Palapye

Palapye
Palapye, looking towards Morupule Power Station, 1987
Nickname(s): PY/Sphalabanyana
Palapye Location of Palapye in Botswana
Coordinates: 22°33′S 27°08′E / 22.550°S 27.133°E / -22.550; 27.133
Country	Botswana
District	Central District
Sub-District	Serowe/Palapye
Government
• MP	Moiseraele Master Goya
• Chief	Masego Olebile
Elevation	919 m (3,015 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	36,211
Time zone	Central Africa Time (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	not observed (UTC+2)
Area code(s)	49xxxxx
Climate	BSh
Website	http://www.palapye.com/

Palapye is a large town in Botswana, situated about halfway between Francistown and Gaborone (240 km away from Gaborone and 170 km away from Francistown). Over the years its position has made it a convenient stopover on one of Southern Africa's principal north–south rail and road routes.

Located here is the Morupule Colliery coal mine, which supplies Morupule Power Station, Botswana's principal domestic source of electricity. The power station has undertaken an expansion project to increase its generation capacity in an effort to meet the country's increasing demand for electricity. Construction began in 2010. Currently, the plant produces 120 MW of electricity.

In 1997 Palapye was said to be the fastest-growing village in Africa, and was expected to expand its population from 30,000 to 180,000.

The Bamangwato people, under Kgosi Khama III, are widely believed to be the first people to have settled near present-day Palapye. Their capital was the settlement of Phalatswe, also called Old Palapye, and was situated at the western end of the Tswapong Hills.

It existed up to 1902, and the ruins of its church, built in 1892, are still to be seen a few kilometres from Palapye's town centre. Chief Khama contributed some 3,000 pounds to its construction, and took a keen interest in church affairs. The Bamangwato people's houses were initially clustered around the church, but finding its vicinity too rocky, they moved 1.5 km away.

The name Palapye, formerly rendered as Palachwe or Palapwe, refers to the Impala antilope.

Palapye is situated nearly 70 km north of the Tropic of Capricorn. It is located by the Lotsane River, towards the central-eastern edge of Botswana.

Summer months are from mid-September to mid-April. Summers are very hot in Palapye, with daytime temperatures reaching up to 40 °C. Thunderstorms are plentiful in the summer. Rainfall levels reach usually a minimum of 300mm annually. Winters in Palapye are mild and dry.

Palapye's population is believed to be bordering the 80,000 mark, however, this is not an official figure, with many quarters arguing that the actual number is much higher or lower. Christianity is the main religious belief amongst Palapye citizens. However, there is an ever-expanding population of Muslim and Hindu believers in the town.