Palapye is a growing town in Botswana, situated about halfway between Francistown and Gaborone ( from Francistown and from Gaborone). 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. , Morupule A plant produces 132 MW of electricity, while Morupule B produces 600 MW. 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. History 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. Palapye was originally spelled as Phalatswe, which meant the place for impalas. 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 from Gaborone and away. The name Palapye, formerly rendered as Palachwe or Palapye, refers to the Impala antilope. Geography Palapye is situated nearly north of the Tropic of Capricorn, by the Lotsane River, towards the central-eastern edge of Botswana. Climate 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. Demographics 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. According to 2022 2022 Population and Housing Census preliminary results, Palapye has registered 3.3% population growth rate from 2011 it was 37,256 and in 2022 is 52,398, Christianity is the main religious belief amongst Palapye citizens. However, there is considerable population of