Maseru

Maseru occupies the western lowlands beside the Mohokare, or Caledon, River, which forms the boundary with South Africa. The urban landscape includes street grids and industrial buildings set within a wider terrain of plateaus, hills and incised valleys. Its border position connects the national administrative centre directly to the neighbouring country.

Urban expansion has been accompanied by changes in land cover and pressure on rivers and wetlands. Research using earth observation documents this growth and the environmental concerns addressed in the city's longer-term planning. Water supply has historically depended on an intake from the Mohokare, with low winter flows creating difficulties. Maseru's infrastructure and settlement pattern are therefore closely connected to its lowland and river setting.