Roma, Lesotho

Roma, Lesotho

Roma is a settlement under the Manonyane Community Council in the Maseru District of Lesotho, some 34 kilometers southeast of Maseru, the capital of Lesotho. The Roma valley is broad and fertile, and is surrounded by sandstone cliffs topped to the East by basalt mountains which provide magnificent scenery. Founded in 1862 by Roman Catholic missionaries in the valley known as Tloutle, Roma now has three seminaries and various novitiates, and they began the institution that became the National University of Lesotho. The surrounding area has become quite densely populated and is a significant residential area, recently gaining street lights on the main road. There are many dinosaur footprints in the area, some within the National University of Lesotho, and others on Roma Plateau.

Some years ago the US Peace Corps ran its training programmes in Roma, and a local steep prominent mountain, Makhetha, is still referred to as Peace Corps Mountain, as an ascent was traditionally part of their programme.