Maseru is the capital and largest city of Lesotho. It is also the capital of the Maseru District. Located on the Caledon River, Maseru lies directly on the Lesotho–South Africa border. Maseru had a population of 330,760 in the 2016 census. 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”.[1][2]
Harare (/həˈrɑːreɪ/ hə-RAR-ay),[5] originally known as Salisbury [6] (/ˈsɔːlzbəri/ SAWLZ-bər-ee), is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 940 km2 (371 mi2) and a population of 2.12 million in the 2012 census[1] and an estimated 3.12 million in its metropolitan area in 2019.[2] Situated in north-eastern Zimbabwe in the country’s Mashonaland region, Harare is a metropolitan province, which also incorporates the municipalities of Chitungwiza and Epworth.[7] The city sits on a plateau at an elevation of 1,483 metres (4,865 feet) above sea level and its climate falls into the subtropical highland category.