City Africa
Gaborone
Gaborone is the capital city of Botswana, in southern Africa. It is a young city, built when Botswana became a country.
Gaborone is the capital of Botswana, in southern Africa. It was built as a new capital in the 1960s, almost ready when Botswana became independent in 1966. Planned for 20,000 people, it counted 246,325 in the 2022 census.
Gaborone is a new town born with Botswana: the colonial government of Bechuanaland had been run from Mafeking, outside the territory, so a capital was built near the small village of Gaberones on the Cape Town–Bulawayo railway. Its center was nearly finished at independence in September 1966; the 2022 census counted 246,325 people in the city and 534,842 in the agglomeration.
Photo: Njengabenngugi, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover Gaborone
Gaborone is the capital city of Botswana. Botswana is a country in southern Africa, with no sea.
The city was built about 60 years ago, so it is quite young.
Gaborone is the capital of Botswana, a country in southern Africa with no coast. Botswana's 2022 census counted 246,325 people in the city, more than twice as many as Francistown, the next-biggest city. With the towns around it, the Gaborone area had 534,842 people.
Universalis says Gaborone was planned for 20,000 people and has been one of Africa's fastest-growing cities. South Africa is only about 10 kilometers away.
City Population (Statistics Botswana) gives Gaborone city, 169 km², 59,657 people in the 1981 census, 133,468 in 1991, 186,007 in 2001, 231,592 in 2011 and 246,325 on 18 March 2022; the agglomeration counted 534,842 in 2022, ahead of Francistown (173,791).
Universalis (Botswana): a landlocked country of about 600,000 km² between Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia, with most people living in the east, along the borders with South Africa and Zimbabwe.
- Country
- Botswana (its capital)
- People in Gaborone (census, 2022)
- 246,325
- People in the Gaborone agglomeration (2022)
- 534,842
- Next-biggest city (2022)
- Francistown, 103,417
A skyline among the trees
Look at the big blue sky! Below it, buildings peek out from green trees.
On the right, a tall glass tower shines in the sun.
This photo shows the Gaborone skyline on 17 February 2015. Low buildings with brown and white walls rise above green trees, and on the right stands a tall tower covered in blue-green glass. A wide blue sky fills most of the picture.
Universalis says the heart of the city, with its modern buildings, is set around a wide walkway called The Mall, which leads from the Parliament to the City Hall.
Commons: 'Gaborone skyline', 17 February 2015, own work by Njengabenngugi (CC BY-SA 4.0); category 'Views of Gaborone'. The file names no building, so none is named here.
Universalis (Jean Liou): the center of modern buildings is organized around a vast esplanade, The Mall, from the Parliament to the City Hall; much of the city's life, though, is in big shopping centers on the outskirts.
- Photo
- the Gaborone skyline, 17 February 2015
- The Mall
- a wide walkway from the Parliament to the City Hall
- Botswana National Museum
- opened 1968 (Wikidata)
A capital built for a new country
Before Botswana became a country, it had no capital city inside its land. So people built a brand-new city here, around a small village.
The new city was almost ready when Botswana became independent in 1966.
Before independence, the British protectorate of Bechuanaland was run from Mafeking, a town outside its borders in South Africa, Universalis says. In the 1960s a new capital was needed. Instead of the two biggest towns, Lobatse and Francistown, planners chose a site near the small village of Gaberones: flat land with water, fairly central, on the railway from Cape Town to Bulawayo.
The government moved there in 1965, and the center was almost finished when Botswana became independent in September 1966.
Universalis: Bechuanaland's administration sat at Mafeking (now Mafikeng), in South Africa; as independence approached, the candidacies of Lobatse and Francistown were set aside for a new town around the village of Gaberones, chosen for flat land, water, a fairly central position in the inhabited part of the country and the vital Cape Town–Bulawayo railway. The authorities moved in during 1965; the center was nearly complete at independence in September 1966; the name Gaborone dates from 1969.
Universalis (Botswana): independence on 30 September 1966.
- Government moves to the new capital
- 1965
- Botswana becomes independent
- 30 September 1966
- Name 'Gaborone' (instead of Gaberones)
- since 1969
Railway, roads and the airport
Trains run through Gaborone on a long railway. Planes land at an airport north of the city.
Gaborone was built on the railway that runs from Cape Town in South Africa to Bulawayo in Zimbabwe, which Universalis calls the country's vital line. South Africa is only about 10 kilometers away.
The international airport lies about 11 kilometers north of the Botswana National Museum, Wikidata says.
Universalis: the site lay on 'the vital axis' of the Cape Town–Bulawayo railway; South Africa is about ten kilometers away; Gaborone is the seat of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Wikidata: the international airport (opened 1984) 11.3 km N of the Botswana National Museum.
- Railway
- on the line from Cape Town to Bulawayo (Zimbabwe)
- International airport
- about 11 km north of the National Museum
- South African border
- about 10 km away
Hot summers, cool dry winters
In Gaborone, summer days are hot and some rain falls. Winter is dry and chilly.
The World Meteorological Organization's averages for Gaborone (1971–2000) give about 552 millimeters of rain in a year. January is the wettest month, with 114 millimeters, while July gets less than half a millimeter.
Summer highs reach about 32 °C. In June and July, the coolest months, lows average under 5 °C.
WMO World Weather Information Service, Gaborone (1971–2000): rainfall 552.2 mm, from 113.6 mm in January to 0.4 mm in July; October to March 482.0 mm. Average highs 22.5 °C (June) to 32.5 °C (January); lows 4.6 °C (June and July) to 19.4 °C (January).
Universalis (Botswana): the country suffers repeated droughts.
- January rainfall (WMO, 1971–2000)
- 113.6 mm
- July rainfall (same table)
- 0.4 mm
- Average lows in June and July
- 4.6 °C
Museums, a dam and game reserves
Gaborone has a national museum and a university. Close to the city, wild animals live in a game reserve.
The Botswana National Museum opened in 1968, and the University of Botswana on 23 October 1982, Wikidata says. Gaborone Game Reserve lies about 4 kilometers east-northeast of the museum, and Gaborone Dam about 5 kilometers south.
Universalis says Gaborone gained importance when it was chosen as the home of the Southern African Development Community, a group of countries in southern Africa.
Wikidata: Botswana National Museum (1968); University of Botswana (opened 23 October 1982) 1.75 km SE of the museum; Gaborone Game Reserve (1988) 4.1 km ENE; Gaborone Dam 4.9 km S; Kgale Hill 6.8 km SW; Mokolodi Nature Reserve, a not-for-profit game reserve of about 30 km² (1994), 15.5 km SW.
Universalis: Gaborone is often called 'Gabs'; South African supermarket and fast-food chains are found in its outlying shopping centers.
- University of Botswana
- opened 23 October 1982 (Wikidata)
- Gaborone Game Reserve
- about 4 km east-northeast of the National Museum
- Gaborone Dam
- about 5 km south of the National Museum
Gaborone on the map
Find Africa on the globe. Botswana is in the south, with no sea. Gaborone is near its border with South Africa.
Gaborone lies at about 24.6° south, in the southeast of Botswana, about 10 kilometers from South Africa. Measured from the Botswana National Museum, the University of Botswana is about 1.8 kilometers southeast, Gaborone Dam about 5 kilometers south and the airport about 11 kilometers north.
Botswana is surrounded by Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia.
Gaborone lies at about 24.65° S and 25.91° E. From the Botswana National Museum (Wikidata points): Gaborone's own point 1.1 km W, University of Botswana 1.75 km SE, Gaborone Game Reserve 4.1 km ENE, Gaborone Dam 4.9 km S, Kgale Hill 6.8 km SW, the airport 11.3 km N.
City Population lists Gaborone in Botswana's South East district.
- Latitude
- about 24.6° south
- Longitude
- about 25.9° east
- Setting
- on flat land near the border with South Africa
Amazing facts
-
Gaborone was planned for 20,000 people. Now many more live there!
Gaborone was planned for 20,000 people, Universalis says, but by 1990 it had six times as many.
Universalis: planned for 20,000 inhabitants, Gaborone had six times that by 1990 and 230,000 at the 2011 census.
-
Lots of people call Gaborone 'Gabs'.
Gaborone is often called 'Gabs', Universalis says. It was built around a small village called Gaberones, and the name Gaborone has been used since 1969.
Universalis: the name Gaborone dates from 1969; the city is often nicknamed 'Gabs'.
-
Before Gaborone was built, Botswana's government worked in another country!
Before independence, Bechuanaland, today's Botswana, was run from Mafeking, a town in South Africa, Universalis says.
Universalis: the administration of the Bechuanaland protectorate sat outside its borders, at Mafeking (now Mafikeng), South Africa.
-
In Gaborone it almost never rains in July.
In the WMO table, July in Gaborone averages less than half a millimeter of rain, while January averages 114 millimeters.
WMO, 1971–2000: July 0.4 mm, June 4.5 mm, January 113.6 mm; 552.2 mm a year.
Words to know
- capital
- the city where a country's government works
- planned city
- a city designed on paper before it was built
- protectorate
- a territory protected and partly ruled by a stronger country
- independence
- when a country starts to govern itself
- game reserve
- a protected area where wild animals live
- agglomeration
- a city together with the built-up towns around it
Discovery challenge
-
Gaborone is the capital of which country?
Gaborone is the capital of which country in southern Africa?
Gaborone was built as the new capital of which country, independent since 30 September 1966?
- Botswana
- Nigeria
- Egypt
Show the answer
Botswana
Botswana!
Botswana.
Botswana.
-
For how many people was Gaborone first planned?
Gaborone was first planned for about how many people?
Universalis says the new capital was planned for how many inhabitants?
- 200
- 20,000
- 2 million
Show the answer
20,000
20,000! Now many more people live there.
20,000.
20,000.
-
What is Gaborone's nickname?
What short nickname do many people use for Gaborone?
Universalis gives which nickname for Gaborone?
- Gabs
- Big G
- Boro
Show the answer
Gabs
Gabs!
Gabs.
'Gabs'.
-
Which month has the most rain in Gaborone?
In the WMO table, which month is Gaborone's wettest?
Which month averages 113.6 mm, the most in the WMO's 1971–2000 Gaborone table?
- July
- January
- September
Show the answer
January
January!
January.
January.
-
Which country is very close to Gaborone?
Which country's border is only about 10 kilometers from Gaborone?
Before independence, Bechuanaland was run from Mafeking, in which country that lies about 10 km from Gaborone?
- Kenya
- South Africa
- Ghana
Show the answer
South Africa
South Africa!
South Africa.
South Africa.
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Locate Gaborone in southeastern Botswana, near South Africa.
- Explain why a new country might build a new capital.
- Read a rainfall and temperature table with a wet summer and a dry winter.
- Compare a city's planned size with its real growth.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Planners chose Gaborone's site for flat land, water and the railway. What would you look for when choosing a place for a new city?
- Gaborone was planned for 20,000 people but grew much bigger. What problems can fast growth cause?
- Gaborone's winter nights are chilly but the days are warm. How would you dress for a day like that?
Try at home or in class
- Plan a capital: draw a new city with a long central walkway, a parliament at one end and a city hall at the other.
- Rain chart: plot Gaborone's monthly rainfall and color the dry winter months.
- Growth bars: draw bars for Gaborone's 1981, 1991, 2001, 2011 and 2022 census counts and a line at 20,000.
Key vocabulary: capital, planned city, protectorate, independence, game reserve, agglomeration
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Natural Earth vector data , Natural Earth (NACIS) (Public domain)
- Botswana: Districts, Cities and Towns , City Population (Thomas Brinkhoff), from Statistics Botswana
- Gaborone , Encyclopaedia Universalis
- Botswana , Encyclopaedia Universalis
- Gaborone: climatological information , World Meteorological Organization, World Weather Information Service (Botswana)
- File:Gaborone skyline.JPG (Njengabenngugi, 17 February 2015) , Wikimedia Commons
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.