Africa · capital city
What Is the Capital of Lesotho?
Maseru
The capital of Lesotho is Maseru. About 202,000 people live in the Maseru urban area — 8.5% of the country's population.
202,000
Urban area population
UTC+2
Time zone
29.32°S
Latitude · 27.48°E
Yes
Largest city
Maseru at a glance
Name origin
The name means "[place of] red sandstones" in the Sesotho language.
Time zone
UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time). No daylight saving time.
Coordinates
29 19 S, 27 29 E · IANA time zone Africa/Johannesburg
Location of Lesotho
Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa
Capitals of neighbouring countries
Capitals closest to Maseru
Pretoria, South Africa — 409 km
Mbabane, Eswatini — 490 km
Gaborone, Botswana — 544 km
Maputo, Mozambique — 626 km
Windhoek, Namibia — 1,281 km
Harare, Zimbabwe — 1,329 km
Lusaka, Zambia — 1,548 km
Lilongwe, Malawi — 1,826 km
Straight-line distance between capitals.
Frequently asked questions about Maseru
What is the capital of Lesotho?
The capital of Lesotho is Maseru. About 202,000 people live in the Maseru urban area — 8.5% of the country's population.
Is Maseru the largest city in Lesotho?
Yes — Maseru is also the largest urban area of Lesotho (202,000).
What time zone is Maseru in?
Maseru is on UTC+2 — UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time). There is no daylight saving time.
Where does the name Maseru come from?
The name means "[place of] red sandstones" in the Sesotho language.
Which capital is closest to Maseru?
Among the capitals of neighbouring countries, Pretoria (South Africa) is the closest, 409 km away in a straight line.
Data: CIA World Factbook (public domain); population: World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0).