City Africa
Maseru
Maseru is the capital of Lesotho, a small country in Africa. The city is by a river, with farms and hills all around.
Maseru is the capital of Lesotho, a country completely surrounded by South Africa. It was founded in 1869 on a hill above a crossing place on the Caledon River, which now forms the border. At the 2016 census, 343,541 people lived in the city.
Maseru was founded by the British in 1869 on a hill above a ford of the Caledon (Mohokare) River as the administrative center of the Basutoland protectorate, which became independent Lesotho in 1966. Its name comes from the red sandstone of the region's mountains. Census 2016: 343,541 in the urban center; 519,186 in Maseru district.
Photo: OER Africa, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover Maseru
Maseru is the capital of Lesotho. Lesotho is a small country with South Africa all around it.
Maseru is right next to a river. Across the river is South Africa.
Maseru is the capital of Lesotho, a country completely surrounded by South Africa, Universalis says. The city lies on the Caledon River, also called the Mohokare, and a bend of the river now forms the border.
At the 2016 census, 343,541 people lived in the city of Maseru, by far the largest urban center in Lesotho. About a quarter of all the country's people live in the capital's district.
Lesotho Bureau of Statistics (via City Population): Maseru urban center about 115,000 (1986), 170,000 (1996), 227,880 (2006) and 343,541 at the census of 10 April 2016 (including some population from Berea district), rank 1, far ahead of Maputsoe (59,126); Maseru district 519,186 (2016) and a projection of 586,000 for 1 July 2023.
Universalis: long only a large village, the city is large only on Lesotho's scale; its suburbs, swollen by rural migration since the 1970s, spread quite far; about half a million people, a quarter of the population of this country entirely enclosed by South Africa, live in the capital's district.
- Country
- Lesotho (capital)
- People in Maseru (census, 10 April 2016)
- 343,541
- Maseru district (projection, 1 July 2023)
- 586,000
- Border
- the Caledon (Mohokare) River, with South Africa
Maseru and the hills beyond
Look at the brown hills far away! In front of them is the city, with trees, offices and red-roofed houses.
This photo looks over Maseru on 1 May 2013. In front are rows of small houses with red roofs and a large building with curved green roofs. In the middle are office blocks among many trees.
Far away, beyond the river, are South African farmlands, the photo's description says, with flat-topped hills on the horizon.
Commons: Flickr photo by OER Africa, 1 May 2013, CC BY 2.0, reviewed by FlickreviewR; description: South African farmlands clearly visible across the river. The recorded position is about 2.15 km SSE of the city's Wikidata point.
In the picture: rows of small red-roofed houses in front; a large sandstone-colored building with curved green roofs; office and apartment blocks among trees, with a cone-shaped roof among them; a road with a flyover at left; tall trees in autumn color; grassland and flat-topped hills with cliffs on the horizon.
- Photo
- a view over Maseru, 1 May 2013
- Across the river
- South African farmland (the photo's description)
- Basotho Hat Shop
- a landmark and crafts shop, about 0.8 km east-southeast of the city's Wikidata point (Wikidata)
A town on a river crossing
Maseru was built in 1869 on a hill above a river. Its name comes from the red rocks of the mountains nearby.
Maseru was founded in 1869 by the British on a hill above a ford, a shallow place where people could cross the Caledon River, Universalis says. It was the government center of the British protectorate of Basutoland, which became the independent country of Lesotho in 1966.
The city's name comes from the red sandstone rock that makes up the mountains of the region. For a long time Maseru was only a large village.
Universalis: a town founded in 1869 by the British on a hill overlooking a ford of the Caledon (or Mohokare) River, as the administrative center of the new protectorate of Basutoland, which became Lesotho at independence in 1966; Maseru owes its name to the red sandstones that make up the region's mountains. The meander of the river now marks the border with South Africa.
Its administrative and commercial buildings, badly damaged during unrest in 1998, have been rebuilt.
- Founded
- 1869, by the British, on a hill above a ford of the Caledon River
- Basutoland becomes Lesotho
- at independence in 1966
- Name
- from the red sandstone of the region's mountains
One main street and a border crossing
Maseru has one main street. At one end is the border with South Africa.
The center of Maseru is really one street, Kingsway, Universalis says. It runs from the South African border to a large roundabout overlooked by the two towers of a cathedral. From there, Lesotho's two biggest roads set off, one to the north and one to the south.
The border crossing at Maseru Bridge lies about 2.8 kilometers west-northwest of the city's center point on Wikidata, and Mejametalana Airport about 2.4 kilometers east-northeast.
Universalis: the center of Maseru comes down to one street, Kingsway, running from the South African border to a large roundabout dominated by the two towers of the Catholic cathedral, from which Lesotho's two largest roads leave for the north and the south. The small South African town of Ladybrand often serves as a commercial relay for supplying the capital.
Wikidata (from the city's point, Q3909): Basotho Hat Shop (Q138606103) 0.76 km ESE; Mejametalana Airport (Q3434121), 1,556 m, 2.36 km ENE; Maseru Bridge (Q19623444), a border crossing, 2.82 km WNW; Ladybrand (Q608877), a town in the Free State, South Africa, 12.57 km NNW.
- Kingsway
- the main street, from the South African border to a large roundabout
- Maseru Bridge
- a border crossing with South Africa, about 2.8 km west-northwest of the city's Wikidata point (Wikidata)
- Mejametalana Airport
- an airport in Maseru, 1,556 m high, about 2.4 km east-northeast (Wikidata)
Warm summers, frosty winter nights
Summers in Maseru are warm, with most of the year's rain. Winters are dry, and the nights can be freezing.
The World Meteorological Organization's averages for 1981 to 2010, from Mejametalana in Maseru, show warm summers and cold winter nights. In January the average daily high is 28.7 °C; in July the average low is -0.5 °C, just below freezing.
About 640 millimeters of rain fall in a year, mostly from October to March. January is the wettest month, with 121.7 millimeters, and July the driest, with 5.7.
WMO World Weather Information Service, Mejametalana (29.31° S, 27.50° E), 1981–2010: mean daily maximum 16.7 °C (June) to 28.7 °C (January); mean daily minimum -0.5 °C (July) to 14.8 °C (January). Rainfall sums to 641.5 mm; October to March bring 516.4 mm, with January (121.7 mm) the wettest month and July (5.7 mm) the driest; 77 rain days a year (at least 0.5 mm).
The WMO table for Mafeteng, whose station point is about 61 km south-southwest, shows the same pattern with slightly cooler days.
- Average daily highs (WMO, Mejametalana, 1981–2010)
- 16.7 °C (June) to 28.7 °C (January)
- Average daily lows (same normals)
- -0.5 °C (July) to 14.8 °C (January)
- Rain in a year (sum of the monthly normals)
- about 640 mm
Offices, shops and fields nearby
In Maseru there is a little building shaped like a Basotho hat, a pointed straw hat. It is a symbol of Lesotho.
Most work in Maseru is in offices, shops and services, Universalis says; the few factories, which made things like textiles, carpets and candles, have declined. Fields are never far from the city.
The city's main curiosity, Universalis says, is a small building in the shape of a Basotho hat, the symbol of Lesotho. Inside are the tourist office and a craft shop.
Universalis: fields are never far in this urban area, whose activity has been mainly in services since its few industries (textiles, carpets, candles) declined. The town's main curiosity, rebuilt after 1998, is a small building in the shape of a Basotho hat, the symbol of the country, housing the tourist office and a craft shop. Some of the rebuilt office buildings look strikingly futuristic. Population: 230,000 in 2006 (Universalis); 227,880 at the 2006 census (City Population).
- Main activity
- services (offices, shops and trade)
- Basotho hat
- the country's symbol; a small hat-shaped building houses the tourist office and a craft shop
- People in 2006
- 230,000 (Universalis)
Maseru on the map
Find South Africa on the globe. Lesotho is a small country inside it, and Maseru is on its western edge.
Maseru lies at about 29.3° south, on Lesotho's western border with South Africa.
Measured from the city's center point on Wikidata, the Basotho Hat Shop is about 0.8 kilometers east-southeast, the airport about 2.4 kilometers east-northeast, the Maseru Bridge border crossing about 2.8 kilometers west-northwest, and the South African town of Ladybrand about 12.6 kilometers north-northwest.
Maseru lies at about 29.32° S and 27.48° E (Natural Earth point, 0.81 km SSE of the Wikidata point). From the Wikidata point (Q3909): Basotho Hat Shop 0.76 km ESE; Mejametalana Airport 2.36 km ENE; Maseru Bridge 2.82 km WNW; Ladybrand 12.57 km NNW. The WMO Mejametalana station point is 1.94 km E of the Wikidata point.
- Latitude
- about 29.3° south
- Longitude
- about 27.5° east
- Country
- Lesotho, entirely surrounded by South Africa
Amazing facts
-
Maseru's name comes from red rocks.
Maseru owes its name to the red sandstone that makes up the mountains of the region, Universalis says.
Universalis: Maseru owes its name to the red sandstones that make up the region's mountains.
-
Lesotho is a country inside another country!
Lesotho is entirely surrounded by South Africa, and from Maseru you can see South African farmland across the river.
Universalis: Lesotho is entirely enclosed by South Africa; the Caledon's meander marks the border at Maseru.
-
In Maseru there is a building shaped like a hat!
A small building in the shape of a Basotho hat, the symbol of Lesotho, holds the tourist office and a craft shop, Universalis says.
Universalis: the main curiosity is a small building shaped like a Basotho hat, housing the tourist office and a craft shop.
-
In July, nights in Maseru are on average just below freezing.
In the WMO averages for 1981 to 2010, the average July low at Mejametalana is -0.5 °C.
WMO 1981–2010, Mejametalana: mean daily minimum -0.5 °C in July, 0.2 °C in June.
Words to know
- capital
- the city where a country's government works
- ford
- a shallow place in a river where people can walk or drive across
- border
- the line where one country ends and another begins
- sandstone
- rock made of grains of sand pressed together
- protectorate
- a land run or protected by a more powerful country
- census
- an official count of all the people in a place
Discovery challenge
-
Maseru is the capital of which country?
Maseru is the capital of which country, surrounded by South Africa?
Founded in 1869, Maseru is the capital of which country?
- Lesotho
- Kenya
- Peru
Show the answer
Lesotho
Lesotho!
Lesotho.
Lesotho.
-
Which river runs by Maseru?
Which river forms the border at Maseru?
Maseru was founded above a ford of which river?
- The Caledon
- The Nile
- The Danube
Show the answer
The Caledon
The Caledon River!
The Caledon (Mohokare).
The Caledon (Mohokare).
-
When was Maseru founded?
In which year was Maseru founded?
Universalis gives which founding year for Maseru?
- 1869
- 1969
- 1769
Show the answer
1869
1869!
1869.
1869.
-
What shape is a famous little building in Maseru?
The tourist office in Maseru is in a building shaped like what?
Universalis describes the town's main curiosity as a small building shaped like what?
- A Basotho hat
- A boat
- A fish
Show the answer
A Basotho hat
A hat!
A Basotho hat.
A Basotho hat, the symbol of the country.
-
Which month is the wettest in Maseru?
In the WMO averages, which month gets the most rain?
WMO 1981–2010: which month has the highest rainfall, 121.7 mm?
- January
- July
- May
Show the answer
January
January!
January.
January (121.7 mm).
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Locate Maseru and explain what it means for a country to be surrounded by another.
- Describe why a town might be founded at a river crossing.
- Read a climate table with freezing winter nights and warm summers.
- Compare a city's census counts over thirty years.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- What might be different about living in a country surrounded by one other country?
- Why do you think people built a town above a place where the river could be crossed?
- Why might a hat be chosen as a symbol of a country?
Try at home or in class
- Hat model: fold a paper cone into a pointed hat and decorate it.
- River ford: in a tray of sand and water, find the shallowest place to cross.
- Temperature line: plot the January and July average highs and lows on a chart.
Key vocabulary: capital, ford, border, sandstone, protectorate, census
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Natural Earth vector data , Natural Earth (NACIS) (Public domain)
- Maseru , Encyclopaedia Universalis
- Lesotho: Districts, Major Urban Centers & Urban Localities , City Population (Thomas Brinkhoff), from the Lesotho Bureau of Statistics
- Mejametalana: climatological information , World Meteorological Organization, World Weather Information Service
- Mafeteng: climatological information , World Meteorological Organization, World Weather Information Service
- File:Maseru from Parliament Hill.jpg (OER Africa, 1 May 2013) , Wikimedia Commons
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.