Lesotho, formally the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country enclaved within South Africa. Formerly known as Basutoland, it is the largest of only three sovereign enclaves in the world, the others being San Marino and Vatican City, which are surrounded by Italy.
Completely encircled by the Republic of South Africa but separated from it by forbidding mountain ranges, Lesotho has endured decades of turbulent politics, periodic economic crises, and grinding poverty since gaining its independence from Great Britain in 1966.
Lesotho is situated in the Maloti Mountains and contains the highest peak in Southern Africa. It has an area of over 30,000 km2 (11,600 sq mi) and has a population of about 2.3 million.
Interestingly, South Africa has another country within its borders. Nestled in the Drakensberg is the mountainous kingdom of Lesotho. Much of South Africa's water comes from the snowcapped peaks of this tiny, landlocked nation.
Explore and Travel LESOTHO - THE HEARTBEAT OF SOUTHERN AFRICA
Geography and Landscape
Two-thirds of Lesotho consists of mountains. The highest peak, Mount Ntlenyana, is 11,424 feet (3,482 metres) above sea level. The Drakensberg range forms the eastern boundary with KwaZulu-Natal.
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The Maloti spurs of the Drakensberg, running north and south, join the main range in the north, forming a plateau from 9,000 to 10,500 feet (2,700 to 3,200 metres) in elevation. This plateau, the center of the cattle-raising and agricultural industries, is the source of South Africa’s two largest rivers-the eastward-flowing Tugela and the westward-flowing Orange-as well as tributaries of the Caledon (Mohokare).
Three other important rivers in Lesotho are the Senqunyane in the center of the country, the Kometspruit in the southwest, and the Matsoku in the northeast. The foothills, with elevations averaging between 6,000 and 7,000 feet (1,800 and 2,100 metres), descend in undulating slopes to the west, where the lowlands bordering Free State rise to elevations of 5,000 to 6,000 feet (1,500 to 1,800 metres).
The mountain soils are of basaltic origin and are shallow but rich. The soils of the lowlands derive mainly from the underlying sandstone.
Topography of Lesotho.
Climate
Precipitation, brought by the prevailing winds, occurs mostly between October and April and is variable; the annual average is about 28 inches (710 mm), with amounts decreasing from east to west. Hail is a frequent summer hazard.
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Temperatures in the lowlands reach as high as 90 °F (32 °C) in the summer and plunge to 20 °F (−7 °C) in the winter. In the highlands the temperature range is much wider, and readings below 0 °F (−18 °C) are not unusual. Frost occurs widely in the winter, when the Maloti Mountains are usually snowcapped.
Plant and Animal Life
Lesotho is largely covered in grasses, although trees also appear on the landscape. Indigenous trees include Cape willows, cheche bush (used for fuel), and wild olives. Other willows and white poplars have been introduced into the country. There are numerous indigenous species of aloes, which are commonly found in the cooler, wet areas.
Overgrazing, overutilization, and soil erosion have drastically depleted and altered the grasslands, reedbeds, and woody bush on the slopes. Reforestation schemes have been attempted but have met with limited success.
In the mid-19th century, zebras, wildebeests, ostriches, and lions could be found in the country. However, hunting and deforestation have mostly eliminated the populations of large mammals; the last lion was killed in the 1870s. Smaller antelope and hares can still be found, and the hyrax, or dassie, is common.
Sehlabathebe National Park in the southeastern highlands near Qacha’s Nek protects such birds as raptors and such mammals as mountain reedbuck and leopards. Lesotho is the last stronghold in Southern Africa of the magnificent bearded vulture, or lammergeier. Some rivers contain yellowfish and the rare Maloti minnow; trout and the North African catfish have also been introduced.
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People and Culture
The Sotho (also known as Basotho) form the overwhelming majority of the country’s population. They were originally united by a common loyalty to the royal house of Moshoeshoe I, who founded the Sotho nation in the 19th century. Internally, divisions between different chiefdoms-and within the royal lineage itself-have had political significance, but externally a sense of Sotho nationhood and cultural unity remains strong.
Lesotho is also home to a Zulu minority, a small population of Asian or mixed ancestry, and a European community that is dominated by expatriate teachers, missionaries, aid workers, technicians, and development advisers.
Except for English, all the main languages spoken in Lesotho are members of the Niger-Congo language family. Sotho (Sesotho), a Bantu language, is spoken by the majority of the population, though both Sotho and English are official languages in the country.
History
Basutoland emerged as a single polity under King Moshoeshoe I in 1822. Moshoeshoe, a son of Mokhachane, a minor chief of the Bakoteli lineage, formed his own clan and became a chief around 1804.
Trekboers from Cape Colony arrived on the western borders of Basutoland and claimed rights to its land, the first of which being Jan de Winnaar who settled in the Matlakeng area in 1838. Incoming Boers attempted to colonise the land between the two rivers and north of the Caledon, claiming that it had been abandoned by the Sotho people.
Moshoeshoe subsequently signed a treaty with the British Governor of the Cape Colony, Sir George Thomas Napier, that annexed the Orange River Sovereignty where Boers had settled. In 1854, the British pulled out of the region, and in 1858, Moshoeshoe fought a series of wars with the Boers in what is known as the Free State-Basotho War.
In 1869, the British signed a treaty at Aliwal North with the Boers that defined the boundaries of Basutoland. This treaty reduced Moshoeshoe's kingdom to half its previous size by ceding the western territories. Moshoeshoe died on 11 March 1870, marking the beginning of the colonial era of Basutoland. In 1884, the territory became a Crown colony by the name of Basutoland, with Maseru as its capital.
Politics
The Basotho National Party (BNP) ruled from 1966 until January 1970. In January 1970, the ruling BNP lost the first post-independence general elections, with 23 seats to the Basotho Congress Party's (BCP) 36. Prime Minister Jonathan refused to cede power to BCP, instead declaring himself prime minister and imprisoning the BCP leadership.
On 28 October 2022, Sam Matekane was sworn in as Lesotho's new Prime Minister after forming a new coalition government.
The Revolution for Prosperity leads a coalition government in the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament. The upper house of parliament, the Senate, is composed of 22 principal chiefs whose membership is hereditary, and 11 appointees of the king, acting on the advice of the prime minister.
Legal System
Constitutionally, legislation refers to laws that have been passed by both houses of parliament and have been assented to by the king (Section 78(1)). Subordinate legislation refers to laws passed by other bodies to which parliament has, by virtue of Section 70(2) of the Constitution, validly delegated such legislative powers.
While Lesotho shares with South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Namibia, and Zimbabwe a mixed general legal system which resulted from the interaction between the Roman-Dutch civil law and the English common law, its general law operates independently.
Economy
Lesotho, an extremely poor, landlocked country is surrounded by mountains and the country of South Africa, one of the largest economies in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite being a part of the rapidly growing Southern African Development Community (SADC), the country historically has been unable to unlock the potential of its two greatest resources-its water and its people.
The economy of Lesotho is based on agriculture, livestock, manufacturing and mining, and depends on inflows of workers' remittances and receipts from the Southern African Customs Union (SACU). The majority of households subsist on farming.
MCC signed a $362.5 million compact with the Government of Lesotho designed to increase economic growth and reduce poverty in July 2007. By the end of the compact in September 2013, the government and MCC had spent nearly 99 percent of anticipated compact funds to improve water supply, increase access to essential health services, and remove barriers to private sector investment.
Key Facts About Lesotho
| Fact | Description |
|---|---|
| Location | Landlocked country entirely surrounded by South Africa |
| Area | Over 30,000 km2 (11,600 sq mi) |
| Population | Approximately 2.3 million |
| Highest Point | Mount Ntlenyana (3,482 meters / 11,424 feet) |
| Official Languages | Sotho and English |
| Capital | Maseru |
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