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Gaborone is the capital of Botswana, and is named after Chief Gabarone, kgosi (chief) of the Batlokwa people who settled in the Tlokweng area in 1881. Gaborone is situated on the Ngotwane River. The building of the town officially started in 1964 in order to move the administrative headquarters of the country from Mafeking to inside the borders before the independence in 1966.
Gaborone was declared a city in 1986 and is the fastest-developing city in Southern Africa. Having grown from a small village to a large metropolis in only 30 years, Gaborone has not managed to establish any traditional African character. Through it's extensive road links with South Africa, and the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport, Gaborone has generally become the point of entry into Botswana. It provides the tourist with easy access to such attractions as the Okavango Delta, Kasane, the Kalahari, the Makgadikgadi saltpans, the Chobe, the Tuli Block, and other remote desert areas.
Gaborone also features the National Assembly, National Sports Centre, National Museum and Art Gallery; Theatres, Gaborone Game Reserve and Mokolodi Game Reserve, as well as a number of street Craft Markets.
Gaborone is a young city with over a quarter of a million inhabitants. It scarcely existed in the 19th century before Chief Gaborone moved his Batlokwa tribe into the area from the Magaliesburg Mountains. Today it offers a choice of modern hotels, good restaurants, casinos, cinemas and nightclubs alive to the local kwaito music. The statue of Sir Seretse Khama stands serene, guarding the approach to the architecturally distinguished parliament building. The main mall is crowded with flourishing shops, cyber cafes, and large institutions.
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