Gaborone

Modern Gaborone dates from 1964. The city is named after Chief Gaborone of the Tlokwa people.

Botswana became independent from Britain on 30 September 1966, and the date is celebrated every year. The site was chosen in 1964 because it was close to fresh water and not tied to any one ethnic group, and in 1965 the capital of the Bechuanaland Protectorate moved here from Mafeking.

The Three Dikgosi Monument in the city centre honours Khama III, Sebele I and Bathoen I. In 1895 the three chiefs travelled to Britain and persuaded the government not to hand the protectorate to Cecil Rhodes's British South Africa Company. The monument was inaugurated on 29 September 2005.

Today Gaborone has 246,325 people (2022 census) and is home to the headquarters of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Heritage sites include the National Museum and Art Gallery, and the Parliament buildings in the Government Enclave.