What countries border Lesotho?
What is the current weather in Lesotho?
What is Lesotho famous for?
What is the capital of Lesotho?
Capital | Maseru |
Government Type | parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
Currency | Loti (LSL) |
Total Area |
11,720 Square Miles 30,355 Square Kilometers |
Location | Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa |
Language | Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa |
GDP - real growth rate | 2.6% |
GDP - per capita (PPP) | $3,000.00 (USD) |
What is the population of Lesotho?
Ethnic Groups | Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%, |
Nationality Noun | Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural) |
Population | 1,969,334 |
Population - note | note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected |
Population Growth Rate | 0.34% |
Population in Major Urban Areas | MASERU (capital) 239,000 |
Urban Population | 27.600000 |
What type of government does Lesotho have?
Executive Branch |
chief of state: King LETSIE III (since 7 February 1996); note - King LETSIE III formerly occupied the throne from November 1990 to February 1995 while his father was in exile head of government: Prime Minister Ntsokoane Samuel MATEKANE (28 October 2022) cabinet: consists of the prime minister, appointed by the King on the advice of the Council of State, the deputy prime minister, and 18 other ministers; the prime minister is the leader of the majority party or majority coalition in the National Assembly elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary, but under the terms of the constitution that came into effect after the March 1993 election, the monarch is a "living symbol of national unity" with no executive or legislative powers; under traditional law, the College of Chiefs has the power to depose the monarch, to determine next in line of succession, or to serve as regent in the event that a successor is not of mature age |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
Citizenship |
citizenship by birth: yes citizenship by descent only: yes dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years |
National Holiday | Independence Day, 4 October (1966) |
Constitution |
history: previous 1959, 1967; latest adopted 2 April 1993 (effectively restoring the 1967 version) amendments: proposed by Parliament; passage of amendments affecting constitutional provisions, including fundamental rights and freedoms, sovereignty of the kingdom, the office of the king, and powers of Parliament, requires a majority vote by the National Assembly, approval by the Senate, approval in a referendum by a majority of qualified voters, and assent of the king; passage of amendments other than those specified provisions requires at least a two-thirds majority vote in both houses of Parliament; amended several times, last in 2011 |
Independence | 4 October 1966 (from the UK) |
What environmental issues does Lesotho have?
Overview |
Lesotho (Leh‑SOO‑too) is a landlocked country in the east‑central part of the Republic of South Africa. Slightly larger than Maryland and slightly smaller than Belgium, Lesotho covers an area of 11,116 square miles. It is roughly in the form of a circle, 125 miles across. The western one‑quarter of Lesotho is lowlands where the altitude varies from 5,000 to 6,000 feet above sea level. This is the country’s main agricultural zone and contains most of the population. The rest of the country is composed of highlands that rise to 11,400 feet in the Drakensburg Range, which forms the eastern boundary with KwaZulu Natal. Thabana‑Ntlenyana, the highest peak in Southern Africa at 11,424 feet, is just inside Lesotho’s eastern border near the Sani Pass. Maseru (Muh‑SEH‑roo), the capital, has an estimated population of 150,000. It is located 5,000 feet above sea level on the Caledon River, which forms the western boundary between Lesotho and the Free State in South Africa. Surrounded by scenic bluffs and mesas, Maseru has a small central business district and several neighborhoods with good housing. Beyond that, the city sprawls for miles with collections of small tin‑roofed houses and roadside businesses. The surrounding countryside is severely affected by soil erosion, and despite sufficient water, the lowlands have little natural vegetation for much of the year. The landscape, mountainous, bare, dotted with picturesque villages, is starkly beautiful. |
Climate |
The climate is temperate year round. Rainfall, occurring mostly from October to April, ranges from 24 inches a year over most of the lowlands to over 40 inches a year in the mountains. A windy season during August and September occasionally brings dust storms. Average daytime temperatures are in the high 80°F in summer and can reach 100°F in Maseru. In winter, daytime temperatures average in the mid 60°F and at night sometimes drop to the teens in Maseru. Nighttime temperatures are regularly below freezing in June, July and August. Temperatures in the mountains are even more extreme with snowfalls common in winter. The humidity year round is quite low. |
Border Countries | South Africa 909 km |
Environment - Current Issues | population pressure forcing settlement in marginal areas results in overgrazing, severe soil erosion, and soil exhaustion; desertification; Highlands Water Project controls, stores, and redirects water to South Africa |
Environment - International Agreements |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Terrain | mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains |
How big is the Lesotho economy?
Economic Overview |
Small, mountainous, and completely landlocked by South Africa, Lesotho depends on a narrow economic base of textile manufacturing, agriculture, remittances, and regional customs revenue. About three-fourths of the people live in rural areas and engage in animal herding and subsistence agriculture, although Lesotho produces less than 20% of the nation's demand for food. Agriculture is vulnerable to weather and climate variability. Lesotho relies on South Africa for much of its economic activity; Lesotho imports 85% of the goods it consumes from South Africa, including most agricultural inputs. Households depend heavily on remittances from family members working in South Africa in mines, on farms, and as domestic workers, though mining employment has declined substantially since the 1990s. Lesotho is a member of the Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU), and revenues from SACU accounted for roughly 26% of total GDP in 2016; however, SACU revenues are volatile and expected to decline over the next 5 years. Lesotho also gains royalties from the South African Government for water transferred to South Africa from a dam and reservoir system in Lesotho. However, the government continues to strengthen its tax system to reduce dependency on customs duties and other transfers. The government maintains a large presence in the economy - government consumption accounted for about 26% of GDP in 2017. The government remains Lesotho's largest employer; in 2016, the government wage bill rose to 23% of GDP – the largest in Sub-Saharan Africa. Lesotho's largest private employer is the textile and garment industry - approximately 36,000 Basotho, mainly women, work in factories producing garments for export to South Africa and the US. Diamond mining in Lesotho has grown in recent years and accounted for nearly 35% of total exports in 2015. Lesotho managed steady GDP growth at an average of 4.5% from 2010 to 2014, dropping to about 2.5% in 2015-16, but poverty remains widespread around 57% of the total population. |
Industries | food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts; construction; tourism |
Currency Name and Code | Loti (LSL) |
Export Partners | US 97.1%, Canada 0.9%, France 0.6% |
Import Partners | Hong Kong 48.3%, China 23.2%, Singapore 3.7% |
What current events are happening in Lesotho?
Source: Google News
What makes Lesotho a unique country to travel to?