© much like thenationitgoverns.much like And ifyoucomehere, you’llseehowGaborone’sidentityiscontinuouslybeingcreated, and restaurants are fromthedustanddelta,shouldyouneedone. agooddistraction Gaboroneaspicierdemographicstew Itsmalls,moviesmakes thanyoumightinitiallyexpect. population ofblack,white, Indianandmixed-race Africans –plus,increasingly, Chinese– future, andthatofhernation,isforged. not seeGaboroneasatraditionalfamily‘home’.Butshedoesittheplacewhere her their nationandtheofficialcourseofcountryisdetermined. AlocalMotswanamay everywhere inAfrica –where studentstraintolead a farmer moves hisfortune, tomake capital maybeavillagethathasgrowntoolarge, butitistheplace–andthisexists nightlife ishere inGaborone,aswellas,y’know,thepulseofBotswanannation.The and littlemore. ofcivicboosterism, it’ssmallwondermosttravellerskind treat Gaboroneas awaypoint may welltell youthenameofafamilyvillageorcattlepostthey’ve never seen.Withthat tourists. Ask aMotswanawhowasbornandraisedin‘Gabs’where they’re from,andthey ’s smallcapitaloften doesn’tgetalotoflove fromitsownresidents, letalone Gaborone 78 

L A relatively large expatscene,theuppercrustofBatswanasocietyandasurprisinglymixed youprobablycametoBotswanaforthewildlife,And let’sbefair: notthenightlife. But

     HIGHLIGHTS

o POPULATION: 186,007 n Visiting oneofBotswana’sbestmuseums in Buyinglocalpaintingsatthe Seeingmodern African danceormedieval Going on safariwithoutever leavingthecity ofthe elephants ontheoutskirts Tracking e (p88) Visual Centre Arts the mud-walledvillageof Centre European theatre at (p81) at theGaborone Game Reserve ( p92) capital attheMokolodiNature Reserve l y

P l a n e t ( p87 ) cooperative inOodi Maitisong Cultural Thapong ( p89)

 ELEVATION : 900M Mokolodi Reserve Nature Gaborone Gaborone Reserve Mochudi Game Oodi GABORONE 79 358 Tue-Sun) % ( 395 3777; h % ( 300 1999; Segodit- 355 3221; Notwane Rd) (the Mall; per hr US$3) 355 3664; Civic Centre, 355 3664; Civic Centre, 355 2450; Mobutu Dr) % ( 355 1161; Botswana Rd) % % % ( 355 3982; Embassy Dr; ( ( % (the Mall) Sells newspapers 355 3982; Embassy Dr; ( 998) (Broadhurst Mall) Has a huge % 355 3603; the Mall; ( % ( % ( (Riverwalk Mall) reader- This 997) % (Game City Mall) Recommended by ( (Botswana Rd; per hr US$3) Next to the % Library

( (Broadhurst Mall) Located above Woolworths, 999) % ( 2-4.30pm Tue & Thu) 2-4.30pm Tue 2-4.30pm Tue & Thu) 2-4.30pm Tue

INFORMATION INFORMATION shane Way) For anything serious, head to this reasonably modern, but expensive, hospital, opposite Broadhurst Mall. in town. The best facility recommended bookshop has a wide range of literature, has a wide range of literature, bookshop recommended travel books. non-fiction and expats for its good range of titles. expats for its good English. novels in this place sells new and second-hand books and maps about array of novels, postcards, and the region. Botswana and Contains plenty of books and periodicals dealing with topics. national Gaborone Private Hospital Princess Marina Hospital Alliance Française Botswana National Reference Library British Council Gaborone Public Library University of Botswana US Embassy h Medical Services Gaborone Hospital Dental Clinic Emergency Emergency Ambulance Central Police Station departmentFire Police Internet Access internet offering increasingly are hotels Many cables. or network access, via either wi-fi Aim Internet Sakeng Internet Access Point Libraries Bookshops Bookshops Botshalo Books CentreBotswana Book Exclusive Books J&B Books Kingston’s Bookshop Independence Ave) Opposite the eastern end of the Mall. Opposite the eastern end of Independence Ave) Cresta President Hotel. President Cresta building. In the Gaborone Hardware and magazines, guidebooks, wildlife guides, coffee-table guidebooks, wildlife and magazines, and novels. books h Hospital. Segoditshane Way) Partthe Gaborone of Private Equipped to handle standard medical treatments Equipped to handle standard medical treatments 0788; 3rd fl, Commerce House, Botswana Rd) Next to Debswana House, this is ideal for anyone doing research the region. about Botswana and GABORONE •• History

Although urban migration has character- In 1897 the railway between In 1895 the South African diamond mag- In 1895 the South African

HISTORY HISTORY ORIENTATION ORIENTATION number of shopping malls located outside outside shopping malls located number of accessible by easily these are the city centre; combi (minibus). the west of the Mall, in and around State around State in and the Mall, the west of also a are House There and Embassy Drs. a handful of shops, restaurants, banks and banks and restaurants, shops, a handful of of- Almost all government centres. internet to situated fices, and several embassies, are town. The Mall – also called the Main Mall – – Mall – also called the Main town. The Mall Gaborone and has is the business heart of suburban malls and shopping centres, which which centres, suburban malls and shopping form their own pulsing nodes throughout finitive town centre, so many shops, res- so many shops, town centre, finitive in or near located taurants are and offices ‘Extensions’ (romantic, eh?). It lacks a de- (romantic, eh?). ‘Extensions’ Gaborone sprawls to the point that outer Gaborone sprawls to the point that outer called ‘Phases’ and are neighbourhoods more information on this controversial issue, information on this controversial more . p80 text, see the boxed illegal immigration to Botswana’s capital. For ised much of Gabs’ recent history, economic recent Gabs’ ised of much of a wave has sparked turmoil in Zimbabwe its proximity to the railway line and its large the railway line and its large to its proximity water supply. than 4000 inhabitants, though it was selected independent Botswana due to as the capital of peared alongside the railway line. By 1966 By 1966 alongside the railway line. peared was home to fewer Gaborone area the greater and Rhodesia passed (now Zimbabwe) 4km and a tiny settle- the village, to the west of ment known as Gaborone’s Station soon ap- the second Boer War (1899–1902). the second Boer War to resign his post as prime minister of Cape of prime minister his post as to resign Colony, and the raid served as the catalyst for against the Boers who controlled the gold against the Boers who controlled the gold Rhodes was forced mines near Johannesburg. Village, which was then inevitably which Village, shortened enough, the ‘s’ to ‘Gaborones’ (interestingly until 1968). was not dropped Cecilnate Rhodes used launch Gaborone to Raid, an unsuccessful rebellion the Jameson clan. Early European explorers and mis- clan. Early European explorers the settlementsionaries named Gaborone’s dle Stone Age. However, the first modern set- However, the first dle Stone Age. was establishedtlement, Moshaweng, in the the Tlokwa Gaborone of 1880s by Chief late banks of the nearby Notwane River have been have River the nearby Notwane banks of the mid- occupied since at least continuously Archaeological evidence suggests that the evidence that the Archaeological suggests lonelyplanet.com