About Maseru

Maseru lies directly on the Lesotho-South Africa border. Maseru is Lesotho's capital city with a population of approximately 227,880 (2006). The city was established as a police camp and assigned as the capital after the country became a British protectorate in 1869. When the country achieved independence in 1966, Maseru retained its status as capital. The name of the city is a Sesotho word meaning "red sandstones". Maseru has a subtropical highland climate categorised by warm, rainy summers and cool to chilly, dry winters. The average mean daily temperature during summer — from December to March in the Southern Hemisphere — is 22 °C (72 °F). During winter, between June and September, the average temperature is 9 °C (48 °F). Maseru has a total of six hotels, two of which, the Lesotho Sun and the Maseru Sun, have casinos. The Basotho Hat shop at the city's entrance is a popular source for souvenirs. The main tourist attractions of Lesotho, Lancer's Gap, Sani Pass, Afriski resort, Katse dam, Thaba Bosiu and the Maluti Mountains are located a short distance from Maseru. However, distances are deceiving in Lesotho as even a 120 km trip can take over 3 hours due to the rugged terrain.