# North West District, Botswana – Population & Sub-districts > Source: https://wherepedia.org/botswana/north-west/ District · Botswana # North West District North West District is a district of Botswana. It had an estimated **181,980 people** in 2023 on 112,223 km² (about 1.6 per km²). Its main town is Maun. It is divided into 3 sub-districts. 159 named villages and localities are recorded here, and 380 mapped services such as hospitals, banks and schools. - 181,980people (2023) - 112,223km² - 3sub-districts - 380mapped services ## How many people live in North West District? North West District had an estimated **181,980 people** in 2023 — 7.5% of Botswana, 5th of 17 districts. There are 1,109 women for every 1,000 men (above the Botswana figure of 1,086). Spread over 112,223 km², that is about **1.6 people per km²**, 14th of 17 districts. 34.4% of people are children under 15 and 6.6% are 65 or older; the median age is about 24 years (it is 27 across Botswana). For every 100 people of working age (15–64) there are 69 children and older people. 0–4 ****21,497** 5–9 ****21,328** 10–14 ****19,694** 15–19 ****15,817** 20–24 ****14,996** 25–29 ****15,461** 30–34 ****13,812** 35–39 ****11,374** 40–44 ****10,315** 45–49 ****9,056** 50–54 ****6,897** 55–59 ****5,264** 60–64 ****4,490** 65–69 ****3,893** 70–74 ****3,182** 75–79 ****2,184** 80+ ****2,720** Source: [UNFPA via OCHA HDX, population 2023 (COD-PS, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ps-bwa). ## Where is North West District? North West District lies in [Botswana](https://wherepedia.org/botswana/). It borders 3 other districts: [Central District](https://wherepedia.org/botswana/central/), [Chobe District](https://wherepedia.org/botswana/chobe/) and [Ghanzi District](https://wherepedia.org/botswana/ghanzi/). By area it is the 3rd largest of 17 districts in Botswana. It covers 19.4% of [Botswana](https://wherepedia.org/botswana/). The centre of North West District is about 635 km in a straight line from Gaborone, the capital. The centre point is at 19.6142° S, 23.0170° E. Source: [UNFPA via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-bwa). ## Things to see in and around North West District OpenStreetMap lists 200 named sights in North West District: 54 attractions; 52 monuments; 45 viewpoints; 39 nature reserves; 4 ruins; 2 galleries; 1 museum; 1 city gate; 1 zoo; 1 archaeological site. - Nhabe Museum · museum - Tsodilo · archaeological site - Deception Valley Private Concession · nature reserve - Dinaka Private Game Reserve · nature reserve - Gham Dhao Private Reserve · nature reserve - NG/11 · nature reserve - NG/12 Mapula and Sekwana Concession · nature reserve - NG/13 Tcheku Community Concession · nature reserve - NG/14 Kwando Concession · nature reserve - NG/16 Selinda Reserve · nature reserve - NG/17 · nature reserve - NG/18 Khwai Private Game Reserve · nature reserve - NG/19 Khwai Community Concession · nature reserve - NG/2 hunting block · nature reserve - NG/20 Kwara Concession · nature reserve - NG/21 Shinde Concession · nature reserve - NG/22 Okavango Community Concession · nature reserve - NG/23 Duba Concession · nature reserve - NG/23A · nature reserve - NG/24 Jedibe Concession · nature reserve - NG/25 Jao Concession · nature reserve - NG/26 Abu Concession · nature reserve - NG/27A Pom Pom Concession · nature reserve - NG/27B Xaxaba Concession · nature reserve - NG/28 Moremi Game Reserve · nature reserve - NG/29 · nature reserve - NG/3 · nature reserve - NG/30 Ranns Concession · nature reserve - NG/31 Chitabe and Sandibe Concession · nature reserve - NG/32 South East Okavango Community Concession · nature reserve …and 170 more. Source: [© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright). Named attractions, museums, viewpoints, historic sites and natural features mapped in OpenStreetMap. Places of worship are not listed. ## Know before you go: North West District - Time zoneUTC+2, no daylight saving · Africa/Gaborone - CurrencyPula (BWP) - Country calling code+267 - LanguagesEnglish, Tswana - Plug typesType D, G · 230 V - Driving sideLeft ### Nearest airports - Maun International Airport (MUB) · Maun59 km - Katima Mulilo Airport (MPA) · Mpacha252 km ### Daylight Days are longest in Dec (about 13.3 hours, sunrise around 05:43) and shortest in Jun (about 11.0 hours, sunrise around 06:59, sunset around 17:56). Month Sunrise Sunset Daylight Jan 06:00 19:12 13.2 h Feb 06:19 19:04 12.7 h Mar 06:30 18:44 12.2 h Apr 06:38 18:18 11.7 h May 06:47 18:00 11.2 h Jun 06:59 17:56 11.0 h Jul 07:02 18:05 11.0 h Aug 06:49 18:15 11.4 h Sep 06:24 18:22 12.0 h Oct 05:58 18:28 12.5 h Nov 05:41 18:43 13.0 h Dec 05:43 19:02 13.3 h Source: [GeoNames country and time-zone files (CC BY 4.0)](https://www.geonames.org/); [Wikidata (CC0) — plug types, mains voltage, driving side; retrieved 2026-11-03](https://www.wikidata.org/); [OurAirports (public domain)](https://ourairports.com/data/). Airports with scheduled passenger flights; straight-line distances. Daylight is calculated for the 15th of each month in local standard time. Check entry and visa rules with official government sources before travelling. ## Sub-districts of North West District Sub-district People per km² Area km² Census localities Services [Ngamiland East](https://wherepedia.org/botswana/north-west/ngamiland-east/) 108,993 2.2 50,082 19 254 [Ngamiland West](https://wherepedia.org/botswana/north-west/ngamiland-west/) 70,854 1.4 49,760 32 80 [Ngamiland Delta](https://wherepedia.org/botswana/north-west/ngamiland-delta/) 2,133 0.2 12,418 1 46 Source: [UNFPA via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-bwa); [UNFPA via OCHA HDX, population 2023 (COD-PS, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ps-bwa). ## Largest towns in North West District - Maun85,350 - Gumare11,572 - Shakawe10,589 - Nokaneng1,763 - Sehithwa1,614 - Tsau1,409 - Toteng556 - Makalamabedi376 - Komane203 Source: [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/). Populations as recorded in GeoNames, which may be older than the estimates above. ## Landscape and landmarks of North West District Named natural and historic features inside North West District, from the GeoNames gazetteer. ### Water 31 rivers and streams. - Bonga - Boro - Borokha - Boteti - Chamka - Chwarelangwana - Ganakha - Gani - Gomoti - Guekha - Kahkadi - Kauku - Kihabedum - Kkhwapa - Kodi - Kudum - Kwikhai - Makwegana Spillway - Mashi - Matlhabanelo - Matsebe - Moanachira - Mochaba - Mokhokhelo …and 7 more. ### Coast and islands 16 islands. - Ad’Ao Island - Ai’Ao Island - Bobo Island - Bokwi Island - Borokwe Island - Delta de l’Okavango, ile privee de Nxharaga - Gechia Island - Geune Kan Island - Ile de Paradis, delta de l’Okavango - Ile privee de Jao, delta de l’Okavango - Kai’kau Island - Motsaod Island - Namakha Island - Ngindi Island - Santantadibe Island - Xgara Island ### Hills and mountains 3 hills; 1 mountain. - Mount Aha · 1,153 m - Koanakha Hill · 1,035 m - Makabana · 1,005 m - Haina Hill · 998 m ### Forests and nature 5 nature reserves; 1 wildlife reserve. - Est de la reserve de Moremi, region de Khwai - Linyanti - Nord de la reserve de Moremi - Nxai Pan National Park - Parc national de Nxai Pan - Reserve de Kwedi, nord du delta de l’Okavango ### Getting around 21 airfields; 7 airports. - Abu Camp - Batawana - Boro River - Camp Okavango Airport - Chobe - Gumare - Gumare Airport - Jao - Khwai River Lodge Airport - Kwando - Kwando – Lagoon Airport - Linyanti - Makalamabedi Airport - Maun Airport - Motopi - Nokaneng Airport - Nxamaseri Airport - Pom Pom - Santawani - Selinda - Seronga - Shakawe Airport - Tsau Airport - Vumbura …and 4 more. Source: [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/). Places of worship are not listed. Elevations are from the GeoNames terrain model and are approximate. ## Weather in North West District and the best time to visit In North West District, the warmest month is Nov (average 29 °C) and the coolest is Jul (17 °C). About 509 mm of rain falls in a year; the wettest month is Jan (131 mm) and the driest Jul (0 mm). The most comfortable months for a visit are **February to September**. - Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun - Jul - Aug - Sep - Oct - Nov - Dec Month Average °C Rain mm Jan 27 131 Feb 26 102 Mar 26 77 Apr 24 25 May 21 2 Jun 18 3 Jul 17 0 Aug 21 0 Sep 25 2 Oct 29 13 Nov 29 48 Dec 28 108 Source: [NASA POWER climatology, retrieved 2026-10-29](https://power.larc.nasa.gov/). ## Hospitals, banks and other services in North West District Places mapped inside North West District in open map data, by type — each number opens the full list with locations. - Hospitals9 - Banks11 - ATMs14 - Petrol pumps18 - Hotels179 - Shopping malls12 - Schools57 - Colleges and universities6 - Pharmacies9 - Restaurants46 - Police stations15 - Dental clinics4 Source: [Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)](https://overturemaps.org/). Coverage depends on what has been mapped; contact details are not shown. ## Quick answers - Where is North West District?In Botswana - What is the population of North West District?181,980 (2023 estimate) - What is the median age in North West District?About 24 years (2023 estimate) - What is the population density of North West District?About 1.6 people per km² - What borders North West District?Central District, Chobe District and Ghanzi District - What is there to see in North West District?!Kung Bushman Village, 1st T junction from Black Pool to Gomoti river, 4 palms, 4 palms - What time zone is North West District in?UTC+2 - What currency is used in North West District?Pula (BWP) - What language is spoken in North West District?English, Tswana (main languages nationally) - What is the largest town in North West District?Maun - What is the highest point in North West District?Mount Aha (1,153 m, GeoNames elevation model) - What is the best time to visit North West District?February to September - How many hospitals are in North West District?9 mapped - How many banks are in North West District?11 mapped - How many ATMs are in North West District?14 mapped - How many petrol pumps are in North West District?18 mapped - What is the P-code of North West District?BW14 (OCHA common operational dataset)