Spotlight on Botswana
The Republic of Botswana is a landlocked African nation bordering South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia. The border with Zambia has the distinction of being the shortest border between two countries in the world.
Botswana has a population of approximately 2.3 million people. It has risen from one of the poorer countries in the world to an African success story, largely due to rich diamond deposits and a stable democracy. It is now classified as an upper middle income country.
The Okavango Delta and the Kalahari Desert dominate the country geographically. The Okavango Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, features a wide range of African wildlife, and is a popular destination for tourists visiting Botswana.
Gaborone Highlights
The capital and economic centre of Botswana, Gaborone had a population of just under 250,000 in the 2022 census. Approximately 10 percent of the population of Botswana calls Gaborone home.
Featuring a semi-arid climate, the city enjoys sunshine for most of the year, with hot summers and warm winters. Even the coolest month, July, features a mean daily maximum temperature of 22.9 Celsius (73.2 Fahrenheit).
Gaberone is a relatively new city. It was formed in 1964 as the capital of the new country of Botswana, created out of the the Bechuanaland Protectorate (which had been administered by Great Britain). Gaborone had been chosen because it was not affiliated with any of the tribes of Botswana, and was near water. It was originally planned for only 20,000 people, but grew rapidly past that number.