Transportation in Botswana is provided by an extensive network of railways, highways, ferry services and air routes that criss-cross the country. The transport sector in Botswana played an important role in economic growth following its independence in 1966. The country discovered natural resources which allowed it to finance the development of infrastructure, and policy ensured that the transport sector grew at an affordable pace commensurate with demands for services.
Gaborone is the capital and largest city of Botswana with a population of 246,325 based on the 2022 census, about 10% of the total population of Botswana. Its agglomeration is home to 534,842 inhabitants at the 2022 census.
Serowe is an urban village in Botswana's Central District. A trade and commercial centre, it is Botswana's third largest village. Serowe has played an important role in Botswana's history, as capital for the Bamangwato people in the early 20th century and as birthplace of several of Botswana's presidents. More recently it has undergone significant development as the town and as Botswana continues to grow.
Palapye is a growing town in Botswana, situated about halfway between Francistown and Gaborone. Over the years its position has made it a convenient stopover on one of Southern Africa's principal north–south rail and road routes.
Air Botswana Corporation is Botswana's state-owned national flag carrier, with its headquarters located in Gaborone. It operates scheduled domestic and regional flights from its main base at Sir Seretse Khama International Airport. Air Botswana has been loss-making for several years, and there have been various attempts to privatise the company, and frequent changes to the corporation's management and board, so far without reducing the losses.
Francistown is the second-largest city in Botswana, with a population of about 103,417 and 147,122 inhabitants for its agglomeration at the 2022 census. It is located in eastern Botswana, about 400 kilometres (250 mi) north-northeast from the capital, Gaborone. Francistown is located at the confluence of the Tati and Ntshe rivers, and near the Shashe River and 90 kilometres (56 mi) from the international border with Zimbabwe.
The Botswana National Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Gaborone, Botswana. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium holds 25,000 people.
Botswana Railways (BR) is the national railway of Botswana.
The Voice is a print and online newspaper based in Botswana founded by Beata Kasale and Don Laurence Moore. The Voice was founded in Francistown in 1993 as The Francistowner Extra; in 1999 it opened offices in the national capital, Gaborone. It has adopted a tabloid format which means shorter stories, bigger pictures and bolder headlines. The overall newspaper style encouraged journalist to develop a creative writing identity. Readership is at 30,000 copies per edition containing mostly human interest stories.
Moruleng Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the village of Moruleng, a small mining community located approximately 60 kilometres (37 mi) from Rustenburg in the North West Province, South Africa. It is currently used mostly for football matches and serves as the home stadium of Platinum Stars. The stadium was part of Rustenburg's World Cup 2010 host city proposals and was also used as a training venue for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.
Prostitution in Botswana is not illegal, but laws such as public disorder, vagrancy, loitering and state recognised religious provisions are used to prosecute prostitutes. Related activities such as soliciting and brothel keeping are illegal. Botswana has made proposals to make prostitution legal to prevent the spread of AIDS. However, there has been mass opposition to it by the Catholic Church. Prostitution is widespread and takes place on the street, bars, hotels, brothels and the cabs of long-distance trucks.
Sylvia Muzila is a Motswana politician and first female mayor of Francistown, Botswana. Politically affiliated to the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), she was elected to this position in 2014 and served up till 2019. Muzila was also among the first cohort of women to be recruited in the then Botswana Police Force.
Group J of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification tournament was one of the twelve groups that decided the teams which qualified for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations finals tournament. The group consisted of four teams: Tunisia, Equatorial Guinea, Libya and Botswana.
The 2022 African Nations Championship qualification was a men's football competition which decided the participating teams of the 2022 African Nations Championship. Only national team players who were playing in their country's own domestic league were eligible to compete in the tournament.
The 2023–24 CAF Champions League group stage began on 24 November 2023 and ended on 2 March 2024. A total of 16 teams competed in the group stage to decide the eight places in the knockout stage of the 2023–24 CAF Champions League.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF Group G is a CAF qualifying group for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The group contains Algeria, Guinea, Uganda, Mozambique, Botswana and Somalia.
Group C of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification is one of twelve groups that will decide which teams will qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final tournament in Morocco. The group consists of four teams: Egypt, Cape Verde, Mauritania and Botswana.
The 2024–25 CAF Confederation Cup qualifying rounds began on 16 August and ended on 22 September 2024. 52 teams competed in the qualifying rounds to decide the 16 places in the group stage of the 2024–25 CAF Confederation Cup.
The 2024–25 CAF Confederation Cup group stage will begin on 28 November 2024 and end on 19 January 2025. 16 teams will compete in the group stage to decide the eight places in the knockout stage of the 2024–25 CAF Confederation Cup.
Qualification for the 2024 African Nations Championship began on 25 October and will conclude on 29 December 2024 to determine the 19 nations, including co-host nations, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, expected to qualify for the final tournament.
