What is the capital of Botswana?

The capital of Botswana is Gaborone. The city stands in southeastern Botswana near the South African border and serves as the country’s political, administrative, and economic center. It is also Botswana’s largest city.

Gaborone was selected and planned as the capital in the 1960s, when the Bechuanaland Protectorate was moving toward independence. Botswana became independent from Britain in 1966, and the young capital expanded rapidly from a small settlement into a modern city. Its location offered access to water and transport routes while avoiding the need to develop an existing large urban center.

The city’s name honors Kgosi Gaborone, a chief of the Tlokwa people whose settlement was nearby. Older maps and books may spell the name “Gaberones,” a colonial-era form. Serowe, Maun, and Francistown are significant Botswana settlements, but none is the national capital.