is the capital and largest city of Botswana

Botswana

Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...

 with a population of 191,776 based on a 2006 survey, about 10% of the total population of Botswana.

Gaborone is situated between Kgale and Oodi Hills, on the Notwane River in the southeastern corner of Botswana, and 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the South African border. The city is served by the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport

Sir Seretse Khama International Airport

Sir Seretse Khama International Airport located north of Gaborone is the main international airport of the capital city of Botswana. The airport is named for Sir Seretse Khama, the first president of Botswana...

. It is an administrative district in its own right, but is the capital of the surrounding South-East District

South-East District (Botswana)

South-East is one of the districts of Botswana.The capital city of Botswana, Gaborone, is surrounded by this district. The administrative capital for the South-East district is the village of Ramotswa....

. Locals often refer to the city as Gabs.

Because the city had no tribal affiliation and was close to fresh water, the city was planned

New town

A new town is a specific type of a planned community, or planned city, that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are uncommon in new...

 to be the capital in the mid-1960s when the Bechuanaland Protectorate became an independent nation. The center of the city is a long strip of commercial businesses, called the Mall, with a semicircle-shaped area of government offices to the west of the Mall. The city is 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

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...

 and South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

 during the 1980s.

The city is the government capital as well as the economic capital; the city is headquarters to numerous companies and the Botswana Stock Exchange

Botswana Stock Exchange

The Botswana Stock Exchange is a small but thriving stock exchange located in Gaborone, Botswana. The Botswana share market was established in 1989 and became the Botswana Stock Exchange in 1995...

. Gaborone is also home to the Southern African Development Community

Southern African Development Community

The Southern African Development Community is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Its goal is to further socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security cooperation among 15 southern African states...

 (SADC) a supranational organization, hoping to increase economic unity.

History

Evidence shows that there have been inhabitants along the Notwane River for centuries. In more recent history, Chief Kgosi Gaborone left the Magaliesberg

Magaliesberg

The Magaliesberg is a mountain range extending from Pretoria in the north of the Gauteng Province to a point south of Pilanesberg, in the North West Province, South Africa...

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

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.-References:...

. The word Gaborone literally means it does not fit badly or it is not unbecoming. The city was then called Gaberones by the early European settlers. Gaberones, derived from Gaborone's Village, was named after Chief Gaborone of the BaTlokwa, whose home village, now called Tlokweng

Tlokweng

Tlokweng is a town located directly adjacent to the capital of Botswana, Gaborone, in the South-East District. It can be considered part of the conurbation of Gaborone. Tlokweng stands on the other side of the river, and is on the road to the border with South Africa, the border post being just...

, 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

Cecil John Rhodes PC, DCL was an English-born South African businessman, mining magnate, and politician. He was the founder of the diamond company De Beers, which today markets 40% of the world's rough diamonds and at one time marketed 90%...

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

Jameson Raid

The Jameson Raid was a botched raid on Paul Kruger's Transvaal Republic carried out by a British colonial statesman Leander Starr Jameson and his Rhodesian and Bechuanaland policemen over the New Year weekend of 1895–96...

. The city changed its name from Gaberones to Gaborone in 1969.

In 1965, the capital of the Bechuanaland Protectorate moved from Mafeking

Mafikeng

Mahikeng – formerly legally, but still commonly known as Mafikeng – is the capital city of the North-West Province of South Africa. It is best known internationally for the Siege of Mafeking, the most famous engagement of the Second Boer War.Located on South Africa's border with Botswana, it is ...

 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

Pretoria

Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...

, its central location among the central tribes, and its lack of association with those surrounding tribes.

The city was planned under Garden city principles

Garden city movement

The garden city movement is a method of urban planning that was initiated in 1898 by Sir Ebenezer Howard in the United Kingdom. Garden cities were intended to be planned, self-contained communities surrounded by "greenbelts" , containing proportionate areas of residences, industry and...

 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 city was built within three years. 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 city 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. Naledi 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 Nadeli 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 in Africa to become independent. The first mayor of Gaborone was Reverend Derek Jones. The old Gaberones became a suburb

Suburb

The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...

 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 raids resulted in fifteen civilian deaths.

After the 1994 General Elections

Botswana general election, 1994

General elections were held in Botswana on 15 October 1994. They were fought between the Botswana Democratic Party and four opposition parties. Forty seats in the Parliament were contested, with the largest opposition party, the Botswana National Front making huge strides, as its representation...

, 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 eighteen thousand 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 24°39′29"S 25°54′44"E between Kgale and Oodi Hills, on the Notwane River in the southeastern corner of Botswana, and 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the South African border
Gaborone is surrounded by the following cities: Ramotswa to the southeast, Mogoditshane

Mogoditshane

Mogoditshane is a town located in the Kweneng District of Botswana.It is in conurbation to the capital Gaborone.The football team is the Mogoditshane Fighters....

 to the northwest, and Mochudi

Mochudi

Mochudi is one of the larger villages in Botswana with a population of around 40,000. It is situated in the Bakgatla tribal region, in Kgatleng District, about northeast of Gaborone...

 to the east, and Tlokweng

Tlokweng

Tlokweng is a town located directly adjacent to the capital of Botswana, Gaborone, in the South-East District. It can be considered part of the conurbation of Gaborone. Tlokweng stands on the other side of the river, and is on the road to the border with South Africa, the border post being just...

 across the river. Most of them are commuter town

Commuter town

A commuter town is an urban community that is primarily residential, from which most of the workforce commutes out to earn their livelihood. Many commuter towns act as suburbs of a nearby metropolis that workers travel to daily, and many suburbs are commuter towns...

s for Gaborone. Suburbs in Gaborone include Broadhurst, Gaborone West, The Village, Naledi, and New Canada. Phakalane, an affluent suburb, lies north of the city limits.

In the center of the city lies the Mall, the financial and tourism center of Gaborone. The Mall houses numerous banks and shopping centres. 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

Botswana Stock Exchange

The Botswana Stock Exchange is a small but thriving stock exchange located in Gaborone, Botswana. The Botswana share market was established in 1989 and became the Botswana Stock Exchange in 1995...

, National Museum and Art Gallery

Botswana National Museum

The Botswana National Museum also known as the National Museum and Art Gallery, located in the capital of Gaborone, is a multi-disciplinary institution that included the National Art Gallery, National Library and Octagon Gallery, before adding a botanical garden in November 2007, displays...

, and the main campus of the University of Botswana

University of Botswana

The University of Botswana, or UB was established in 1982 as the first institution of higher education in Botswana. The university has four campuses: two in the capital city Gaborone, one in Francistown, and another in Maun. The university is divided into six faculties: Business, Education,...

 also lie near the Mall. To the west of the Mall is the Government Enclave. This area contains the governmental buildings such as the National Assembly of Botswana

National Assembly of Botswana

The National Assembly of Botswana is the legislature of the country's unicameral Parliament. It is advised by the House of Chiefs, which is not a house of Parliament....

 and House of Chiefs of Botswana

House of Chiefs of Botswana

The House of Chiefs of Botswana is an advisory body of the country's Parliament.-Composition:The House of Chiefs consists of 35 members. Eight members are hereditary chiefs from Botswana's principal tribes...

 buildings. The National Archives building is also found here.

Climate

Gaborone has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification

Köppen climate classification

The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...

 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 32 °C (89.6 °F). There is on average 196 days per year with temperatures above 26 °C (78.8 °F). There is on average fifty-one days per year with temperatures below 7 °C (44.6 °F). There is on average one day per year with temperatures below 0 °C (32 °F). The average dew point

Dew point

The dew point is the temperature to which a given parcel of humid air must be cooled, at constant barometric pressure, for water vapor to condense into liquid water. The condensed water is called dew when it forms on a solid surface. The dew point is a saturation temperature.The dew point is...

 peaks around January and February at 16 °C (60.8 °F) and hits the lowest levels in July at 2 °C (35.6 °F). The average dew point in a given year is 10 °C (50 °F).

Precipitation in Gaborone is sparse and variable. Most of the rainfall in Gaborone falls during the summer months, between October and April. There is 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

Botswana pula

The pula 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 of the Kalahari Desert - and therefore valuable. Pula also means "blessing" as rain is considered a...

 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 radiation levels range from 14.6 MJ/m² in June to 26.2 MJ/m² in December.

It is windier from August to November at 14 kilometres per hour (8.7 mph), and it is calmer from May to July at 8 kilometres per hour (5 mph). The average wind speed in a given year is 12 kilometres per hour (7.5 mph).

Demographics

The population, based on a 2006 survey, is 191,776. There are 92,859 males and 98,917 females in the city. There are 58,476 households in Gaborone. The city of Gaborone is home to over 10% of the population of Botswana. Almost half of Botswana citizens live within 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) of Gaborone.

The population growth rate

Population growth

Population growth is the change in a population over time, and can be quantified as the change in the number of individuals of any species in a population using "per unit time" for measurement....

 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

Human sex ratio

In anthropology and demography, the human sex ratio is the sex ratio for Homo sapiens . Like most sexual species, the sex ratio is approximately 1:1. In humans the secondary sex ratio is commonly assumed to be 105 boys to 100 girls, an assumption that is a subject of debate in the scientific...

 of Gaborone is 97.6, meaning that there are 976 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 househould in Gaborone. This is a low number compared to the rest of Botswana.

It is estimated that over one-third of the people living in Gaborone, 38.8%, have HIV

HIV

Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...

—the highest prevalence in the world. The rate is even higher for people between the ages of 15 and 49 at 44%.

Religion

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaborone

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.-History:...

, which is under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Pretoria, is located in the city. The diocese

Diocese

A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...

 contains the southern half of Botswana, and the bishop for the diocese is Bishop Valentine Tsamma Seane who was consecrated on 25 April 2009. The previous bishop was Boniface Tshosa Setlalekgosi

Boniface Tshosa Setlalekgosi

Boniface Tshosa Setlalekgosi has been the Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Gaborone, Botswana, since 1981.Setlalekgosi became an ordained priest in 1963. He succeeded Urban Charles Joseph Murphy to become the second Roman Catholic bishop in Botswana's history.-External links:*...

. There is a catholic cathedral called Christ the King Cathedral.

There is a Hindu temple

Hindu temple

A Mandir, Devalayam, Devasthanam, or a Hindu temple is a place of worship for followers of Hinduism...

 in Gaborone, nicknamed Hindu Hall, as well as a gurudwara and several mosques. Construction started in May 2001 on a Venkateswara temple in Gaborone West for a local community of Telugu people

Telugu people

The Telugu people or Telugu Prajalu are an ethnic group of India. They are the native speakers of the Telugu language, the most commonly spoken language in India after Hindi and Bengali...

 by the Botswana Hindu Charities Trust and was complete in September 2007. The Indian High Commissioner, and the President Festus Mogae

Festus Mogae

Festus Gontebanye Mogae is a Botswana politician who was President of Botswana from 1998 to 2008. He succeeded Quett Masire as President in 1998 and was reelected in October 2004; after ten years in office, he stepped down in 2008 and was succeeded by Lieutenant General Ian Khama...

 visited the temple upon its completion.

Arts and culture

The National Museum and Art Gallery

Botswana National Museum

The Botswana National Museum also known as the National Museum and Art Gallery, located in the capital of Gaborone, is a multi-disciplinary institution that included the National Art Gallery, National Library and Octagon Gallery, before adding a botanical garden in November 2007, displays...

 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

Thomas Baines

Thomas Baines was an English artist and explorer of British colonial southern Africa and Australia. Born in King's Lynn, Norfolk, Baines was apprenticed to a coach painter at an early age...

 and Lucas Sithole

Lucas Sithole

Lucas Sithole 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....

. 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

Pickup truck

A pickup truck is a light motor vehicle with an open-top rear cargo area .-Definition:...

s). There is also an exhibit on the Bushmen

Bushmen

The indigenous people of Southern Africa, whose territory spans most areas of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola, are variously referred to as Bushmen, San, Sho, Barwa, Kung, or Khwe...

, the earliest inhabitants of southern Africa

Southern Africa

Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. Within the region are numerous territories, including the Republic of South Africa ; nowadays, the simpler term South Africa is generally reserved for the country in English.-UN...

. The museum opened a 3.6 hectares (8.9 acre) botanical garden

Botanical garden

A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...

 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 movies in various venues around the city.

“My African Dream” is a performing-arts competition that is held every year at the Gaborone International Convention Center. The show features many kwaito

Kwaito

Kwaito is a music genre that emerged in Johannesburg, South Africa, during the 1990s. It is a variant of house music featuring the use of African sounds and samples. Typically at a slower tempo range than other styles of house music, Kwaito often contains catchy melodic and percussive loop samples,...

dancers and musicians.

The book series, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is a series of twelve novels by Scottish author Alexander McCall Smith. The agency is located in Gaborone, capital of Botswana. Its founder is a Motswana woman, Mma Precious Ramotswe, who features as the stories' protagonist and main detective...

, is set in Gaborone. The series is written by Alexander McCall Smith

Alexander McCall Smith

Alexander "Sandy" McCall Smith, CBE, FRSE, is a Rhodesian-born Scottish writer and Emeritus Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. In the late 20th century, McCall Smith became a respected expert on medical law and bioethics and served on British and international committees...

. The books follow Precious Ramotswe, the first female private detective in Botswana, and the mysteries that she solves.

Economy

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

Bank of Botswana

The Bank of Botswana is the central bank of Botswana.When Botswana gained independence from Britain in 1966, the country was part of the Rand Monetary Area. In 1974 Botswana withdrew from the RMA, and the Bank of Botswana and Financial Institution Acts established the legal framework for a central...

, Bank Gaborone

Bank Gaborone

Bank Gaborone Limited, commonly known as Bank Gaborone, is a commercial bank in Botswana.-History:The Bank of Botswana issued a license to Bank Gaborone Limited to commence with its full retail banking business on February 1, 2006. Bank Gaborone opened their first branch on Pilane Road, Gaborone...

, BancABC

BancABC

BancABC is a pan-African financial services provider, headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. BancABC has subsidiaries in the following African Countries: Botswana, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The holding company for the group's operations is called ABC Holdings Limited...

, and the Botswana Stock Exchange

Botswana Stock Exchange

The Botswana Stock Exchange is a small but thriving stock exchange located in Gaborone, Botswana. The Botswana share market was established in 1989 and became the Botswana Stock Exchange in 1995...

 are located downtown, as well as the headquarters for Air Botswana

Air Botswana

Air Botswana Corporation is the national airline of Botswana, with its head office on the grounds of Sir Seretse Khama International Airport in Gaborone...

, Consumer Watchdog, Botswana Telecommunications Corporation

Botswana Telecommunications Corporation

Botswana Telecommunications Corporation is a telecommunications and Internet service provider in Botswana. BTC is headquartered in Gaborone. It provides telecommunications services all over the country and the majority of its services are in the capital city, Gaborone and the second largest city,...

, and Debswana

Debswana

Debswana Diamond Company Ltd, or simply Debswana, is a giant mining company located in Botswana, and is the world's leading producer of diamonds by value. Debswana is a joint venture between the government of Botswana and the South African diamond company De Beers; each party owns 50 percent of...

, the joint diamond mining venture between De Beers

De Beers

De Beers is a family of companies that dominate the diamond, diamond mining, diamond trading and industrial diamond manufacturing sectors. De Beers is active in every category of industrial diamond mining: open-pit, underground, large-scale alluvial, coastal and deep sea...

 and the Botswana government. The Southern African Development Community

Southern African Development Community

The Southern African Development Community is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Its goal is to further socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security cooperation among 15 southern African states...

 (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

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

.
Several international companies have invested in the city: Hyundai

Hyundai

Hyundai ) is a global conglomerate company, part of the Korean chaebol, that was founded in South Korea by one of the most famous businessmen in Korean history: Chung Ju-yung...

, IBM

IBM

International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...

, Daewoo

Daewoo

Daewoo or the Daewoo Group was a major South Korean chaebol . It was founded on 22 March 1967 as Daewoo Industrial and was dismantled by the Korean government in 1999...

, Volvo

Volvo

AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services...

, Owens-Corning, and Siemens

Siemens

Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...

. Orapa House, owned by Debswana

Debswana

Debswana Diamond Company Ltd, or simply Debswana, is a giant mining company located in Botswana, and is the world's leading producer of diamonds by value. Debswana is a joint venture between the government of Botswana and the South African diamond company De Beers; each party owns 50 percent of...

, is where the diamonds mined from Debswana are sorted and valued. Orapa House, located at the intersection of Khama Crescent and Nelson Mandela Drive, has a unique style of architecture that allows the perfect amount of indirect sunlight to shine through the windows in order to accurately sort diamonds. The Botswana Resource Conference is held annually at the Gaborone International Conference Centre.

According to Mercer

Mercer (consulting firm)

Mercer is a human resource and related financial services consulting firm, headquartered in New York City. The firm operates internationally in more than 40 countries, with more than 19,000 employees, and is the world's largest human resource consulting firm....

's 2010 Worldwide Cost of Living Survey, Gaborone has the 203rd highest cost of living for expatriate

Expatriate

An expatriate is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing...

s in the world. Gaborone is the third least expensive city for expatriates in Africa, coming in above Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...

, Ethiopia

Ethiopia

Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...

 at 208th and Windhoek

Windhoek

Windhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level. The 2001 census determined Windhoek's population was 233,529...

, Namibia

Namibia

Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...

 at 205th. Karachi

Karachi

Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...

, Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

 ranks last in the world at 214.

Sports

Stadiums in Gaborone

Venue	Sport	Capacity	Club(s)
Botswana National Stadium 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 22,000....	Football, Athletics, Rugby Rugby football Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:... , Tennis Tennis Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...	50,000	Gaborone United Gaborone United Gaborone United, or short GU, are a football club from Botswana based in Gaborone.-Honors:*Botswana Premier League : 6** 1967, 1969, 1970, 1986, 1990, 2009*Botswana Challenge Cup: 5** 1968, 1970, 1984, 1985, 1990... , Notwane F.C., Police XI Police XI Police XI is a football club from Botswana based in Otse.-Performance in CAF competitions:*CAF Champions League: 2 appearances*CAF Cup: 1 appearance... , Township Rollers F.C.
Mochudi Stadium 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. The stadium holds 10,000 people.-External links:*...	Football	10,000	Mochudi Centre Chiefs
SSKB Stadium SSKB Stadium SSKB Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Gaborone, Botswana. It is used mostly for football matches and serves as the home stadium of Botswana Defence Force XI. The stadium holds 5,000 people.-External links:*...	Football	5,000	Botswana Defence Force XI Botswana Defence Force XI Botswana Defence Force XI Football Club is a football club from Botswana based in Gaborone. It is the club of the Botswana Defence Force.-Honors:*Premier League: 7*Botswana Challenge Cup: 3-Performance in CAF competitions:...
University of Botswana Stadium University of Botswana Stadium University of Botswana Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Gaborone, Botswana. It is used mostly for football matches and serves as the home stadium of Uniao Flamengo Santos F.C.. The stadium holds 8,500 people....	Football	5,000	Uniao Flamengo Santos F.C.

There are several football stadiums located in and around Gaborone. They are SSKB Stadium

SSKB Stadium

SSKB Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Gaborone, Botswana. It is used mostly for football matches and serves as the home stadium of Botswana Defence Force XI. The stadium holds 5,000 people.-External links:*...

, Mochudi Stadium

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. The stadium holds 10,000 people.-External links:*...

, and Botswana National Stadium

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 22,000....

. There are also many football teams representing Gaborone. They include Botswana Defence Force XI

Botswana Defence Force XI

Botswana Defence Force XI Football Club is a football club from Botswana based in Gaborone. It is the club of the Botswana Defence Force.-Honors:*Premier League: 7*Botswana Challenge Cup: 3-Performance in CAF competitions:...

, Gaborone United

Gaborone United

Gaborone United, or short GU, are a football club from Botswana based in Gaborone.-Honors:*Botswana Premier League : 6** 1967, 1969, 1970, 1986, 1990, 2009*Botswana Challenge Cup: 5** 1968, 1970, 1984, 1985, 1990...

, Notwane FC

Notwane FC

Notwane FC is a football club from Botswana based in Gaborone.-Achievements:*Botswana Premier League: 3*Botswana Challenge Cup: 3*Botswana Independence Cup: 2*Orange Kabelano Charity Cup: 1-Performance in CAF competitions:...

, Police XI

Police XI

Police XI is a football club from Botswana based in Otse.-Performance in CAF competitions:*CAF Champions League: 2 appearances*CAF Cup: 1 appearance...

, and Uniao Flamengo Santos FC

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...

; all of them play in the Botswana Premier League

Mascom Premier League

The Botswana Premier League is the highest division in football in Botswana. The league has existed since 1966. The championship initially called MLO Cup....

. The Botswana national football team

Botswana national football team

The Botswana national football team, nicknamed 'The Zebras' is the national football team of Botswana and is controlled by the Botswana Football Association. They have never qualified for the World Cup but they have qualified for the 2012 African Nations Cup...

 play in the National Stadium, but have never qualified for the FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup

The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...

 nor the Africa Cup of Nations.

The Botswana Cricket Association

Botswana Cricket Association

Botswana Cricket Association is the official governing body of the sport of cricket in Botswana. Its current headquarters is in Gaborone, Botswana. Botswana Cricket Association is Botswana's representative at the International Cricket Council and has been an associate member of that body since...

, the governing body of cricket in Botswana, is headquartered in Gaborone.

The Gaborone City Marathon

Gaborone City Marathon

The Gaborone City Marathon is a marathon in Gaborone, Botswana. The marathon was established in 2009 and was first run on 18 April 2010. 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...

, the second marathon

Marathon

The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...

 in Botswana, was held 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

National Assembly of Botswana

The National Assembly of Botswana is the legislature of the country's unicameral Parliament. It is advised by the House of Chiefs, which is not a house of Parliament....

.

Parks and recreation

The Gaborone Dam is located south of Gaborone along the Gaborone-Lobatse road, and provides water for both Gaborone and Lobatse. The dam

Dam

A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...

 is the biggest in Botswana, able to hold 141400000 cubic metres (37,353,926,072 US gal). 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

Yacht club

A yacht club is a sports club specifically related to sailing and yachting.-Description:Yacht Clubs are mostly located by the sea, although there are some that have been established at a lake or riverside locations...

, 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

Birdwatching or birding is the observation of birds as a recreational activity. It can be done with the naked eye, through a visual enhancement device like binoculars and telescopes, or by listening for bird sounds. Birding often involves a significant auditory component, as many bird species are...

, windsurfers

Windsurfing

Windsurfing or sailboarding is a surface water sport that combines elements of surfing and sailing. It consists of a board usually two to four metres long, powered by the orthogonal effect of the wind on a sail. The rig is connected to the board by a free-rotating universal joint and comprises a...

, and anglers

Fishing

Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....

. However, there is no swimming due to crocodile

Crocodile

A crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...

s and parasitic bilharzia

Schistosoma

A genus of trematodes, Schistosoma, commonly known as blood-flukes and bilharzia, includes flatworms which are responsible for a highly significant parasitic infection of humans by causing the disease schistosomiasis, and are considered by the World Health Organization as the second most...

s.

The Gaborone Game Reserve is a 600 hectares (1,482.6 acre) park

Park

A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...

 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

Impala

An impala is a medium-sized African antelope. The name impala comes from the Zulu language meaning "gazelle"...

, kudu

Kudu

The kudus are two species of antelope of the genus Tragelaphus:*Lesser Kudu, Tragelaphus imberbis*Greater Kudu, Tragelaphus strepsiceros- Etymology :...

, ostrich

Ostrich

The Ostrich is one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member of the genus Struthio. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species apart from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a...

es, wildebeest

Wildebeest

The wildebeest , also called the gnu is an antelope of the genus Connochaetes. It is a hooved mammal...

, zebra

Zebra

Zebras are several species of African equids united by their distinctive black and white stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns unique to each individual. They are generally social animals that live in small harems to large herds...

s, gemsbok

Gemsbok

The gemsbok or gemsbuck is a large antelope in the Oryx genus. It is native to the arid regions of southern Africa, but formerly some authorities included the East African Oryx as a subspecies...

, bushbuck

Bushbuck

The bushbuck is the most widespread antelope in Sub-Saharan Africa, and is found in rain forests, montane forests, forest-savanna mosaics and bush savannaforest and woodland. Recently, genetic studies have shown that the bushbuck, is in fact a complex of two geographically and phenotypically...

, springbok, duiker

Duiker

A duiker is any of about 21 small to medium-sized antelope species from the subfamily Cephalophinae native to Sub-Saharan Africa.Duikers are shy and elusive creatures with a fondness for dense cover; most are forest dwellers and even the species living in more open areas are quick to disappear...

, Common Eland

Common Eland

The common eland , also known as the southern eland or eland antelope, is a savannah and plains antelope found in East and Southern Africa. It is the largest antelope in the African continent...

, and warthog

Warthog

The Warthog or Common Warthog is a wild member of the pig family that lives in grassland, savanna, and woodland in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the past it was commonly treated as a subspecies of P...

s. The park is famous for its birdwatching

Birdwatching

Birdwatching or birding is the observation of birds as a recreational activity. It can be done with the naked eye, through a visual enhancement device like binoculars and telescopes, or by listening for bird sounds. Birding often involves a significant auditory component, as many bird species are...

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

Laniarius

Laniarius is a genus of brightly coloured, carnivorous passerine birds commonly known as boubous or gonoleks. Not to be confused with the similar-sounding genus Lanius, they were formerly classed with the true shrikes in the family Laniidae, but they and related genera are now considered...

, gallinule

Moorhen

Moorhens, sometimes called marsh hens, are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family Rallidae. They constitute the genus Gallinula....

, kingfisher

Kingfisher

Kingfishers are a group of small to medium sized brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species being found in the Old World and Australia...

s, and hornbill

Hornbill

Hornbills are a 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-colored and sometimes has a casque on the upper mandible. Both the common English and the scientific name of the family...

s.

Kgale Hill is located a few hundred metres from the city. The hill is nicknamed the Sleeping Giant and is 1287 metres (4,222.4 ft). There are three different paths to reach the top, usually taking two hours.

The Mokolodi Nature Reserve

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 30 km sq. of donated land 10 km south of the capital Gaborone. The nature reserve is inhabited by a wide variety of indigenous African game,...

 is a 30 square kilometres (11.6 sq mi) reserve that was created in 1994. It is located 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) south of Gaborone. There are many different species of animals found in the park such as warthog

Warthog

The Warthog or Common Warthog is a wild member of the pig family that lives in grassland, savanna, and woodland in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the past it was commonly treated as a subspecies of P...

s, steenbok

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 :...

, kudu

Kudu

The kudus are two species of antelope of the genus Tragelaphus:*Lesser Kudu, Tragelaphus imberbis*Greater Kudu, Tragelaphus strepsiceros- Etymology :...

, zebra

Zebra

Zebras are several species of African equids united by their distinctive black and white stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns unique to each individual. They are generally social animals that live in small harems to large herds...

s, giraffe

Giraffe

The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...

s, Common Eland

Common Eland

The common eland , also known as the southern eland or eland antelope, is a savannah and plains antelope found in East and Southern Africa. It is the largest antelope in the African continent...

, ostrich

Ostrich

The Ostrich is one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member of the genus Struthio. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species apart from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a...

es, hippo

Hippopotamus

The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...

s and rhino

Rhinoceros

Rhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....

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

White Rhinoceros

The White Rhinoceros or Square-lipped rhinoceros is one of the five species of rhinoceros that still exist. It has a wide mouth used for grazing and is the most social of all rhino species...

 and the relocation of “problem” cheetah

Cheetah

The cheetah is a large-sized feline inhabiting most of Africa and parts of the Middle East. The cheetah is the only extant member of the genus Acinonyx, most notable for modifications in the species' paws...

s. Mokolodi also holds the Education Centre, which teaches children about the conservation projects.
Somarelang Tikologo

Somarelang Tikologo

Somarelang Tikologo is a member-based environmental NGO located in Gaborone, Botswana. 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...

 (Environment Watch Botswana) is a member-based environmental NGO

Non-governmental organization

A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...

 housed inside an ecological park at the heart of Gabarone. 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

Gaborone is controlled by the Gaborone City Council. The city council

City council

A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...

 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 and place each other in the committees yearly. The council has 2,515 employees. 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.

Gaborone is the political center of Botswana. Most government buildings are located west of the Main Mall in an area called the Government Enclave. The National Assembly of Botswana

National Assembly of Botswana

The National Assembly of Botswana is the legislature of the country's unicameral Parliament. It is advised by the House of Chiefs, which is not a house of Parliament....

, the House of Chiefs of Botswana

House of Chiefs of Botswana

The House of Chiefs of Botswana is an advisory body of the country's Parliament.-Composition:The House of Chiefs consists of 35 members. Eight members are hereditary chiefs from Botswana's principal tribes...

, the National Archives, and the Ministry of Health. Near the entrance of the parliament building, there is a statue of Sir Seretse Khama

Seretse Khama

Sir Seretse Khama, KBE was a statesman from Botswana. Born into one of the more powerful of the royal families of what was then the British Protectorate of Bechuanaland, and educated abroad in neighbouring South Africa and in the United Kingdom, he returned home—with a popular but controversial...

, 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

Botswana Defence Force

The Botswana Defence Force is the military of Botswana. It was formed in 1977 and has approximately 9,000 members. The commander is Lieutenant General Tebogo Masire. The commander in chief is the President of Botswana...

 soldiers who died in the Rhodesian Bush War

Rhodesian Bush War

The Rhodesian Bush War – also known as the Second Chimurenga or the Zimbabwe War of Liberation – was a civil war which took place between July 1964 and December 1979 in the unrecognised country of Rhodesia...

.

Before 1982, Gaborone held one parliamentary constituency

Parliamentary constituencies of Botswana

Botswana is divided into fifty-seven parliamentary constituencies. The constituencies were last updated in 2002.-List of constituencies:-External links:* *...

, one seat in the Parliament of Botswana

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 for a set five year term of office. There are no term limits...

. From 1982 to 1993, Botswana 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 2002, the city had five constituencies: Gaborone North, Gaborone Central, Gaborone South, Gaborone West North, and Gabororone 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

Southern African Development Community

The Southern African Development Community is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Its goal is to further socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security cooperation among 15 southern African states...

 (SADC).

The city is also home to several embassies and consuls.

List of Foreign Missions and International Organizations in Gaborone

Mission	Type	Ambassador	Website
Angola	Embassy	Jose Agostinho Neto	Embassies of Angola
Austria	Honorary Consulate	Doreen Khama	Austrian Honorary Consul in Botswana
Belgium	Honorary Consulate
Brazil	Embassy	Joao Inacio Oswald Padilha	Embaixada do Brasil em Gaborone
Canada	Honorary Consulate	Anne Bookbinder
Center for the Development of Enterprise	Regional Office	Sid Boubekeur	CDE
China	Embassy	Liu Huanxing	Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of Botswana
Cuba	Embassy	Ramon D.A. Medina	Embassy of Cuba in Botswana
Denmark	Consulate	Leif Bekker	Danish Consulates in South Africa, Botswana, DRC, Lesotho, Madagascar, Namibia and Swaziland
European Union	Delegation of the European Commission	Paul Malin	Delegation of the European Commission in Botswana
Finland	Honorary Consulate	Samuel Akuna Mpuchane	Finland's Honorary Consulate, Gaborone (Botswana)
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations	Country Office	Han Gaoju	FAO Representation in Botswana
France	Embassy	Geneviève Iancu	Embassy of France to Botswana
Germany	Embassy	Annett Günther	German Embassy Gaborone
Ghana	Honorary Consulate	Afua Daaku
Guyana	Consulate	Terrence H. Pariaug	Guyana's Diplomatic & Consular Representatives
India	High Commission	Madhava Chandra	High Commission of India
International Union for Conservation of Nature	Country Office	Masego Madzwamuse	IUCN Botswana Office
Ireland	Honorary Consulate	Barney O'Reilly	Diplomatic and Consular Information for Botswana
Israel	Honorary Consulate	Richard Lyons
Italy	Honorary Consulate	Guido Renato Giachetti
Jamaica	Consulate	Esau Waugh	Consul General and Consulates
Japan	Embassy	Ryoichi Matsuyama	Embassy of Japan in Botswana
Kenya	High Commission	Daniel Sidinga
Libya	People's Bureau	vacant
Mozambique	High Commission	Tiago R. Castigo
Namibia	High Commission	Hadino Timothy Hishongwe
Netherlands	Consulate	Jan Pitt	Gaborone Consulate
Nigeria	High Commission	Isaac O. Onuh
Norway	Honorary Consulate	Per Erik Bergh
Russia	Embassy	Anatoly Nikolaevich Korsun	Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Botswana
South Africa	High Commission	Ngconde M. Bryce Balfour
Southern African Development Community Southern African Development Community The Southern African Development Community is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Its goal is to further socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security cooperation among 15 southern African states...	Headquarters	Tomas A. Salomao	Southern African Development Community
Spain	Honorary Consulate	Guido Renato Giachetti
Sweden	Honorary Consulate	Abdul Rahim Khan	Sweden in Gaborone, Botswana
Thailand	Honorary Consulate
United States	Embassy	Michelle D. Gavin	Embassy of the United States
United Kingdom	High Commission	Frank J. Martin	British High Commission Gaborone
United Nations AIDS Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS, or UNAIDS, is the main advocate for accelerated, comprehensive and coordinated global action on the HIV epidemic....	Country Coordinator Office	Evaristo Marowa	UNAIDS CC Office
United Nations Children Fund	Country Office	Barbara G. Reynolds	UNICEF
United Nations Development Programme United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP operates in 177 countries, working with nations on their own solutions to...	Country Office	Khin-Sandi Lwin	UNDP in Botswana
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees , also known as The UN Refugee Agency is a United Nations agency mandated to protect and support refugees at the request of a government or the UN itself and assists in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to...	Country Office	Roy Herrmann
United Nations Population Fund United Nations Population Fund The United Nations Population Fund is a UN organization. The work of the UNFPA involves promotion of the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity. This is done through major national and demographic surveys and with population censuses...	Country Office	Argentina Matavel	UNFPA in Botswana
World Health Organization World Health Organization The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...	Country Office	Eugène Kojo Appiah Nyarko	Botswana WHO Country Office
Zambia	High Commission	Mwamutenta R. Musakabantu
Zimbabwe	Embassy	Thomas Mandigora

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 has earned at least a secondary-level education

Gaborone has many primary and secondary schools, both public and private. These include Westwood International School

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 . US, British and South African teaching materials are employed.In 2008-9 there were 550...

, Maru-a-Pula School

Maru a Pula School

Maru-a-Pula School is an independent, co-educational, secondary school located in Gaborone, Botswana. Founded in 1972, it has grown from an initial class of 25 students to over 650 today...

, Legae Academy and Thornhill Primary School.

Universities

The main campus of the University of Botswana

University of Botswana

The University of Botswana, or UB was established in 1982 as the first institution of higher education in Botswana. The university has four campuses: two in the capital city Gaborone, one in Francistown, and another in Maun. The university is divided into six faculties: Business, Education,...

, established in 1982, is on the eastern side of the city. Other universities include the Limkokwing University Of Creative Technology

Limkokwing University Of Creative Technology

Limkokwing University of Creative Technology is a private international university with a presence across three continents: Africa, Europe and Asia...

, which also has a campus in Gaborone. The Botswana Accountancy College

Botswana Accountancy College

The Botswana Accountancy College, also known as BAC or bac, is a business school located in the city of Gaborone, Botswana. Initially funded and established through a joint venture between The Ministry of Finance and Development Planning and Debswana, the college caters for both the accountancy and...

, which caters for both accounting and IT students, Gaborone Technical College, Boitekanelo College, and Botswana College of Agriculture

Botswana College of Agriculture

Botswana College of Agriculture is a college for agriculture in Gaborone, Botswana. It was established by an act of the Parliament of Botswana on 31 May 1991.- External links :* Official website...

 (located about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the city centre) are also located at Gaborone. The Gaborone Universal College of Law, opened in 2006, has its main campus in Gaborone. The university held its first graduation in 2010 for its first graduating class.

Media

A number of newspapers published in Gaborone. They include Mmegi

Mmegi

Mmegi is an English-language national newspaper in Botswana. Established in 1984, it is now published daily by Dikgang Publishing House in the capital, Gaborone. , Mmegi is Botswana's only independent newspaper to be published daily....

, The Botswana Gazette

The Botswana Gazette

The Botswana Gazette is an English language newspaper published in Gaborone, Botswana.-External links:*...

, and The Voice

The Voice (Botswana)

The Voice is a print and online news company operating in Botswana. The Voice began as a newspaper in Francistown in 1993 as The Francistowner Extra; in 1999 it opened offices in the national capital, Gaborone....

.

Radio station Yarona FM

Yarona FM

Yarona FM is a radio station based in Gaborone Botswana with a core broadcast audience of youth , with a spill out to ages 35. The radio station started its 24 hour broadcast on August 22, 1999, and was primarily a local broadcaster i.e...

 broadcasts from Gaborone; its frequency in Gaborone is 106.6 FM. Another small, local radio station in Gaborone is Gabz FM.

Before 2000, residents of Gaborone received television programming from BOP TV in Mafikeng

Mafikeng

Mahikeng – formerly legally, but still commonly known as Mafikeng – is the capital city of the North-West Province of South Africa. It is best known internationally for the Siege of Mafeking, the most famous engagement of the Second Boer War.Located on South Africa's border with Botswana, it is ...

 via a repeating transmitter on the summit of Kgale Hill. Today, the Gaborone Broadcasting Company and Botswana TV

Botswana TV

-References:*...

 provide television programming for Gaborone.

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

Functionalism (architecture)

Functionalism, in architecture, is the principle that architects should design a building based on the purpose of that building. This statement is less self-evident than it first appears, and is a matter of confusion and controversy within the profession, particularly in regard to modern...

, with buildings built in the Modern architecture

Modern architecture

Modern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure and theme of the building. It is a term applied to an overarching movement, with its exact definition and scope varying widely...

. The city is surrounded by smaller buildings. The city's central business district

Central business district

A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...

 (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

Southern African Development Community

The Southern African Development Community is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Its goal is to further socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security cooperation among 15 southern African states...

 headquarters, the Industrial Court, a court specifically for settling trade disputes, and the Three Dikgosi Monument, a landmark featuring the statues of Khama III

Khama III

Khama III , also known as Khama the Good, was the kgosi of the Bamangwato people of Bechuanaland , who made his country a protectorate of the United Kingdom to ensure its survival against Boer and Ndebele encroachments.-Ancestry and Youth:During the 18th century, Malope, chief of the Bakwena...

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

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....

 to establish the Bechuanaland Protectorate separate from Southern Rhodesia

Southern Rhodesia

Southern Rhodesia was the name of the British colony situated north of the Limpopo River and the Union of South Africa. From its independence in 1965 until its extinction in 1980, it was known as Rhodesia...

 (present-day Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...

) or the Cape Colony

Cape Colony

The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...

 (present-day South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

). 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

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...

n Masundae Overseas Projects, 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 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, 23963000 cubic metres (6,330,354,529.4 US gal) of water was sold in Gaborone. The government sector bought the most water, 11359000 cubic metres (3,000,730,171.5 US gal). 8564000 cubic metres (2,262,369,327.3 US gal) of water was bought for domestic use, and 4040000 cubic metres (1,067,255,030.6 US gal) of water was bought by the commercial and industrial sectors. In 2008, the city of Gaborone consumed 25657363 kilolitres (6,777,957,855 US gal) of water, and the water consumption per capita was 0.184 cubic metres (48.6 US gal) 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 average pH

PH

In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Pure water is said to be neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at . Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline...

 of the water in the Gaborone Dam is 7.95 as of February 2006. The concentration of calcium

Calcium

Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft gray alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth-most-abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust...

 in the reservoir was 14.87milligrams per litre

Gram per litre

A gram per liter or litre is a unit of measurement of mass concentration that shows how many grams of a certain substance are present in one litre of a usually liquid or gaseous mixture. It is not an SI unit because it contains the non-SI unit litre...

 from April 2001 to August 2006. During the same period, the concentration of calcium carbonate

Calcium carbonate

Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound with the formula CaCO3. It is a common substance found in rocks in all parts of the world, and is the main component of shells of marine organisms, snails, coal balls, pearls, and eggshells. Calcium carbonate is the active ingredient in agricultural lime,...

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

Hard water

Hard water is water that has high mineral content . Hard water has high concentrations of Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions. Hard water is generally not harmful to one's health but can pose serious problems in industrial settings, where water hardness is monitored to avoid costly breakdowns in boilers, cooling...

. Also during the same period, the chloride

Chloride

The chloride ion is formed when the element chlorine, a halogen, picks up one electron to form an anion Cl−. The salts of hydrochloric acid HCl contain chloride ions and can also be called chlorides. The chloride ion, and its salts such as sodium chloride, are very soluble in water...

 concentration was 6.44 mg/l, the fluoride

Fluoride

Fluoride is the anion F−, the reduced form of fluorine when as an ion and when bonded to another element. Both organofluorine compounds and inorganic fluorine containing compounds are called fluorides. Fluoride, like other halides, is a monovalent ion . Its compounds often have properties that are...

 concentration was 0.54 mg/l, the potassium

Potassium

Potassium is the chemical element with the symbol K and atomic number 19. Elemental potassium is a soft silvery-white alkali metal that oxidizes rapidly in air and is very reactive with water, generating sufficient heat to ignite the hydrogen emitted in the reaction.Potassium and sodium are...

 concentration was 6.72 mg/l, and the sodium

Sodium

Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal and is a member of the alkali metals; its only stable isotope is 23Na. It is an abundant element that exists in numerous minerals, most commonly as sodium chloride...

 concentration was 10.76 mg/l.

Health Care

The Botswana Red Cross Society

Botswana Red Cross Society

Botswana Red Cross Society also known as LRC was founded in 1968.It has its headquarters in Gaborone-External links:***...

, established in 1968, is headquartered in Gaborone. The Princess Marina Hospital is the main referral hospital in Gaborone and currently houses 500 beds.

The Cancer Association of Botswana

Cancer Association of Botswana

Cancer Association of Botswana is a voluntary, non-governmental organizationestablished as a trust in 1998.-Vision:Cancer Association of Botswana is dedicated to reducing the impact of cancer on allaffected in Botswana.-Mission:...

 is a voluntary non-governmental organization

Non-governmental organization

A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...

 established as a trust in 1998. The Association is a leading service provider in supplementing existing services through provision of cancer

Cancer

Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...

 prevention and health promotion programmes, facilitating access to health services for cancer

Cancer

Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...

 patients and offering support and counseling to those affected. Its headquarters is at Diktlhakore Way, Extension 12, Gaborone.

Transportation

The railway that served the founding purpose of the city remains important, bisecting the city in a north-south direction. Botswana Railways

Botswana Railways

Botswana Railways is the national railway of Botswana.-History:BR was created in 1987 when the government of Botswana bought out the Botswana-based sections of the National Railways of Zimbabwe . NRZ had been initially operating the rail system after Botswana had gained independence.Management of...

 runs a line that goes from Cape Town

Cape Town

Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...

 to Harare

Harare

Harare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...

 via Bulawayo

Bulawayo

Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe after the capital Harare, with an estimated population in 2010 of 2,000,000. It is located in Matabeleland, 439 km southwest of Harare, and is now treated as a separate provincial area from Matabeleland...

. The railway station in Gaborone is located south of the Parliament House in the city's center. The line stops at the following cities in and near Botswana: Ramatlabama

Ramatlabama

Ramatlabama 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...

 on the South African border, Lobatse, Gaborone, Palapye

Palapye

Palapye is a large town in Botswana, situated about halfway between Francistown and Gaborone . Over the years its position has made it a convenient stopover on one of Southern Africa's principal north–south rail and road routes...

, Serule

Serule

Serule is a village in Central District of Botswana. Serule, with a latitude of -21.95 and a longitude of 27.3 , is a streets, highways, roads, or railroad...

, Francistown

Francistown

Francistown or Nyangabgwe is the second largest city in Botswana, with a population of about 85,363, and often described as the "Capital of the North". It is located in eastern Botswana, about north-northeast from the capital, Gaborone...

, Ramokgwebana

Ramokgwebana

Ramokgwebana is a town in the North-East District of Botswana, close to the eastern border. On the other side is Plumtree, Zimbabwe. The town lies on the railway connection between Francistown and Bulawayo, Zimbabwe....

, and Plumtree, Zimbabwe

Plumtree, Zimbabwe

Plumtree, Zimbabwe is a town in Matabeleland South, Zimbabwe, close to the border to Botswana. It is the local administrative centre. It sits at an altitude of 1280 metres on the watershed between the Limpopo river and the Nata river that drains into Okavango to the north. The annual rainfall is...

. The line became a cargo-only line starting 1 April 2009.

Sir Seretse Khama International Airport

Sir Seretse Khama International Airport

Sir Seretse Khama International Airport located north of Gaborone is the main international airport of the capital city of Botswana. The airport is named for Sir Seretse Khama, the first president of Botswana...

 (ICAO code

International Civil Aviation Organization airport code

The ICAO airport code or location indicator is a four-character alphanumeric code designating each airport around the world. These codes are defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization, and published in ICAO Document 7910: Location Indicators.The ICAO codes are used by air traffic...

: FBSK IATA code: GBE) lies 25 kilometres (15.5 mi) north of the city and has flights to Johannesburg

Johannesburg

Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...

, Harare

Harare

Harare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...

, Francistown

Francistown

Francistown or Nyangabgwe is the second largest city in Botswana, with a population of about 85,363, and often described as the "Capital of the North". It is located in eastern Botswana, about north-northeast from the capital, Gaborone...

, and Maun

Maun

Maun is the fifth largest town in Botswana. As of 2001, it had a population of 43,776. It is an eclectic mix of modern buildings and native huts. Maun is the "tourism capital" of Botswana and the administrative centre of Ngamiland district...

 with connections to Kasane

Kasane

Kasane is a town in Botswana, close to Africa's 'Four Corners', where four countries almost meet: Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is at the far north-eastern corner of Botswana where it serves as the administrative center of the Chobe District...

 and Livingstone

Livingstone, Zambia

Livingstone or Maramba is a historic colonial city and present capital of the Southern Province of Zambia, a tourism centre for the Victoria Falls lying north of the Zambezi River, and a border town with road and rail connections to Zimbabwe on the other side of the Falls...

. It is the headquarters of Air Botswana

Air Botswana

Air Botswana Corporation is the national airline of Botswana, with its head office on the grounds of Sir Seretse Khama International Airport in Gaborone...

, the national airline

Airline

An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...

 of Botswana

Botswana

Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...

. Starting August 2010, Air Botswana

Air Botswana

Air Botswana Corporation is the national airline of Botswana, with its head office on the grounds of Sir Seretse Khama International Airport in Gaborone...

 has direct flights to Lusaka International Airport

Lusaka International Airport

Kenneth Kaunda International Airport is an international airport in Lusaka, Zambia, and was the hub of Zambian Airways. Formerly Lusaka International Airport, now called Kenneth Kaunda International Airport. The airport was renamed in honour of the first president of the Republic of Zambia Dr...

 in Lusaka

Lusaka

Lusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia. It is located in the southern part of the central plateau, at an elevation of about 1,300 metres . It has a population of about 1.7 million . It is a commercial centre as well as the centre of government, and the four main highways of Zambia head...

, Zambia

Zambia

Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....

 and flights to Lusaka via Kasane

Kasane

Kasane is a town in Botswana, close to Africa's 'Four Corners', where four countries almost meet: Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is at the far north-eastern corner of Botswana where it serves as the administrative center of the Chobe District...

. The airline plans to create a route from Gaborone to Luanda

Luanda

Luanda, formerly named São Paulo da Assunção de Loanda, is the capital and largest city of Angola. Located on Angola's coast with the Atlantic Ocean, Luanda is both Angola's chief seaport and its administrative center. It has a population of at least 5 million...

, Angola

Angola

Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...

 in the future.

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

Maun Airport

Maun Airport is an international airport serving the town of Maun in the northern part of Botswana . It is an important part of the local infrastructure and serves as the main touristic gateway to the Okavango Delta and the Moremi Game Reserve. Additional popular tourist destinations like Chobe...

 (ICAO code

International Civil Aviation Organization airport code

The ICAO airport code or location indicator is a four-character alphanumeric code designating each airport around the world. These codes are defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization, and published in ICAO Document 7910: Location Indicators.The ICAO codes are used by air traffic...

: 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 passenger.
Gaborone gained media attention in October 1999 because of the death of Chris Phatswe

Chris Phatswe

The 1999 Air Botswana incident occurred when Chris Phatswe, a Botswana airline pilot, committed suicide by crashing a plane into the tarmac and a group of aircraft at Sir Seretse Khama International Airport in Gaborone...

. Phatswe was a pilot

Aviator

An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...

 for Air Botswana

Air Botswana

Air Botswana Corporation is the national airline of Botswana, with its head office on the grounds of Sir Seretse Khama International Airport in Gaborone...

 who committed suicide

Suicide

Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...

 by crashing his plane into the runway at Sir Seretse Khama International Airport

Sir Seretse Khama International Airport

Sir Seretse Khama International Airport located north of Gaborone is the main international airport of the capital city of Botswana. The airport is named for Sir Seretse Khama, the first president of Botswana...

. Before his death, Phatswe was grounded because he was unable to pass the physical

Physical examination

Physical examination or clinical examination is the process by which a doctor investigates the body of a patient for signs of disease. It generally follows the taking of the medical history — an account of the symptoms as experienced by the patient...

. Also, it was later found that he had AIDS

AIDS

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...

. Although he never stated it, these obstacles may have caused him to choose to kill himself. He crashed his plane into two other planes on the tarmac. This almost crushed Air Botswana as they had only one plane left after the incident. Airdisaster.com

Airdisaster.com

AirDisaster.com is a website devoted to accidents and incidents on commercial airliners. It includes voice recordings, accident videos, reports and articles about a number of airliner crashes. It also includes crash statistics by company, plane model and year...

 has photos of the aftermath.
Highways in and around Gaborone include the Trans-Kalahari Highway, A1 Highway

A1 highway (Botswana)

The A1 highway in Botswana is a road connecting Ramokgwebana , passing through Gaborone, the capital city of Botswana, then Ramatlabama at the border with South Africa and continuing as the South African N18 to Mafikeng....

, and the Cairo-Cape Town Highway

Cairo-Cape Town Highway

The Cairo-Cape Town Highway is Trans-African Highway 4 in the transcontinental road network being developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa , the African Development Bank , and the African Union...

. There are five major roads in Gaborone that go to Lobatse, Kanye

Kanye, Botswana

Kanye is a town located in southern Botswana. It is the administrative center of the Southern District.Kanye is the oldest major center in Botswana, founded since 1853. It is the capital of the Bangwaketse tribe who their King is King Malope II son of Seepapitso IV. Kanye is the original village...

, Molepolole

Molepolole

Molepolole is Botswana's biggest village. It lies in the south east of the county. The people who reside in Molepolole are the Bakwena, who are one of the eight major tribes in Botswana. The Bakwena chief was among the three chiefs who went to England to seek protection from the British in the...

, Francistown

Francistown

Francistown or Nyangabgwe is the second largest city in Botswana, with a population of about 85,363, and often described as the "Capital of the North". It is located in eastern Botswana, about north-northeast from the capital, Gaborone...

 via Mochudi

Mochudi

Mochudi is one of the larger villages in Botswana with a population of around 40,000. It is situated in the Bakgatla tribal region, in Kgatleng District, about northeast of Gaborone...

, and Tlokweng

Tlokweng

Tlokweng is a town located directly adjacent to the capital of Botswana, Gaborone, in the South-East District. It can be considered part of the conurbation of Gaborone. Tlokweng stands on the other side of the river, and is on the road to the border with South Africa, the border post being just...

.

Gaborone has several vehicle licensing stations. 15,538 new private motor vehicles

Motor vehicle

A motor vehicle or road vehicle is a self-propelled wheeled vehicle that does not operate on rails, such as trains or trolleys. The vehicle propulsion is provided by an engine or motor, usually by an internal combustion engine, or an electric motor, or some combination of the two, such as hybrid...

, accounting for 46.5% of Botswana's total new vehicle registration

Vehicle registration

Vehicle registration is the compulsory registration of a vehicle with a government authority. Vehicle registration's purpose is to establish clear ownership and to tax motorists or vehicle owners....

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

Automobile

An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...

, 440 were minibus

Minibus

A minibus 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 used to describe any full-sized passenger carrying van. Minibuses have a...

es, 204 were motorcycle

Motorcycle

A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...

s, and 181 were tractor

Tractor

A tractor is a vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction...

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

Side collision

Side collisions are vehicle crashes where the side of one or more vehicles is impacted. These crashes often occur at intersections, in parking lots, when two vehicles pass on a multi-lane roadway, or when a vehicle hits a fixed object....

s. 263 accidents involved animals. The city has also seen 679 pedestrian casualties

Pedestrian safety through vehicle design

Almost two-thirds of the 1.2 million people killed annually in road traffic crashes worldwide are pedestrians. Despite the magnitude of the problem, most attempts at reducing pedestrian deaths have focused solely on education and traffic regulation...

 in 2008; 24 pedestrians were killed. The biggest majority of vehicle accident casualties

Casualty (person)

A casualty is a person who is the victim of an accident, injury, or trauma. The word casualties is most often used by the news media to describe deaths and injuries resulting from wars or disasters...

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

Public transport

Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...

 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.

Notable natives and residents

• Kgosi Gabarone
  Kgosi Gabarone
  Kgosi Gaborone of Batlokwa was a Botswanan chief, who gives his name to the modern capital city of Botswana, Gabarone.He is believed to have been born around 1820...
  
  , Motswana chief, after whom the city is named
• Mpule Kwelagobe
  Mpule Kwelagobe
  Mpule Keneilwe Kwelagobe of Gaborone, Botswana was crowned Miss Universe in May 1999 in Trinidad and Tobago. Since being crowned Miss Universe 1999, Mpule has been recognized and honored as a human health rights activist, especially for her fight against HIV/AIDS and advocacy for youth and women to...
  
  , Miss Universe
  Miss Universe
  Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
  
   and Miss Universe Botswana
  Miss Universe Botswana
  The Miss Universe Botswana is a beauty pageant that was first held in 1999, with winner competing in the Miss Universe pageant. Miss Universe Botswana is not related to the previous Miss Botswana....
  
   1999
• Sumaiyah Marope
  Sumaiyah Marope
  Sumaiyah Pandor Marope is a business student from Gaborone, Botswana, was Miss Botswana 2009. She was crowned at the Gaborone International Conference Center, on 2 May 2009. Marope traveled to South Africa to represent her home country at the Miss World 2009 competition held in Johannesburg, on 12...
  
  , Miss Botswana 2009
• Matsieng
  Matsieng
  Matsieng is a Setswana traditional music trio formed in 2005 in Gaborone Botswana. They burst in to the scene with their 2005 festive season album, Semakaleng...
  
  , a Setswana
  Tswana language
  Tswana or Setswana is a language spoken in Southern Africa by about 4.5 million people. It is a Bantu language belonging to the Niger–Congo language family within the Sotho languages branch of Zone S , and is closely related to the Northern- and Southern Sotho languages, as well as the Kgalagadi...
  
   traditional music group, formed in Gaborone
• Thamsanga Mnyele
  Thamsanga Mnyele
  Thamsanqa Mnyele was a South African artist associated with the anti-apartheid politics of the African National Congress and the Black Consciousness Movement. His artistic career took off in the 1970s when he produced works dealing with the emotional and human consequences of oppression...
  
  , member of the African National Congress
  African National Congress
  The African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
  
   and artist
• Dirang Moloi
  Dirang Moloi
  Dirang Moloi is a Botswanan international footballer who plays as a midfielder for Vasco da Gama in the South African Premier Soccer League.- External links :...
  
  , member of the Botswana national football team
  Botswana national football team
  The Botswana national football team, nicknamed 'The Zebras' is the national football team of Botswana and is controlled by the Botswana Football Association. They have never qualified for the World Cup but they have qualified for the 2012 African Nations Cup...
  
  
• Vernon Nkadimeng
  Vernon Nkadimeng
  Vernon Nkadimeng was a member of the African National Congress who was killed while in exile in Botswana by the apartheid secret police.-Life:...
  
  , member of the African National Congress
  African National Congress
  The African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
  
  , killed in Gaborone by the apartheid police
  South African Police
  The South African Police was the country's police force until 1994. The SAP traced its origin to the Dutch Watch, a paramilitary organization formed by settlers in the Cape in 1655, initially to protect civilians against attack and later to maintain law and order...
  
  
• Dipsy Selolwane
  Dipsy Selolwane
  Diphetogo "Dipsy" Selolwane is a Botswana football midfielder for South African Premier Soccer League club Supersport United. He has played as a striker in Major League Soccer....
  
  , football player
  Football (soccer)
  Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
  
  
• Boniface Tshosa Setlalekgosi
  Boniface Tshosa Setlalekgosi
  Boniface Tshosa Setlalekgosi has been the Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Gaborone, Botswana, since 1981.Setlalekgosi became an ordained priest in 1963. He succeeded Urban Charles Joseph Murphy to become the second Roman Catholic bishop in Botswana's history.-External links:*...
  
  , Roman Catholic bishop
  Bishop
  A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
  
   of the Diocese of Gaborone
  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.-History:...
  
  , Botswana
  Botswana
  Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
  
   since 1981
• Alister Walker
  Alister Walker
  Alister Walker, is a professional squash player who represented England. He reached a career-high world ranking of World No. 12 in September 2009.- References :...
  
  , squash player
  Squash (sport)
  Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
  
  
• Deane Yates
  Deane Yates
  Deane Yates is a British teacher who pioneered non-racial-based education in Africa. He was born in the United Kingdom in 1922. After serving in the Second World War, he read Latin and Greek at Oxford University. He taught at Mill Hill in London and, at that time, still thought that he might become...
  
  , founder of Maru-a-Pula School
  Maru a Pula School
  Maru-a-Pula School is an independent, co-educational, secondary school located in Gaborone, Botswana. Founded in 1972, it has grown from an initial class of 25 students to over 650 today...
  
  
• Precious Ramotswe, fictional lady detective

Sister cities

Gaborone has been twinned with one city and one province: Burbank

Burbank, California

Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....

, USA Zhejiang Province

Zhejiang

Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...

, China

People's Republic of China

China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

Gallery

External links

• Gaborone City Council Website
• Gaborone Satellite view at WikiMapia
  Wikimapia
  WikiMapia is a privately owned, online map and satellite imaging resource that combines Google Maps with a wiki system, allowing users to add information, in the form of a note, to any location on Earth. Users may currently use this information for free...
  
   (not affiliated with Wikipedia/Wikimedia Foundation
  Wikimedia Foundation
  Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. is an American non-profit charitable organization headquartered in San Francisco, California, United States, and organized under the laws of the state of Florida, where it was initially based...
  
  )
• Gaborone Encyclopædia Britannica entry
• Map of Gaborone