Since Maun's founding in 1915 as the tribal capital of the Batawana people, it has had a reputation as a hard-living 'Wild West' town helping the local cattle ranching and hunting operations. However, with the growth of the tourism industry and the completion of the tar road from Nata in the early 1990s, Maun has developed swiftly, losing much of its old town character. It is now home to over 30,000 people and the third largest city in Botswana.

The name Maun is derived from the San word 'maung', which translates 'the place of short reeds'. The capital was transferred from Toteng after a glorious victory over Ndebele King Lobengula.