Lesotho

Kingdom of Lesotho
Naha ea Lesotho (Sotho)
Motto: "Khotso, Pula, Nala"
"Peace, Rain, Prosperity"
Anthem: Lesōthō Fatše La Bo-Ntat'a Rōna
(English: "Lesotho, land of our Fathers")
Location of Lesotho (dark green)
Location of Lesotho (dark green)
Capital
and largest city
Maseru
29°18′54″S 27°29′13″E / 29.31500°S 27.48694°E / -29.31500; 27.48694
Official languages
Ethnic groups
(2020)
Religion
(2020)[1]
Demonym(s)
  • Mosotho (singular)
  • Basotho (plural)
GovernmentUnitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
• Monarch
Letsie III
Sam Matekane
LegislatureParliament
• Upper house
Senate
• Lower house
National Assembly
Independence from the United Kingdom
• Independence declared
4 October 1966
Area
• Total
30,355 km2 (11,720 sq mi) (137th)
• Water (%)
negligible
Population
• 2023 estimate
2,210,646[2] (147th)
• Density
68.1/km2 (176.4/sq mi) (138th)
GDP (PPP)2023 estimate
• Total
Increase $6.915 billion[3] (168th)
• Per capita
Increase $3,234[3] (164th)
GDP (nominal)2023 estimate
• Total
Increase $2.373 billion[3] (184th)
• Per capita
Increase $1,110[3] (169th)
Gini (2017)Positive decrease 44.9[4]
medium inequality
HDI (2022)Increase 0.521[5]
low (168th)
CurrencyLesotho loti (LSL)
South African rand (ZAR)
Time zoneUTC+2 (South African Standard Time)
Date formatyyyy-mm-dd
dd/mm/yyyy[a]
Drives onleft
Calling code+266
ISO 3166 codeLS
Internet TLD.ls
  1. ^ yyyy-mm-dd in Sotho; dd/mm/yyyy in English.
Sotho
PersonMosotho
PeopleBasotho
LanguageSesotho
CountryLesotho

Lesotho (/lɪˈsuːtuː/ ⓘ lih-SOO-too,[6][7] Sotho pronunciation: [lɪˈsʊːtʰʊ]), formally the Kingdom of Lesotho, formerly known as Basutoland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. As an enclave of South Africa, with which it shares a 1,106 km (687 mi) border,[8] it is the largest sovereign enclave in the world, and the only one outside of the Italian Peninsula. It is situated in the Maloti Mountains and contains the highest peak in Southern Africa.[9] It has an area of over 30,000 km2 (11,600 sq mi) and has a population of about two million. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. The country is also known by the nickname The Mountain Kingdom.[10]

The Sotho ethnic group (also known as Basotho), from which the country derives its name, composes 99.7% of the country's current population, making it one of the most ethnically homogeneous in the world. Their native language, Sesotho, is the official language along with English. The name Lesotho translates to "land of the Sesotho speakers".[11][12]

Lesotho was formed in 1824 by King Moshoeshoe I. Continuous encroachments by Dutch settlers made the King enter into an agreement with the British Empire to become a protectorate in 1868 and, in 1884, a crown colony. It achieved independence in 1966, and was subsequently ruled by the Basotho National Party (BNP) for two decades. Its constitutional government was restored in 1993 after seven years of military rule. King Moshoeshoe II was exiled in 1990 but returned in 1992 and was reinstated in 1995. One year later, Moshoeshoe II died and his son Letsie III took the throne, which he still holds.[8]

Lesotho is considered a lower middle income country with significant socioeconomic challenges. Almost half of its population is below the poverty line, and the country's HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is the second-highest in the world. However, it also targets a high rate of universal primary education and has one of the highest rates of literacy in Africa (81% as of 2021). Lesotho is a member of the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Commonwealth of Nations, the African Union, and the Southern African Development Community. According to 2023 V-Dem Democracy indices, Lesotho is ranked 64th electoral democracy worldwide and 7th electoral democracy in Africa.[13]

  1. ^ "Religion Indexes (Lesotho)". The Association of Religion Data Archives. Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  2. ^ "Lesotho". The World Factbook (2024 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (Lesotho)". IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. 10 October 2023. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  4. ^ "Gini Index coefficient". CIA World Factbook. Archived from the original on 17 July 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Human Development Report 2023/2024". United Nations Development Programme. 19 March 2024. Archived from the original on 19 March 2024. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  6. ^ "lesotho noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com". www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com. Archived from the original on 11 March 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  7. ^ Wells, John C. (2008). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd ed.). Longman. ISBN 978-1-4058-8118-0.
  8. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Maloti Mountains | Drakensberg, Lesotho Highlands, Southern Africa | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  10. ^ "Office Of The King". Government Of Lesotho. Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  11. ^ Nicole Itano (2007). No Place Left to Bury the Dead. Simon and Schuster. p. 314. ISBN 978-0-7432-7095-3.
  12. ^ Roman Adrian Cybriwsky (2013). Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture. ABC-CLIO. p. 182. ISBN 9781610692489. Archived from the original on 8 May 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  13. ^ V-Dem Institute (2023). "The V-Dem Dataset". Archived from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2023.