Francistown

Francistown is the second-largest city in Botswana, lying in the country's east about 400 kilometers from the capital, Gaborone. It grew from an 1897 settlement near the Monarch gold mine, named for English prospector Daniel Francis, and became the center of southern Africa's first gold rush after the 1869 discovery of gold in the area, an economy that lasted until the 1930s global recession. Incorporated as Botswana's second city in 1997, Francistown remains an important transport and commercial hub on the country's main road and rail routes, with a 2022 census population of 103,417.