippopotamus and river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic Mammal, mammal native to su ...

s and

rhino A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...

s. The park helps with wildlife projects in Botswana that include: the reintroduction of the

white rhino The white rhinoceros, also known as the white rhino or square-lipped rhinoceros (''Ceratotherium simum''), is the largest extant species of rhinoceros and the most Sociality, social of all rhino species, characterized by its wide mouth adapted f ...

and the relocation of "problem"

cheetah The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large Felidae, cat and the Fastest animals, fastest land animal. It has a tawny to creamy white or pale buff fur that is marked with evenly spaced, solid black spots. The head is small and rounded, wit ...

s. Mokolodi also holds the Education Centre, which teaches children about the conservation projects. Somarelang Tikologo (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 30 councillors representing the wards of Gaborone. Structure The Town ...

, 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 A unitary state is a (Sovereign state, sovereign) State (polity), state governed as a single entity in which the central government is the supreme authority. The central government may create or abolish administrative divisions (sub-national or ...

, 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 City commission government is a form of local government in the United States. In a city commission government, voters elect a small commission, typically of five to seven members, typically on a plurality-at-large voting basis. These commissio ...

-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 First-past-the-post (FPTP)—also called choose-one, first-preference plurality (FPP), or simply plurality—is a single-winner voting rule. Voters mark one candidate as their favorite, or First-preference votes, first-preference, and the cand ...

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

. Most government buildings are located west of the Main Mall in an area called the Government Enclave. The

, the

, the Department of Taxes and Attorney General's Chambers Building, and the Ministry of Health. Near the entrance of the parliament building, there is a statue of

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 ...

, 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 The Botswana Defence Force (BDF, ) is the military of Botswana. The main component of the BDF is the Botswana Ground Force; there is also an air wing and a riverine patrol contingent attached to the ground forces, with 10 Panther airboats and 2 ...

soldiers who died in the

Rhodesian Bush War The Rhodesian Bush War, also known as the Rhodesian Civil War, Second as well as the Zimbabwe War of Independence, was a civil conflict from July 1964 to December 1979 in the List of states with limited recognition, unrecognised country U.D.I. ...

. Before 1982, Gaborone held one parliamentary constituency, in the

Parliament of Botswana The Parliament of Botswana consists of the President and the National Assembly. In contrast to other parliamentary systems, the Parliament elects the President directly (instead of having both a ceremonial President and a Prime Minister who ...

. From 1982 to 1993, Gaborone was divided into two constituencies,

Gaborone North Gaborone North is a constituency in Gaborone represented in the National Assembly of Botswana by Shawn Nthaile of the Umbrella for Democratic Change since 2024. Constituency profile The constituency was originally created in 1984, following t ...

and

Gaborone South Gaborone South is a constituency in Gaborone City represented in the National Assembly of Botswana by Nelson Ramaotwana of the UDC since 2024. Constituency profile The constituency was originally created in 1984, following the division of t ...

. 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 Gaborone Central is a constituency in Gaborone represented in the National Assembly of Botswana by the Minister of International Affairs, Phenyo Butale of the Umbrella for Democratic Change since the 2024 general election. Constituency profile ...

. 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 Bonnington North Gaborone Bonnington North is a constituency in Gaborone represented in the National Assembly of Botswana since 2024 Botswana general election, 2024 by the assistant Minister for State President, Maipelo Mophuting of the Umbrella for Democratic Ch ...

, and

Gaborone Bonnington South Gaborone Bonnington South is a constituency in Gaborone represented in the National Assembly of Botswana by Ndaba Gaolathe, the Vice-President of Botswana since 2024. With 19 km2, Gaborone Bonnington South is the smallest constituency of Botswana ...

. 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

(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, Maru-a-Pula School,

St. Joseph's College, Kgale St. Joseph's College is a government-aided Catholic school located in Gaborone, Botswana. Founded in 1928 by the Catholic Church, St. Joseph's College aims to provide education for Tswana people, Batswana children. As a government-aided missi ...

, 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

(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 than ...

(which also has a campus in Gaborone) *

Botswana Accountancy College The Botswana Accountancy College, also known as BAC, is a business school which is headquartered in the city of Gaborone, Botswana. Initially funded and established through a joint venture between the Ministry of Finance and Development Plannin ...

(which caters to both accounting and IT students) * Botswana Institute of Administration and Commerce * Botswana Open University (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) * 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 ''Mmegi'' is an English-language national newspaper in 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 pa ...

'', ''

The Botswana Gazette ''The Botswana Gazette'' is an English language newspaper published in Gaborone, Botswana. In 2015, the paper's managing editor (Shike Olsen), its editor (Lawrence Seretse), a reporter (Innocent Selatlhwa) and the paper's lawyer A law ...

'', 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 Yarona FM is an urban broadcaster targeting young adults. The radio station is a private commercial entity that has existed since 1999. It is regulated by BOCRA and attracts a unique weekly audience of 250,000. History The radio station started ...

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 Mahikeng ( Tswana for "Place of Rocks"), formerly known as Mafikeng and alternatively known as Mafeking (, ), is the capital city of the North West province of South Africa. Close to South Africa's border with Botswana, Mafikeng is northeast ...

via a repeating transmitter on the summit of

. Today, the Gaborone Broadcasting Company and Botswana TV 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 Modern architecture, also called modernist architecture, or the modern movement, is an architectural movement and style that was prominent in the 20th century, between the earlier Art Deco and later postmodern movements. Modern architectur ...

. 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 Central Business District of Gaborone, Botswana. The statues depict three dikgosi, or tribal chiefs: Khama III, Sebele I, and Bathoen I. The three dikgosi played important role ...

, a landmark featuring the statues of

Khama III Khama III (c. 1837 – 21 February, 1923), referred to by missionaries as Khama the Good also called Khama the Great, was the '' Kgosi'' (meaning king) of the Bangwato people. Ancestry and Youth Malope, a chief of the Bakwena, led his people fr ...

, Sebele I, and Bathoen I, three dikgosi, or chiefs, who traveled to

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

to establish the

separate from

Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a self-governing British Crown colony in Southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally known as South ...

(present-day

) or the

Cape Colony The Cape Colony (), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope. It existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with three ...

(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 Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

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 U ...

, 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

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 areas, with the 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 Calcium is a chemical element; it has symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar to it ...

in the reservoir was 14.87milligrams per litre from April 2001 to August 2006. During the same period, the concentration of

calcium carbonate Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is a common substance found in Rock (geology), rocks as the minerals calcite and aragonite, most notably in chalk and limestone, eggshells, gastropod shells, shellfish skel ...

(CaCO₃) was 57.73 milligrams per litre, slightly over Botswana's ideal concentration which means the water is

hard Hard means something that is difficult to do. It may also refer to: * Hardness, resistance of physical materials to deformation or fracture * Hard water, water with high mineral content Arts and entertainment * Hard (TV series), ''Hard'' (TV ser ...

. Also during the same period, the

chloride The term chloride refers to a compound or molecule that contains either a chlorine anion (), which is a negatively charged chlorine atom, or a non-charged chlorine atom covalently bonded to the rest of the molecule by a single bond (). The pr ...

concentration was 6.44 mg/l, the

fluoride Fluoride (). According to this source, is a possible pronunciation in British English. is an Inorganic chemistry, inorganic, Monatomic ion, monatomic Ion#Anions and cations, anion of fluorine, with the chemical formula (also written ), whose ...

concentration was 0.54 mg/l, the

potassium Potassium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol K (from Neo-Latin ) and atomic number19. It is a silvery white metal that is soft enough to easily cut with a knife. Potassium metal reacts rapidly with atmospheric oxygen to ...

concentration was 6.72 mg/l, and the

sodium Sodium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Na (from Neo-Latin ) and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal. Sodium is an alkali metal, being in group 1 element, group 1 of the peri ...

concentration was 10.76 mg/l.

Healthcare

The Botswana Red Cross Society, 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 metropolitan area is home to 534,842 inhabitants at the 2022 census. Ga ...

and Sidilega Private Hospital all operating in the city of Gaborone. The

Cancer Association of Botswana Cancer Association of Botswana (CAB) is a volunteer run, non-governmental organization established as a trust in 1998. They are dedicated to reducing the impact of cancer on all affected in Botswana. Mission Cancer Association of Botswana is ...

is a voluntary non-governmental organization established as a trust in 1998.

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 Education is recognized as a social determinant of health. Education has also been identified as a social vaccine against contracting HIV. Research suggests a negative linear relationship between educational attainment (years of education) and HIV ...

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 Botswana Railways (BR) is the national railway of Botswana. History Botswana Railways (BR) was established in 1987 when the government of Botswana bought out the Botswana-based sections of the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ). NRZ had b ...

runs a line that goes from

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

Harare Harare ( ), formerly Salisbury, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of , a population of 1,849,600 as of the 2022 Zimbabwe census, 2022 census and an estimated 2,487,209 people in its metrop ...

via

Bulawayo Bulawayo (, ; ) is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region. The city's population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council claimed it to be about ...

. 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 ...

on the South African border,

, Gaborone,

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 ...

, Serule,

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 ...

Ramokgwebana Ramokgwebana is a village in the 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 is connected to Francistown t ...

, and

Plumtree, Zimbabwe Plumtree is a town in Zimbabwe. Marula trees, wild plum trees (Ntungulu in tjiKalanga) grow abundantly in the area. The town was once called ''Getjenge'' by baKalanga. It is also often called ''Titji,'' meaning station, and referring to the ...

. The line became a cargo-only line on 1 April 2009 but passenger services resumed in early 2016.

Airports

( ICAO code: FBSK

IATA code IATA codes are abbreviations that the International Air Transport Association (IATA) publishes to facilitate air travel. They are typically 1, 2, 3, or 4 character combinations (referred to as unigrams, digrams, trigrams, or tetragrams, respec ...

: GBE) lies north of the city and in 2018 has flights to

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...

and various domestic destinations. It is the headquarters of

, the national airline of

. In 2008, Sir Seretse Khama International Airport handled 15,844 aircraft movements, second only to

Maun Airport Maun Airport is an international airport serving the town of Maun in the North-West District of Botswana. It is on the north side of the town and is accessible by shuttle bus or taxi. Maun Airport serves as the main gateway to the Okavango ...

( ICAO code: FMBN

: 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 A2 highway is a road in Botswana running from the Namibian border at Buitepos through Jwaneng, Kanye and Lobatse to the South African border at Pioneer Gate, thus connecting 3 countries. The A2 is a major component of the Trans-Kalahari ...

, A1 Highway, A10 Highway and the Cairo-Cape Town Highway. There are five major roads in Gaborone that go to

Kanye Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

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 E ...

via

, and

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 registration Motor vehicle registration is the registration of a motor vehicle with a government authority, either compulsory or otherwise. The purpose of motor vehicle registration is to establish a link between a vehicle and an owner or user of the vehicle. ...

s, were registered in Gaborone in 2008, of which 8,440 were

passenger cars A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...

, 440 were

minibus A minibus, microbus, or minicoach is a passenger-carrying motor vehicle that is designed to carry more people than a multi-purpose vehicle or minivan, but fewer people than a full-size bus. In the United Kingdom, the word "minibus" is us ...

es, 204 were motorcycles, and 181 were

tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a Trailer (vehicle), trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or constructio ...

s. 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 A 2016 stu ...

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 A casualty (), as a term in military usage, is a person in military service, combatant or non-combatant, who becomes unavailable for duty due to any of several circumstances, including death, injury, illness, missing, capture or desertion. In c ...

involved pedestrians, and most traffic accidents occur between 16:00 and 18:00.

Notable people

Letsile Tebogo Letsile Tebogo (; born 7 June 2003) is a Botswana sprinter. He won the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in the 200 metres event, with his win earning the first-ever Olympic gold medal for Botswana. He also won the silver medal at th ...

(b. 2003) Motswana Athlete, Sprinter, won He won the silver medal at the 2023 World Championships in the 100 m *

Kgosi Gaborone Gaborone (c. 1825 – 1931) was a ''kgosi'' (King) of the Tlokwa, a tribe of the larger Tswana people in what is now Botswana. He became the tribe's King 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 boat ...

, 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 T ...

(1932–2012), archaeologist and museum curator * Thamsanga Mnyele (1948–1985), member of the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a political party in South Africa. It originated as a liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid and has governed the country since 1994, when the 1994 South African general election, fir ...

and artist * Vernon Nkadimeng (1958–1985), member of the

, 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, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is t ...

(b. 1927), Roman Catholic bishop of the

Diocese of Gaborone The Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaborone () 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." History * 24 April 1959: Est ...

, 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 ...

(b. 1944), poet and anti-apartheid activist *

Dipsy Selolwane Diphetogo "Dipsy" Selolwane (born 27 January 1978) is a Motswana 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 ...

(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 and organization that selects Botswana's official representative for Miss Universe—one of the Big Four international beauty pageants. History 1999–2004 The first ever Miss Universe Botswana page ...

1999 and

Miss Universe 1999 Miss Universe 1999 was the 48th Miss Universe pageant, held on 26 May 1999 at the Chaguaramas Convention Centre in Chaguaramas, Trinidad and Tobago. Mpule Kwelagobe of Botswana was crowned by Wendy Fitzwilliam of Trinidad and Tobago at the e ...

Alister Walker Alister Walker (born 19 September 1982) is a former professional squash (sport), squash player who represented England and then Botswana. He reached a career-high world ranking of World No. 12 in September 2009. Biography Walker won a gold m ...

(b. 1982),

squash player Squash, sometimes called squash rackets, is a racket sport played by two (singles) or four players (doubles) in a four-walled court with a small, hollow, rubber ball. The players alternate striking the ball with their rackets, directing it onto ...

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 ...

(b. 1983), football player * Joel Mogorosi (b. 1984), football player * Dirang Moloi (b. 1985), member of the

Donald Molosi Donald Leungo Gosego Molosi (born 11 December 1985) is an actor, writer and playwright from Botswana. 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, M ...

(b. 1985), actor, writer and playwright attended

Maru a Pula School Maru-a-Pula School is a co-educational, independent day and boarding secondary school in Gaborone, Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with ...

in his teens, and the

National Arts Festival The National Arts Festival (NAF) is an annual festival of performing arts in Makhanda, South Africa. It is the largest arts festival on the African continent and one of the largest performing arts festivals in the world by visitor numbers. The ...

in South Africa * Sumaiyah Marope ( 1987), Miss Botswana 2009 *

Emma Wareus Emma Wareus (born 28 July 1990) is a model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Botswana 2010 and represented her country at Miss World 2010 where she placed first runner-up on 30 October 2010 in Sanya, China. This is the highest ...

(b. 1990), Miss World Botswana 2010, first runner-up to

Miss World 2010 Miss World 2010 was the 60th anniversary of the Miss World pageant, held at the Crown of Beauty Theatre in Sanya, China, on 30 October 2010, after Vietnam backed out of the hosting contract. Kaiane Aldorino of Gibraltar crowned Alexandria ...

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 Tswana, also known by its native name Setswana, is a Bantu language indigenous to Southern Africa and spoken by about 8.2 million people. It is closely related to the Northern Sotho and Southern Sotho languages, as well as the Kgalaga ...

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 Sorong is the largest city and the capital of the Indonesian province of Southwest Papua. The city is located on the western tip of the island of New Guinea with its only land borders being with Sorong Regency. It is the gateway to Indonesia ...

, Indonesia *

Västerås Västerås () is a city in central Sweden on the shore of Mälaren, Lake Mälaren in the province of Västmanland, west of Stockholm. The city had a population of 127,799 at the end of 2019, out of the municipal total of 158,653, over 100,000 mo ...

, Sweden *

Zhejiang ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...

, China *

Chongqing ChongqingPostal Romanization, Previously romanized as Chungking ();. is a direct-administered municipality in Southwestern China. Chongqing is one of the four direct-administered municipalities under the State Council of the People's Republi ...

, China

Gallery

File:Flag map of Gaborone.svg, alt=A flag map of Gaborone, Flag map of Gaborone 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: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 The Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. (WMF) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in San Francisco, California, and registered there as foundation (United States law), a charitable foundation. It is the host of Wikipedia, th ...

)
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 Planned communities established in the 1960s