Gaborone, Botswana · UTC+2 ☆

Gaborone, Botswana’s capital, uses Africa/Gaborone, UTC+2, year-round. One of the world’s newest capital cities, Gaborone was built from scratch beginning in 1964 ahead of Botswana’s independence in 1966[1], and has grown rapidly on the southern edge of the Kalahari. No daylight saving has ever been observed in Botswana.

diamond wealth and a planned capital

The city sits at 24.7 degrees south, in the subtropical zone. Daylight ranges from about 10.5 hours at the winter solstice (June) to 13.5 hours at the summer solstice (December). UTC+2 is geographically appropriate: solar noon in Gaborone falls around 12:10pm in winter. The clock and the sun are in good agreement.

Botswana’s diamond wealth, managed carefully since independence, has funded Gaborone’s growth into a modern city. The Central Business District developed in the 1970s and 1980s with a planned street layout unusual in sub-Saharan African capitals. The city runs on a straightforward schedule, government hours, banking hours, and the rhythms of a landlocked country whose main economic activity is mining. Francistown to the north and Gaborone share the same clock, and the road between them is one of southern Africa’s busiest commercial corridors.

Convert 9am Gaborone time to London

Read more about time in Botswana →