Maseru

Maseru (also Masero) is the capital of Lesotho. Located on the Caledon River, bordering South Africa, it is Lesotho's only sizable city, with a population of approximately 180,000 (2004). It is the capital of the Maseru District. The city's manufactures include candles and carpets. Maseru is located at 29°20' South, 27°30' East (-29.3333, 27.5).

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Maseru is located on the border with South Africa, by the Maseru Bridge border pass. On the South African side, Ladybrand is the town closest to Maseru.

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Maseru was a small trading town when it was made the capital of the Basotho people by Paramount Chief Moshoeshoe I in 1869. It was the capital of the British Basutoland protectorate from 1869 to 1871 and from 1884 to 1966, when Basutoland gained its independence and was renamed Lesotho.

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The National University of Lesotho is near the city, and an international airport is also nearby.

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Lesotho: The Kingdom of Lesotho ('Muso oa Lesotho) is a country in southern Africa. It is an enclave-nation, entirely surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. Formerly Basutoland, it is a member of the British Commonwealth. The name Le-sotho roughly translates into "the land of the people who speak Sotho"...

Caledon River: The Caledon River is located in south-east Africa, rising in the Drakensberg Mountanins in Lesotho. It then flows south-west, marking the border with South Africa before breaking into Free State Province. It then flows West before meeting the Orange River near Bethulie in southern Free State....

Maseru District: Maseru is a district of Lesotho. It has an area of 4,279 km2 and a population of approximately 500,000 (2004). Maseru is the capital of the district but also of the country. The name supposedly means "Place of the red earth."...