Gaborone - City of Botswana

Gaborone is the capital and largest city of Botswana. Gaborone lies in the flat valley between Kgale and Oodi Hills, on the Notwane River in the south eastern corner of Botswana, and 15 kilometers from the South African border. It is the administrative capital of the South-East district.

The centre of the Gaborone was constructed in three years, including 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. The basic infrastructure was in place for Independence Day on 30 September 1966, when Bechuanaland was the eleventh British dependency in Africa to become independent. The first mayor of Gaborone was Reverend J. D. Jones, whose town council led the planning and development of the town in preparation for Independence day. The old Gaberones became a suburb of the new Gaborone, and is now known as "the Village".

Gaborone was the fastest growing city in the world for many years. Even today, Gaborone is still considered the fastest growing city in Africa. Every year, the majority of the country's infrastructural budget goes towards improving the city's roads, buildings, and services. Since most of the large buildings are relatively new, the entire downtown area tends towards modernism, built generally with a mix of glass, steel and bricks. The modernist city is surrounded by lower-rise development that has not been subject to the same planning as the city's centre. But the city is surrounded by villages- Ramotswa to the south east, Mogoditshane to the north west, and Mochudi to the east and Tlokweng. A lot of people live in these villages and work in Gaborone.

The new city has a relatively good water supply, which has facilitated growth. A railway line divides the city into two. Suburbs in Gaborone include Broadhurst, Gaborone West, The Village, and Naledi. Public transport in the city is generally not bad, when compared with major African cities. 'Kombis' and taxis ply the routes within the city while buses service surrounding villages and other towns in Botswana. A posh suburb lies outside the city's boundaries - Phakalane. Here, one will find 5-star hotels, good restaurants, and a buzzing night life. It was originally planned as a relatively small town, and its rapid development has necessitated construction of a larger city dam to provide an adequate water supply.

The Southern African Development Community has its headquarters in Gaborone; the organization was formed in 1980 to increase economic cooperation among its members and reduce dependence on South Africa. The main campus of the University of Botswana is in the city.