Maun | |
|---|---|
 Maun from the air | |
  Maun Location of Maun in Botswana | |
| Coordinates:19°59′S023°25′E / 19.983°S 23.417°E /-19.983; 23.417 | |
| Country |  Botswana |
| District | North-West District |
| Founded | 1915 |
| Elevation | 927 m (3,041 ft) |
| Population (2022)[1] | |
• Total | 85,293 |
| ISO 3166 code | BW-NW |
| Climate | BSh |
Maun is the second-largest village inBotswana. As of 2022, it had a population of 85,293.[2] Maun is the "tourism capital" of Botswana and the administrative centre ofNgamiland district.Francistown and Maun are linked by theA3 highway. Maun is also the headquarters of numerous safari and air-charter operations who run trips into theOkavango Delta.
Although officially still a village, Maun has developed rapidly from a rural frontier town and has spread along theThamalakane 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 wherered lechwe can still be seen grazing next to local donkeys, goats and cattle.[3]
The settlement was founded in 1915 as the tribal capital of theBatawana people,[4] and has had a reputation as a hard-living 'Wild West' town which was the economic center of local cattle ranching and hunting operations. However, with the growth of the tourism industry and the completion of the tar road fromNata in the early 1990s, Maun has developed swiftly, losing much of its old town character. It is now home to over 55,000 people.
Maun is today a thriving tourist town, infamous for its infestation of donkeys and to a lesser extent goats. These animals can be seen standing around town as the local farmers arrive in the innumerable taxis to sell their wares on the curbside.[5]
With the influx of tourism dollars, the typical traditionalrondavels have been replaced by square, cinderblock homes roofed with tin and occasionally tiles. Mobile phone service in Maun is excellent out to about 20 to 25 kilometres (12 to 16 mi), depending on weather.
Maun is also becoming a regionaltransshipment hub for materials and tradespeople who service both the local camps andsafari centres and the burgeoningmineral exploration camps in northwestern Botswana. There are a wide variety of services in stores as well as many localentrepreneurs with welding ventures operated from the back of a cart.
Tourists often fly into theMaun International Airport. Often, these tourists hire fully equipped 4x4 cars for camping and game viewing in the parks, or otherwise fly to several tourist camps in theOkavango Delta or theMakgadikgadi.
Maun has ahot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classificationBSh). On 7 January 2016, Maun recorded a temperature of 44.0 °C (111.2 °F), which is the highest temperature to have ever been recorded in Botswana.[6][7]
| Climate data for Maun | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 44.0 (111.2) | 39.4 (102.9) | 39.5 (103.1) | 37.2 (99.0) | 35.6 (96.1) | 33.3 (91.9) | 32.2 (90.0) | 36.1 (97.0) | 38.6 (101.5) | 42.8 (109.0) | 43.3 (109.9) | 42.2 (108.0) | 44.0 (111.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 31.5 (88.7) | 31.3 (88.3) | 31.0 (87.8) | 30.5 (86.9) | 27.9 (82.2) | 25.2 (77.4) | 25.4 (77.7) | 28.5 (83.3) | 32.3 (90.1) | 34.6 (94.3) | 33.6 (92.5) | 32.2 (90.0) | 30.3 (86.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 25.4 (77.7) | 25.1 (77.2) | 24.2 (75.6) | 22.6 (72.7) | 18.7 (65.7) | 15.7 (60.3) | 15.8 (60.4) | 18.8 (65.8) | 23.1 (73.6) | 26.6 (79.9) | 26.4 (79.5) | 25.8 (78.4) | 22.4 (72.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 19.4 (66.9) | 18.9 (66.0) | 17.5 (63.5) | 14.6 (58.3) | 9.5 (49.1) | 6.2 (43.2) | 6.2 (43.2) | 9.2 (48.6) | 14.0 (57.2) | 18.5 (65.3) | 19.3 (66.7) | 19.3 (66.7) | 14.4 (57.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 8.9 (48.0) | 8.9 (48.0) | 10.0 (50.0) | 3.3 (37.9) | −1.7 (28.9) | −6.4 (20.5) | −5.3 (22.5) | −4.4 (24.1) | −0.6 (30.9) | 6.1 (43.0) | 9.4 (48.9) | 11.1 (52.0) | −6.4 (20.5) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 104 (4.1) | 95 (3.7) | 81 (3.2) | 25 (1.0) | 5 (0.2) | 1 (0.0) | 0.5 (0.02) | 0 (0) | 1 (0.0) | 17 (0.7) | 43 (1.7) | 81 (3.2) | 452 (17.8) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 13 | 12 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 10 | 61 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 60 | 60 | 60 | 51 | 48 | 49 | 45 | 38 | 32 | 34 | 43 | 52 | 48 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 263.5 | 209.1 | 257.3 | 279.0 | 313.1 | 300.0 | 306.9 | 331.7 | 306.0 | 297.6 | 261.0 | 244.9 | 3,370.1 |
| Mean dailysunshine hours | 8.5 | 7.4 | 8.3 | 9.3 | 10.1 | 10.0 | 9.9 | 10.7 | 10.2 | 9.6 | 8.7 | 7.9 | 9.3 |
| Source:Deutscher Wetterdienst,[8] (January record only)[6] | |||||||||||||
The name Maun is derived from theSeyei word 'maung', which translates 'the place of river reeds'. Before the arrival of Batawana, Maun was a small Yei village. The village in 1915 became the capital for theBatawana people. The capital was transferred fromToteng after victory overNdebele KingLobengula.[3]
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Maun is a gateway for exploring much of northernBotswana; for example it is the natural hub for visitors from outside the region to explore theTsodilo Hills and theMakgadikgadi Pans. The Thamalakane River discharges to theBoteti River, whose seasonal high flow reaches theMakgadikgadi.
In 2011, Maun had branches ofBarclays Bank, First National BankBotswana,Stanbic Bank andStandard Chartered Bank with ATM facility.Maun has three main hotels; Sedia Riverside Hotel, Riley's Hotel and Maun Lodge. There are many other accommodations and campsites, oriented towards the safari business like Okavango River Lodge, Thamalakane Lodge, the old Bridge Backpackers and others.[citation needed]
Maun Senior Secondary School is located in Maun.
The Letsholathe II Memorial Hospital is the main referral hospital in Maun. Another one, Maun Private Hospital, located on the Sedia road, opened to the public in July 2021.
Maun hosts theSankoyo Bush Bucks, afootball (soccer) team promoted to theBotswana Premier League in 2013–14.[9]
TheTop Gear: Botswana Special (episode 4 ofseries 10), which aired in 2007, includes segments in Maun.[10] Maun was featured again in the series finale ofThe Grand Tour in 2024, during whichJeremy Clarkson'sLancia Beta andJames May'sMercedes-Benz 230E from the special were present, having been found a few years earlier.
The sixth and seventh legs of the22nd installment of the American television programThe Amazing Race took place in and around Maun.[11]
The music video for "Am I Wrong" byNico & Vinz, was filmed in Maun, as well as inVictoria Falls,Zimbabwe.
The 2012 TV seriesBush Pilots was filmed in Maun.
Media related toMaun, Botswana at Wikimedia Commons
Maun travel guide from WikivoyageCapital,District | ||
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Italics indicates national capital. | ||
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