Maun | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 19°59′S 023°25′E / 19.983°S 23.417°E | |
Country | Botswana |
District | North-West District |
Founded | 1915 |
Elevation | 927 m (3,041 ft) |
Population (2011)[1] | |
• Total | 55,784 |
ISO 3166 code | BW-NW |
Climate | BSh |
Maun is the fifth-largest town in Botswana. As of 2011, it had a population of 55,784.[2] Maun is the "tourism capital" of Botswana and the administrative centre of Ngamiland district. Francistown and Maun are linked by the A3 highway. Maun is also the headquarters of numerous safari and air-charter operations who run trips into the Okavango Delta.
Although officially still a village, Maun has developed rapidly from a rural frontier town and has spread along the Thamalakane River. It now has shopping centres, hotels and lodges as well as car hire services, although it retains a rural atmosphere and local tribesmen continue to bring their cattle to Maun to sell. The community is distributed along the wide banks of the Thamalakane where red lechwe can still be seen grazing next to local donkeys, goats and cattle.[3]