Editing Gaborone (section)

{{short description|Capital and the largest city of Botswana}}
{{Distinguish|Gaberoun|text=[[Gaberoun]], [[Libya]]}}
{{for|the pharmaceutical drug brand Gabarone|Gabapentin}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Gaborone
| nicknames          = Gabs, GC, Gabz, G-City, Mageba, Moshate
| named_for          = [[Kgosi Gaborone]]
| settlement_type    = [[Capital city]]
|image_skyline       = {{multiple image
|border            = infobox
|perrow            = 1/2/2
|total_width       = 290
|caption_align = center
|image1 = Rail transportation.jpg
|caption1 = Gaborone CBD
|image2 = BotswanaParliament.jpg
|caption2 = [[Parliament of Botswana|Botswana Parliament]]
|image3 = Aeropuerto Internacional Sir Seretse Khama de Gaborone, Botswana.jpg
|caption3 = [[Sir Seretse Khama International Airport]]
|image4 = Gaborone_National_Museum_20200211.jpg
|caption4 = [[Botswana National Museum|Gaborone National Museum]]
|image5 = Gaborone Dam 2.jpg
|caption5 = [[Gaborone Dam]]
}}
| image_flag         = File:Flag of Gaborone.svg
| pushpin_map        = Botswana#Africa
| pushpin_relief     = 1
| map_caption        = Location of Gaborone in Botswana##Location of Gaborone in Africa
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = {{flag|Botswana}}
| subdivision_type1  = [[Districts of Botswana|District]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[South-East District (Botswana)|South East]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[Sub-districts of Botswana|Sub-district]]
| subdivision_name2  = Gaborone
| government_type    = [[City commission government]]
| governing_body     = [[Gaborone City Council]]
| leader_title       = Mayor
| leader_name        = Oarabile Motlaleng ([[Umbrella for Democratic Change|UDC]])
| leader_title1      = [[Deputy Mayor]]
| leader_name1       = Mankie Sekete ([[Umbrella for Democratic Change|UDC]])
| established_title  = Founded
| established_date   = 1964<ref name=history>{{cite web |first=Neil |last=Parsons |title=Botswana History Page 7: Geography |url=http://www.thuto.org/ubh/bw/bhp7.htm |work=Botswana History Pages |publisher=University of Botswana History Department |location=Gaborone, Botswana |date=19 August 1999 |access-date=4 August 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091007123525/http://www.thuto.org/ubh/bw/bhp7.htm |archive-date=7 October 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| unit_pref          = <!--Enter: Imperial, if Imperial (metric) is desired-->
| area_footnotes     = <ref name=BSYB />
| area_total_km2     = 169
| area_land_km2      = <!--See table @ Template:Infobox settlement for details on automatic unit conversion-->
| area_water_km2     = 
| area_total_sq_mi   = 65.25
| area_land_sq_mi    = 
| area_water_sq_mi   = 
| area_water_percent = 
| area_urban_km2     = 
| area_urban_sq_mi   = 
| area_metro_km2     = 
| area_metro_sq_mi   = 
| population_as_of   = 2022
| population_footnotes = <ref name="Statistics Botswana - Census 2022 - Population of cities, towns and villages"/>
| population_total   = 246325
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_density_sq_mi = auto
| population_metro   = 534,842
| population_density_metro_km2 = 
| population_density_metro_sq_mi = 
| population_urban   = 
| population_density_urban_km2 = 
| population_density_urban_sq_mi = 
| timezone           = [[Central Africa Time|CAT]]
| utc_offset         = +02:00
| coordinates        = {{coord|24|39|29|S|25|54|44|E|region:BW|display=inline,title}}
| elevation_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fallingrain.com/world/BC/09/Gaborone.html|title=Gaborone, Botswana Page|publisher=Falling Rain Genomics, Inc.|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110904191948/http://www.fallingrain.com/world/BC/09/Gaborone.html|archive-date=4 September 2011|access-date=27 July 2010}}</ref>
| elevation_m        = 1014
| elevation_ft       = 3326
| area_code_type     = [[Telephone numbers in Botswana|Geographical area code]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=86|title=Current Local Time in Gaborone, Botswana|website=www.timeanddate.com|access-date=April 28, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209221518/http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=86|archive-date=9 February 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | title =Botswana (country code +267)   | url =http://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-t/oth/02/02/T020200001C0001MSWE.doc| author=Botswana Telecommunications Authority|publisher=International Telecommunication Union | access-date =27 December 2009|date=11 September 2009|format=DOC|archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5mKyF8Dce?url=http://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-t/oth/02/02/T020200001C0001MSWE.doc| url-status =dead   |archive-date=27 December 2009}}</ref>
| area_code          = 3XX
| iso_code           = BW-SE
| blank_name_sec1    = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] (2019)
| blank_info_sec1    = 0.820<ref name="GlobalDataLab">{{Cite web|url=https://hdi.globaldatalab.org/areadata/shdi/|title=Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab|website=hdi.globaldatalab.org|language=en|access-date=2018-09-13}}</ref><br/>{{fontcolor|Darkgreen|very high}}
| blank_name         = [[Köppen climate classification|Climate]]
| blank_info         = [[Semi-arid climate#Hot semi-arid climates|BSh]]
| website            = [https://web.archive.org/web/20120514114903/http://www.gov.bw/en/Ministries--Authorities/Local-Authorities/Gaborone-City-Council/ Gaborone City Council Website]
| name               = 
| population_est     = 
| pop_est_as_of      = 
| pop_est_footnotes  = 
| title              = 
}}
'''Gaborone''' ({{IPAc-en|UK|ˌ|ɡ|æ|b|ə|ˈ|r|oʊ|n|i|,_|ˌ|h|æ|b|-}} {{respell|GAB|ə|ROH|nee|,_|HAB|-}},<ref name="Collins">{{cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/gaborone|title=Gaborone|work=[[Collins English Dictionary]]|publisher=[[HarperCollins]]|access-date=26 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190726203333/https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/gaborone|archive-date=26 July 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Gaborone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200322182154/https://www.lexico.com/definition/gaborone |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-03-22 |title=Gaborone |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref> {{IPAc-en|US|ˌ|ɡ|ɑː|b|ə|ˈ|r|oʊ|n|i|,_|-|n|eɪ}} {{respell|GAH|bə|ROH|nee|,_|-|nay}},<ref name="Collins"/><ref>{{Cite American Heritage Dictionary|Gaborone|access-date=26 July 2019}}</ref> {{IPA|tn|χabʊˈrʊnɛ|lang}}) is the [[Capital city|capital]] and [[List of cities in Botswana|largest city]] of [[Botswana]], with a population of 246,325 based on the 2022 census,<ref name="Statistics Botswana - Census 2022 - Population of cities, towns and villages">{{Cite web |title=Statistics Botswana - Census 2022 - Population of cities, towns and villages |url=https://www.statsbots.org.bw/sites/default/files/publications/Population%20of%20Cities%20Towns%20and%20Villages%20%202022.pdf}}</ref> about 10% of the total population of Botswana.<ref name=demo /> Its metropolitan area is home to 534,842 inhabitants at the 2022 [[census]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Botswana: Districts, Cities, Towns, Urban Villages & Agglomerations - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/botswana/ |access-date=2024-10-04 |website=www.citypopulation.de}}</ref> 

Gaborone is situated between [[Kgale Hill]] and Oodi Hill, near the confluence of the [[Notwane River]] and Segoditshane River in the southeastern corner of Botswana, within {{convert|15|km|mi}} from the South African border.<ref name=seth>{{cite book |last1=Seth |first1=Willie |title=Botswana and Its People |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bR54xeODwCIC&pg=PA44 |access-date=4 August 2009 |year=2008 |publisher=Godfrey Mwakikagile |isbn=978-0-9814258-7-0 |chapter=Major urban centres |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bR54xeODwCIC&pg=PA43 |pages=44–46}}</ref> The city is served by the [[Sir Seretse Khama International Airport]]. It is an administrative district in its own right, but is the capital of the surrounding [[South-East District (Botswana)|South-East District]].<ref>[http://www.laws.gov.bw/ Laws of Botswana] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723192435/http://www.laws.gov.bw/ |date=23 July 2011 }}, [http://www.mlg.gov.bw/ Ministry of Local Government]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090718061659/http://www.mlg.gov.bw/ |date=18 July 2009 }}</ref> Locals often refer to the city as ''GC or Motse-Mshate''.<ref name=history1 />

The city of Gaborone is named after [[Chief Gaborone]] of the [[Tlokwa]] people, who once controlled land nearby.<ref name="Map - Gaborone - MAPNALL.COM">{{Cite web|title=Map - Gaborone - MAP[N]ALL.COM|url=http://174.127.109.64/en/Map-Gaborone_1577118.html|website=174.127.109.64|access-date=2020-05-30}}</ref> Because it was not affiliated with any specific indigenous group and was close to fresh water, the city was [[New town|planned]] to be the capital in the mid-1960s when the [[Bechuanaland Protectorate]] became an independent nation.<ref name="Map - Gaborone - MAPNALL.COM"/> The centre of the city comprises a long strip of commercial businesses, called "Main Mall", with a semi-circular area of government offices to its east. Gaborone was once one of the fastest-growing cities in the world, and this has created problems with housing and illegal settlements. The city has also dealt with conflicts spilling into the country from [[Zimbabwe]] and [[South Africa]] during the 1980s.

Gaborone is the political and economic capital of Botswana, home to its largest companies and the [[Botswana Stock Exchange]]. It is also serves as the headquarters of the [[Southern African Development Community]] (SADC).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sadc.int/about-sadc|title=Southern African Development Community :: About SADC|website=www.sadc.int|access-date=April 28, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180312200255/http://www.sadc.int/about-sadc/|archive-date=12 March 2018}}</ref> The main spoken languages in the city include Setswana ([[Tswana language|Tswana]]), [[English language|English]], [[Kalanga language|Kalanga]], and [[Kgalagadi language|Kgalagadi]].