Now, quick, what comes to mind at the mention of Gaborone?
Perhaps it was easier to answer this question about the city at independence. In the mid-1960s, the country shed its image and identity as the Bechuanaland Protectorate of Great Britain. Prior to independence, the protectorate was administered from Mafikeng. So when the blue, black, white flag fluttered for the first time in the Republic of Botswana, the country was also unveiling a new city, one whose claim to fame was its image as Africa's new non-racial city. This was in contrast to the racial divisions of places like Francistown in the north of the country and Lobatse in the south, as well as South African and Rhodesian (Zimbabwe) cities.
In the '60s, the city was very small, surrounded on all sides by bush, with hardly any infrastructure and very few opportunities for employment. It was therefore planned for around 20,000 people. With the discovery of diamonds in Botswana soon after independence, Gaborone city grew at a phenomenal rate. As people abandoned agriculture and flocked to the city to find employment, the population shot up. During the 2001 census, the city's population stood at 186,007 while projections in the 2011 census stood at 233,135.
