Africa’s Fastest Growing City
Southern Botswana, Botswana
Often described as Africa's fastest growing city, Botswana's capital Gaborone is a vibrant and colourful city, which lies in the flat valley between Kgale and Oodi hills, on the Notwane River in the south eastern corner of Botswana, 15km from the South African border post at Tlokweng.
Background
As the capital city, Gaborone is the seat of government as well as the country's commercial and administrative heart. The city is named after Kgosi (Chief) Gaborone who led the Batlokwa tribe into the area in the 1880s. Gaborone was chosen as capital because of its strategic location, its proximity to the railway line and Pretoria, its accessibility to most of the major tribes, its non-association with any particular tribe, and, most importantly, its closeness to a major water source.
Today Gaborone is a bustling modern city, and the seat of power for one of Africa's most successful economies, which once again is being viewed with envy by almost all her neighbours. There are numerous busy shopping malls offering a full range of imported and locally produced goods, excellent restaurants, quality hotels, sports clubs and a wide range of other entertainment offerings.