Gaborone
Gaborone is the capital city of Botswana. It has a population of 231,626 people. Gaborone is one of the fastest-growing cities in Africa. Gaborone is on the Notwane River in the southeastern corner of Botswana. It is 15 km (9.3 mi) from the South African border.
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| Coordinates: 24°39′29″S 25°54′44″E / 24.65806°S 25.91222°ECoordinates: 24°39′29″S 25°54′44″E / 24.65806°S 25.91222°E | |
| District | Gaborone |
| Sub-district | Gaborone |
| Founded | 1964[1] |
| Named for | Kgosi Gaborone |
| Government | |
| • Type | City commission government |
| • Body | Gaborone City Council |
| • Mayor | Kagiso Thutlwe (Botswana National Front)[2] |
| • Deputy Mayor | Florence Shagwa (BCP)[2] |
| Area | |
| • City | 169 km2 (65 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,014 m (3,327 ft) |
| Population (2011)[5] | |
| • City | 231,626 |
| • Density | 1,371/km2 (3,550/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 421,907 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (Central Africa Time) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (not observed) |
| ISO 3166 code | BW-SE |
| Climate | BSh |
| Website | Gaborone City Council Website |
The main campus of the University of Botswana is in the city. Gaborone's airport, Sir Seretse Khama International Airport, is Botswana's main international airport.
History
Before 1969, the city was known as Gaberones. Gaberones replaced Mafeking as the capital of the Bechuanaland Protectorate in 1965. Mafeking was outside the Bechuanaland Protectorate. It was in an area of South Africa. When the Protectorate became independent, Botswana needed a capital city that was inside the country. It had been thought that Lobatse would be the capital. It was later decided that they would create a new capital next to Gaberones, a small colonial administrative settlement.
The original name, Gaberones, is from Gaborone's Village. It was named after Chief Kgosi Gaborone of the BaTlokwa tribe. His village, now called Tlokweng, was just across a river from the "Government Camp" (colonial government headquarters). "Gabs" is still a common nickname for Gaborone. A newer nickname for Gaborone is G-City.
The centre of the city was constructed in three years. It includes 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. Much of the city was in place for Independence Day on September 30 1966, when the county became independent of the United Kingdom. The first mayor of Gaborone was Rev J. D. Jones. The old Gaberones became a suburb of the new Gaborone, and is now known as "the Village".
Gaborone Media
A postage stamp circa 1943, the postmark reading "Gaborone's Village"
Rev. Derek Jones, the first mayor of Gaborone
Satellite view of Gaborone. North is to the left of the image.
View over Gaborone, Botswana from the air. Quite a lot of new buildings. The country is prospering from its diamond mines.
BAPS Swaminarayan Hindu Mission, Gaborone
I-Tower at Central Business District
Orapa house, Gaborone 6 (Botswana)
Watch house in Gaborone Game Reserve
Ostriches at Mokolodi Nature Reserve, Botswana
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References
- ↑ Parsons, Neil. Botswana History Page 7: Geography. Botswana History Pages (19 August 1999). Gaborone, Botswana: University of Botswana History Department. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Keoreng, Ephraim. New Gaborone Mayor seeks power to hire and fire 28 (148) (5 October 2011). Gaborone, Botswana: Mmegi Online. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
- ↑ BOTSWANA STATISTICAL YEAR BOOK 2010. Statistics Botswana (December 2011). Gaborone: Central Statistics Office. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
- ↑ Gaborone, Botswana PageFalling Rain Genomics, Inc..
- ↑ The Population of Towns, Villages and Associated Localities. 2011 Population and Housing Census (June 2012). Gaborone: Statistics Botswana. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
- ↑ Current Local Time in Gaborone, Botswana. www.timeanddate.com. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
- ↑ Botswana Telecommunications Authority. Botswana (country code +267). National Numbering Plans (11 September 2009)International Telecommunication Union. Retrieved 27 December 2009.
Other websites
- Map of Gaborone Archived 2006-07-04 at the Wayback Machine