Information on Gaborone, Botswana, Africa

Gabarone, capital and largest city of Botswana, is situated in the South East of the country and has a population of approaching 300,000. The city lies in a flat valley between Kgale and Odi Hills on the Notwane River some 15 kms from the border with South Africa, and is the administrative capital for the South East district. For many years Gabarone was the world's fastest growing city, and it is still the fastest growing city in Africa. The entire downtown area of the city tends towards modernism and is a mixture of glass, steel and bricks. The upclass suburb of Phakalane, just outside the city boundary, houses 5-star hotels, good restaurants, and a buzzing night life. Gabarone's international airport, 10kms North of the city, connects with Johannesburg, Cape Town and Harare, and there are good rail and road links with South Africa. There is some industrial development to the North of the city in a joint venture between a parastatal, BHC, and a number of Chinese owned companies. The city is named after Chief Gabarone who led the Batlokwa tribe into the area in the 1880s. The ruins of a colonial fort that was built in the early 1890s and can be seen in an area now known as The Village near Tlokweng.