Fevered construction began in 1964, and in 1966 the Republic of Botswana achieved full independence under Sir Seretse Khama. At the time of independence, Botswana was counted among the ten poorest nations on earth. The discovery of the country's diamond wealth came within five years, and turned Botswana into one of the richest countries in Africa and the third largest producer of diamonds in the world. It also provided a growth rate and economic buoyancy unparalleled in Africa. There is a range of hotels, and a choice of cinemas and casinos.
Restaurants are numerous and varied, night clubs often host live music by local artists.
The National Museum is situated near the centre of town and houses important collections of traditional crafts and southern African fine art. It is also the home of the Botswana Society which has a rich tradition of researching Botswana's pre-history and from whom you can obtain information about various interesting aspects of the country, like the Aha Hills, Drotsky's caves and so on. There is an international airport on the outskirts of the city. One of the city's more striking buildings is Orapa House at the intersection of Mandela Drive and Khama Crescent. This building has floors specially designed to make maximum use of daylight without direct sunlight for the purpose of sorting and grading Botswana's fabulous diamond wealth.