Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with up to 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the south and southeast, Namibia to the west and north, and Zimbabwe to the northeast. It is connected to Zambia across the short Zambezi River border by the Kazungula Bridge.
Tswana, also known by its native name Setswana, and previously spelled Sechuana in English, is a Bantu language spoken in Southern Africa by about 8.2 million people. It belongs to the Bantu language family within the Sotho-Tswana branch of Zone S (S.30), and is closely related to the Northern Sotho and Southern Sotho languages, as well as the Kgalagadi language and the Lozi language.
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 421,907 inhabitants at the 2011 census.
Mmabatho is the former capital of the North-West Province of South Africa. During the apartheid era, it was the capital of the former "Bantustan" of Bophuthatswana. Following the end of apartheid in 1994, Bophuthatswana was integrated into the newly established North-West Province and Mmabatho was proclaimed the provincial capital. However, Mmabatho's status as the provincial capital was short-lived. Later in 1994, the North West provincial legislature voted to rename the capital to Mahikeng, reducing Mmabatho to a suburb of Mafikeng.
The Tswana are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group who are native to Southern Africa. The Tswana language is a principal member of the Sotho-Tswana language group. Ethnic Tswana made up approximately 85% of the population of Botswana in 2011.
Festus Gontebanye Mogae is a Botswana politician and economist who served as the third President of Botswana from 1998 to 2008. He succeeded Quett Masire as President in 1998 and was re-elected in October 2004; after ten years in office, he stepped down in 2008 and was succeeded by Lieutenant General Ian Khama.
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.
The University of Botswana, popularly known as UB, was established in 1982 as the first institution of higher education in Botswana. The university has three campuses: one in the capital city Gaborone, one in Francistown, and another in Maun. The university is divided into six faculties: Business, Education, Engineering, Humanities, Science and Social Sciences and the Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital.
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. and often described as the "Capital of the North" or as the natives would have it “Turopo ya muka” which is in the iKalanga language. 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 from the international border with Zimbabwe. Francistown was the centre of Southern Africa's first gold rush and is still surrounded by old and abandoned mines. The City of Francistown is an administrative district, separated from North-East District. It is administered by Francistown City Council.The main language spoken and used in and around Francistown is the Kalanga language. Other languages used in the area are isiNdebele, ChiShona as well as SeTswana.
Ghanzi is a town in the middle of the Kalahari Desert the western part of the Republic of Botswana in southern Africa. The region is the country's pride in contributing a large portion towards the beef industry. In fact, Ghanzi farmers provides about 75% percent of beef exports, according to the Botswana Meat Commission, primarily to the United Kingdom and the European Union
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.
The Botswana Premier League, currently known as the BTC Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level football league in Botswana. Organised by the Botswana Football Association, the league was formed in 1978 to replace the pre-independence Bechuanaland Union African Soccer League, which was regional. Participants in the first edition of the league included Tlokweng Pirates, Notwane, Black Peril, Queens Park Rangers and a team from Ngwaketse district.
Obed Itani Chilume Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Francistown, Botswana.
Township Rollers Football Club is a football club based in Gaborone, Botswana. Rollers are also known as Popa, The Blues or Tse Tala, the official nicknames of the club. The club is also often referred to as Mapalastina, a nickname that developed in the 1990s but has never been officially adopted by the club. Rollers is the most successful club in Botswana football history, having won more league titles and cup competitions than any other local side. It enjoys a large support base all over the country and has been called arguably the best-supported team in Botswana.
The African Men's Olympic Qualifiers was held to determine the African national teams for under 23 that will participate at the 2008 Summer Olympics football tournament held in Beijing.
Lobatse Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Lobatse, Botswana. It is used mostly for football matches and serves as the home stadium of Extension Gunners. The stadium holds 20,000 people. There was a progressive construction of stadium in Lobatse which was expected to be done by end of 2010.
The 2011 COSAFA U-20 Cup is the 20th edition of the football tournament that involves the youth teams from Southern Africa. Botswana will host the competition for the second consecutive time.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Gaborone, Botswana.
Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi is the fifth and current President of Botswana, serving since 2018. He served as the 8th Vice President of Botswana from 12 November 2014 to 1 April 2018. He was a Member of Parliament in the National Assembly for the Moshupa-Manyana constituency from 2009 to 2018. Initially having a good relationship with former President Ian Khama, who appointed Masisi as Vice President, the two later clashed over a ban on elephant hunting, and Khama has since accused Masisi of having "stifled dissent". Coming to power in the 2019 elections, the opposition claimed irregularities and electoral fraud, however an observation mission from the African Union reported that the elections were conducted transparently and met international standards. During the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, Masisi ruled by decree from March 2020 to September 2021, despite protests from the public and the opposition party.
The 2015–16 Botswana Premier League was the 51st season of the Botswana Premier League since its establishment in 1966. Township Rollers won their 13th league title after defeating Centre Chiefs, 5–1, in the championship playoff. The playoff was announced following controversy as to who the rightful champion was following a series of point deductions and appeals. Township Rollers were docked 10 points for using ineligible player Ofentse Nato, dropping from 70 points to 60 and into second place with the decision. Following a series of appeals by both Township Rollers and Centre Chiefs, the Botswana Football Association decided to hold a championship game at the National Stadium on June 15, although the match was later postponed and played on August 11 at Molepolole Stadium in Molepolole.
