Chic African Culture Africa Factbook

Lesotho the Kingdom in the Sky land and country

Highest point in the African country Lesotho and the highest mountain in southern Africa is the Thabana Ntlenyana, pronounced - Ta-bon-ya N-tea-nem-yan-na - mountain standing 3,482 meters or 2.1 miles tall. Thabana Ntlenyana mountain is around 53,222 tootsie rolls that measure 2.5 inches long. That is a sweet hike up Lesotho's Thabana Ntlenyana which has a nickname of beautiful little mountain.


Kingdom of Lesotho name translates as the Land of the Sesotho speakers.


Kingdom of Lesotho name translates as the Land of the Sesotho speakers. Maseru, the capital of Lesotho etymology in the Sesotho language the name means place of red sandstones.

Lesotho has a relatively higher population density in the western half of the nation, with the capital of Maseru, and the smaller cities of Mafeteng, Teyateyaneng, and Leribe attracting the most people.

The Maloti Mountains are a mountain range of the highlands of the Kingdom of Lesotho. The Maloti Range is part of the Drakensberg system that includes ranges across large areas of South Africa.

Lesotho is the only independent state in the world that is very mountainous, in fact, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 meters or 1.1 miles above sea level. Lesotho is a landlocked enclave completely surrounded by South Africa.

Lesotho the Kingdom in the Sky land and country profile.


1. Capital is Maseru.
2. Population 1,969,334.
3. Area 30,355 sq km or 11,720 sq miles.
4. Major languages Sesotho, English, Zulu and Xhosa.
5. Major religions Protestant 47.8%, Roman Catholic 39.3%, other Christian 9.1%, non-Christian 1.4%, and none 2.3% .
6. Life expectancy at birth male 51 female 55.
7. Probability of dying under five per 1 000 live births 81.
8. Probability of dying between 15 and 60 years per 1 000 birth male 536 female 445.
9. Population below the international poverty line living on less than US $ 1.90 is 59.7 %
10. Currency loti.
11. HIV/AIDS death rate is the 24th highest in the world, South Africa is the highest in the world.


Thabana Ntlenyana is the highest peak in the Drakensberg Mountains.

The chain known outside Lesotho as the Maloti Mountains is properly the Front Range of the Maloti, sometimes called the Blue Mountains. It is a broad southwesterly spur from the Drakensberg Range near the northern tip of Lesotho and a few miles from its highest point, Mont aux-Sources.

The Front Range is extended almost to Lesotho’s southwestern border by another range, the Thaba Putsoa Blue-Gray Mountains; it is extended nearly to the southeastern border by the Central Range. All these mountains belong geologically to the Upper Triassic Period of the Karoo System; they are composed of sandstone and shale overlain by basalt.

Their rugged terrain causes visitors viewing them from the western plateaus to style Lesotho the Switzerland of Africa; the rough terrain has also prevented significant exploitation of the range’s mineral resources. Winter is usually dry, but winter precipitation in the maloti is virtually always snow; it snows in the mountains in every month of the year.

This and the region’s rivers make the place the source of much of southern Africa’s water; the Front Range Maloti Mountains is the divide between the watersheds of the westward-draining Orange River and the eastward-draining Caledon River.

More important info and facts about the Kingdom of Lesotho
Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence from the UK in 1966.
The present boundaries of Lesotho follow in part a series of rivers, the Tele, the Senqu, the Makhaleng and the Mohokare.
Legal system is a mixed legal system of English common law and Roman-Dutch law; judicial review of legislative acts in High Court and Court of Appeal.
The Palace Coup of August 1994 when King Letsie III suspended the constitution and created an interim government.
Independence Day is October 4, 1966 from the United Kingdom.
The Basotho hat is known as mokorotlo, along with the Basotho blanket is part of the traditional dress of Lesotho.
The two best-known male dance-songs exclusive to the Sotho are the mokorotlo and the mohobelo.
The plateau Thaba Bosiu overlooks iconic Mount Qiloane, an enduring symbol of the nation’s Basotho people.
Lesotho is mountainous; more than 80% of the country is 1,800 m above sea level.
King Moshoeshoe I (1786 - 1870), is the founder of the Basotho Nation.
Ethnic groups are Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%.
Prince Harry first visited Lesotho in 2004.
Princes Harry and Seeiso Mamohato Children’s Centre provides basic education, life skills, emotional and psychological support to children living with HIV.
Lesotho has one of the highest adult literacy rates in Africa.
Lesotho’s small population of immigrants is increasingly composed of Taiwanese and Chinese migrants who are involved in the textile industry and small retail businesses.
Lesotho is surrounded by South Africa.
Mosotho, plural Basotho is a citizen of Lesotho.
Lesotho is the 43rd largest country in Africa.
Sesotho and English are the official languages.
Thabana Ntlenyana is the highest point in Lesotho.
HIV/AIDS rate is the second highest in the world at 23.6%
Maseru is the capital city.
The average age is 24.4 years.
Lesotho name means Land of the Sesotho Speakers .
The urban population is 28.6% of total population.
Snow is common at high altitudes; the annual average temperature is 15.1 degrees Celsius, 59.2 degrees Fahrenheit.
29.7% of the population has access to electricity.

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