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Gaborone

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: African Geography

   Satellite image of Gaborone
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   Satellite image of Gaborone
   Location of Gaborone in Botswana
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   Location of Gaborone in Botswana

   Gaborone ( pron. IPA [xɑ.bə'ro.neɪ]), estimated population 208,411 (1
   January 2005), is the capital of Botswana. Gaborone is located at
   24°40′S 25°55′E . One of Africa's fastest-growing cities, Gaborone lies
   in the flat valley between Kgale and Oodi hills, on the Notwane River
   in the south eastern corner of Botswana, and 15 km from the South
   African border.

   Before 1969, the city was known as Gaberones . Gaberones replaced
   Mafeking as the capital of the Bechuanaland Protectorate in 1965.
   Mafeking (now Mafikeng) was outside the Bechuanaland Protectorate, in
   what is now the North West Province of South Africa, an odd arrangement
   that dated from the early colonial period. When the Protectorate became
   independent, Botswana needed a capital city within its territory;
   earlier it had been thought Lobatse might serve as capital but it was
   decided that it would be too limited, and instead a new capital city
   would be created adjacent to Gaberones, a small colonial administrative
   settlement. The original name, Gaberones, is from from Gaborone's
   Village, following the early practice of referring to African tribal
   capitals by the name of the chief, in this case Chief Kgosi Gaborone of
   the BaTlokwa, whose village, now called Tlokweng, was just across a
   river from the "Government Camp" (colonial government headquarters).
   "Gabs" is still a common abbreviation for Gaborone, sometimes used in
   casual speech.

   The centre of the city was constructed in three years, including
   Assembly buildings, government offices, a power station, a hospital,
   schools, a radio station, a telephone exchange, police stations, a post
   office, and more than 1,000 houses. The basic infrastructure was in
   place for Independence Day on 30 September 1966, when Bechuanaland was
   the eleventh British dependency in Africa to become independent. The
   first mayor of Gaborone was Rev J. D. Jones, whose town council lead
   the planning and development of the town in preparation for
   Independence day. The old Gaberones became a suburb of the new
   Gaborone, and is now known as "the Village".
   Rev J. D. Jones, the first mayor of Gaborone
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   Rev J. D. Jones, the first mayor of Gaborone

   Gaborone was, for many years, the fastest growing city in the world,
   and even now, is still considered the fastest growing city in Africa[
   ]. Every year, the majority of the country's infrastructural budget
   goes towards improving this city's roads, buildings, and services.
   Since most of the large buildings are relatively new, the entire
   downtown area tends towards modernism, built generally with a mix of
   glass, steel and bricks. The modernist city is surrounded by lower-rise
   development that has not been subject to the same planning as the
   city's centre.

   The new city has a relatively good water supply, which has facilitated
   growth. It was originally planned as a relatively small town, and its
   rapid development has necessitated construction of a larger city dam to
   provide an adequate water supply. Nearby manganese and asbestos mines
   have led to industrial expansion.

   The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has its headquarters
   in Gaborone; the organization was formed in 1980 to increase economic
   cooperation among its members and reduce dependence on South Africa.
   The main campus of the University of Botswana is in the city.

   Gaborone's airport, Sir Seretse Khama International Airport, is
   Botswana's primary international airport.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaborone"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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