Maseru (also Masero), population 137,837 (1996), is the capital of Lesotho. Located on the Caledon River[?], it is Lesotho's only sizable city. The city's manufactures include candles and carpets[?]. Masero was a small trading town when it was made the capital of the Basuto[?] people by Paramount Chief Moshoeshoe I[?] in 1869. It was the capital of the BritishBasutoland protectorate from 1869 to 1871 and from 1884 to 1966, when Basutoland gained its independence and was renamed Lesotho.
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As of the census of 2000, there are 468 people, 158 households, and 121 families residing in the town. The population density is 19.9/km² (51.6/mi²). Th ...