Gaborone Commonwealth Walkway

Gaborone is the capital and largest city of Botswana with a population of 231,626 based on the 2011 census, about 10% of the total population of Botswana. Gaborone City is situated between Kgale Hill and Oodi Hill, near the confluence of the Notwane River and Segoditshane River in the south-eastern corner of Botswana, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the South African border. Locals often refer to the city as GC or Motse-Mshate. The city of Gaborone is named after Chief Gaborone (ca 1825-1931) of the Tlôkwa tribe, who once controlled land nearby. He became tribal chief around 1880, after the death of his father, and secured the Tlokwa's status as the "smallest independent tribal unit" in the Bechuanaland Protectorate. Because it had no tribal affiliation and was close to fresh water, the city was planned to be the capital in the mid-1960s. The centre of the city contains a long strip of commercial businesses, called "Main Mall" with a semicircle-shaped area of government offices to its east. It is one of the fastest-growing cities in the world, and this has created problems with housing and illegal settlements. The city has also dealt with conflicts spilling into the country from Zimbabwe and South Africa during the 1980s.

8.1 miles / 13 kilometres