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Lesotho

January 20, 2023

Coordinates: 29°36′S 28°18′E / 29.6°S 28.3°E / -29.6; 28.3

Lesotho (/ləˈsuːtuː/ (listen) lə-SOO-too),[7] officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a country landlocked as an enclave in South Africa. It is situated in the Maloti Mountains and contains the highest mountains in Southern Africa.[8] It has an area of over 30,000 km2 (11,600 sq mi) and has a population of about 2 million.

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")
Capital
and largest city
Maseru
29°28′S 27°56′E / 29.467°S 27.933°E / -29.467; 27.933
Official languages
Ethnic groups
Religion
(2022)[1]
Demonym(s)
GovernmentUnitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
• Monarch
Letsie III
Sam Matekane
LegislatureParliament
• Upper house
Senate
• Lower house
National Assembly
Independence from United Kingdom
• Declared
4 October 1966
Area
• Total
30,355 km2 (11,720 sq mi) (137th)
• Water (%)
0.0032%
Population
• 2021 estimate
2,281,454[2][3] (144th)
• 2004 census
2,142,249
• Density
68.1/km2 (176.4/sq mi) (138th)
GDP (PPP)2021 estimate
• Total
$5.762 billion[4]
• Per capita
$2,761[4]
GDP (nominal)2021 estimate
• Total
$2.478 billion[4]
• Per capita
$1,187[4]
Gini (2017) 44.9[5]
medium
HDI (2021) 0.514[6]
low · 168th
CurrencyLesotho Loti (LSL)
South African rand (ZAR)
Time zoneUTC+2 (South African Standard Time)
Date formatyyyy-mm-dd
dd/mm/yyyy[a]
Driving sideleft
Calling code+266
ISO 3166 codeLS
Internet TLD.ls
  1. ^ yyyy-mm-dd in Sotho; dd/mm/yyyy in English.

It was previously the British Crown colony of Basutoland, which declared independence from the United Kingdom on 4 October 1966. It is a fully sovereign state and is a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, the African Union, and the Southern African Development Community. The name Lesotho roughly translates to "land of the Sotho".[9][10]

History

Main article: History of Lesotho

Basutoland

 
King Moshoeshoe I with his ministers

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. Between 1820 and 1823, he and his followers settled at the Butha-Buthe Mountain, joining with former adversaries in resistance against the Lifaqane associated with the reign of Shaka Zulu from 1818 to 1828.

Further evolution of the state emerged from conflicts between British and Dutch colonists leaving the Cape Colony following its seizure from the French-allied Dutch by the British in 1795, and also from the Orange River Sovereignty and subsequent Orange Free State. Missionaries Thomas Arbousset, Eugène Casalis and Constant Gosselin from the Paris Evangelical Missionary Society, invited by Moshoeshoe I, were placed at Morija, developing Sesotho orthography and printed works in the Sesotho language between 1837 and 1855. Casalis, acting as translator and providing advice on foreign affairs, helped set up diplomatic channels and acquire guns for use against the encroaching Europeans and the Griqua people.

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. These outraged Boers were suppressed in a skirmish in 1848. In 1851, a British force was defeated by the Basotho army at Kolonyama. After repelling another British attack in 1852, Moshoeshoe sent an appeal to the British commander that settled the dispute diplomatically, and then defeated the Batlokoa in 1853. 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. As a result, Moshoeshoe lost a portion of the western lowlands. The last war with the Boers ended in 1867 when Moshoeshoe appealed to Queen Victoria who agreed to make Basutoland a British protectorate in 1868.

 
1959 stamps for the Basutoland National Council

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. Then, the British transferred functions from Moshoeshoe's capital in Thaba Bosiu to a police camp on the northwest border, Maseru, until eventually the administration of Basutoland was transferred to the Cape Colony in 1871. Moshoeshoe died on 11 March 1870, marking the beginning of the colonial era of Basutoland. In the Cape Colony period between 1871 and 1884, Basutoland was treated similarly to other territories that had been forcibly annexed, much to the humiliation of the Basotho, leading to the Basuto Gun War in 1880–1881.[11][12] In 1884, the territory became a Crown colony by the name of Basutoland, with Maseru as its capital. It remained under direct rule by a governor, while effective internal power was wielded by tribal chiefs. In 1905, a railway line was built to connect Maseru to the railway network of South Africa.

Independence

Basutoland gained its independence from the United Kingdom and became the Kingdom of Lesotho in 1966.[13] The Basotho National Party (BNP) ruled from 1966 until January 1970. What later ensued was a de facto government led by Leabua Jonathan until 1986 when a military coup forced it out of office.

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. BCP began a rebellion and then received training in Libya for its Lesotho Liberation Army (LLA) under the pretense of being Azanian People's Liberation Army soldiers of the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC). Deprived of arms and supplies by the David Sibeko faction of PAC in 1978, the 178-strong LLA was rescued from their Tanzanian base by the financial assistance of a Maoist PAC officer and launched a guerrilla war. A force was defeated in northern Lesotho, and later guerrillas launched more sporadic attacks. The campaign was compromised when BCP's leader, Ntsu Mokhehle, went to Pretoria. In the 1980s, some Basotho who sympathised with the exiled BCP were threatened with death and attacked by the government of Leabua Jonathan. On 4 September 1981, the family of Benjamin Masilo was attacked. In the attack his 3-year-old grandson died. Four days later, Edgar Mahlomola Motuba, the editor of the newspaper Leselinyana la Lesotho, was abducted from his home, together with two friends, and murdered.

 
Lesotho mountain village

The Transitional Military Council that came to power granted executive powers to King Moshoeshoe II, who was until then a ceremonial monarch. In 1987 the king was forced into exile after coming up with a 6-page memorandum on how he wanted the Lesotho's constitution to be, which would have given him more executive powers than the military government had originally agreed to. His son was installed as King Letsie III in his place.

The chairman of the military junta, Major General Justin Metsing Lekhanya, was ousted in 1991 and replaced by Major General Elias Phisoana Ramaema who handed over power to a democratically elected government of BCP in 1993. Moshoeshoe II returned from exile in 1992 as an ordinary citizen. After the return to democratic government, King Letsie III tried unsuccessfully to persuade the BCP government to reinstate his father (Moshoeshoe II) as head of state. In August 1994, Letsie III staged a military-backed coup that deposed the BCP government, after the BCP government refused to reinstate his father, Moshoeshoe II, according to Lesotho's constitution. Member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) engaged in negotiations to reinstate the BCP government. One of the conditions Letsie III put forward for this was that his father should be re-installed as head of state. After protracted negotiations, the BCP government was reinstated and Letsie III abdicated in favour of his father in 1995, and ascended the throne again when Moshoeshoe II died at the age of 57 in a supposed road accident when his car plunged off a mountain road on 15 January 1996. According to a government statement, Moshoeshoe had set out at 1 am to visit his cattle at Matsieng and was returning to Maseru through the Maluti Mountains when his car left the road.[14]

In 1997, the ruling BCP split over leadership disputes. Prime Minister Ntsu Mokhehle formed a new party, the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD), and was followed by a majority of members of parliament, which enabled him to form a new government. Pakalitha Mosisili succeeded Mokhehle as party leader and LCD won the general elections in 1998. Opposition protests "intensified", culminating in a demonstration outside the royal palace in August 1998. While the Botswana Defence Force troops were welcomed, tensions with South African National Defence Force troops resulted in fighting. Incidences of rioting "intensified" when South African troops hoisted a South African flag over the Royal Palace. By the time the SADC forces withdrew in May 1999, much of the capital of Maseru "lay in ruins", and the southern provincial capital towns of Mafeteng and Mohale's Hoek had lost over a third of their commercial real estate.

An Interim Political Authority (IPA), charged with reviewing the electoral structure in the country, was created in December 1998. IPA devised a proportional electoral system to ensure that the opposition would be represented in the National Assembly. The new system retained the existing 80 elected Assembly seats, and added 40 seats to be filled on a proportional basis. Elections were held under this new system in May 2002, and LCD won, gaining 54% of the vote. There are irregularities and threats of violence from Major General Lekhanya. Nine opposition parties hold all 40 of the proportional seats, with BNP having the largest share (21). LCD has 79 of the 80 constituency-based seats. While its elected members participate in the National Assembly, BNP has launched legal challenges to the elections, including a recount.

On 30 August 2014, an alleged abortive military "coup" took place, forcing then Prime Minister Thomas Thabane to flee to South Africa for three days.[15][16] On 19 May 2020, Thomas Thabane formally stepped down as prime minister of Lesotho following months of pressure after he was named as a suspect in the murder of his ex-wife.[17] Moeketsi Majoro, the economist and former Minister of Development Planning, was elected as Thabane's successor.[18]

On 13 May 2020, according to the health ministry, Lesotho became the last African nation to report a COVID-19 case.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Lesotho

The Lesotho Government is a parliamentary or constitutional monarchy. The Prime Minister, Sam Matekane, is the head of government and has executive authority. The King of Lesotho, Letsie III, is the head of state and serves a "largely ceremonial function"; he no longer possesses any executive authority and is prohibited from actively participating in political initiatives.

The All Basotho Convention (ABC) 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.

The constitution provides for an independent judicial system, made up of the High Court, the Court of Appeal, Magistrate's Courts, and traditional courts that exist predominantly in rural areas. All but one of the Justices on the Court of Appeal are South African jurists. There is no trial by jury; rather, judges make rulings alone or, in the case of criminal trials, with two other judges as observers.

The constitution protects some civil liberties, including freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom of the press, freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of religion. Lesotho was ranked 12th out of 48 sub-Saharan African countries in the 2008 Ibrahim Index of African Governance.[19]

As of 2010, the People's Charter Movement called for the practical annexation of the country by South Africa due to the HIV epidemic. Nearly a quarter of the population tests positive for HIV.[20] The country has faced unemployment, economic collapse, a weaker currency, and travel documents restricting movement. An African Union report called for economic integration of Lesotho with South Africa and stopped short of suggesting annexation. In May 2010 the Charter Movement delivered a petition to the South African High Commission requesting integration. South Africa's home affairs spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa rejected the idea that Lesotho should be treated as a special case. "It is a sovereign country like South Africa. We sent envoys to our neighbours – Botswana, Zimbabwe, Swaziland and Lesotho – before we enforced the passport rule. When you travel from Britain to South Africa, don't you expect to use a passport?"[21]

Foreign relations

Main article: Foreign relations of Lesotho

Lesotho is a member of some regional economic organisations, including the Southern African Development Community (SADC),[22] and the Southern African Customs Union (SACU).[23] It is active in the United Nations (UN), the African Union (AU), the Non-Aligned Movement, the Commonwealth, and other international organisations.[24]

Lesotho has maintained ties with the United Kingdom (Wales in particular), Germany, the United States and other Western states. It broke relations with China and re-established relations with Taiwan in 1990, and later restored ties with China. It recognises the State of Palestine.[25] From 2014 up until 2018 it recognised the Republic of Kosovo.[26]

It was a public opponent of apartheid in South Africa and granted a number of South African refugees political asylum during the apartheid era.[25] In 2019, it signed the UN treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.[27]

Defence and law enforcement

The Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) is charged with the maintenance of internal security and the defence of Lesotho. Its chief officer is designated Commander.[28]

The Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS) is charged with the maintenance of law and order. Its chief officer is designated Commissioner. LMPS provides uniformed policing, criminal detection, and traffic policing. There are specialist units dealing with high-tech crime, immigration, wildlife, and terrorism. The force has existed, with changes of name, continuously since 1872.

The Lesotho National Security Service (LNSS) is charged with the protection of national security. Its chief officer is designated Director by the Constitution. LNSS is an intelligence service, reporting directly to the Government. The power to appoint or dismiss a Director is vested directly in the Prime Minister.

Law

Lesotho does not have a single code containing its laws: it draws them from a variety of sources including the Constitution, legislation, common law, judicial precedent, customary law, and authoritative texts.[29]

 
The Parliament building in Maseru

The Constitution of Lesotho came into force after the publication of the Commencement Order. 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. These include government publications, ministerial orders, ministerial regulations and municipal by-laws.

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 Civilian law and the English Common Law, its general law operates independently. Lesotho applies the common law, which refers to unwritten law or law from non-statutory sources, and excludes customary law. Decisions from South African courts are only persuasive, and courts refer to them in formulating their decisions. Decisions from some jurisdictions can be cited for their persuasive value. Magistrates' courts decisions do not become precedent since these are lower courts. They are bound by decisions of the High Court and the Court of Appeal. The Court of Appeal, the final appellate forum on all matters, has a supervisory and review jurisdiction over all the courts of Lesotho.

Lesotho has a dual legal system consisting of customary and general laws operating side by side. Customary law is made up of the customs of the Basotho, written and codified in the Laws of Lerotholi. The general law on the other hand consists of Roman Dutch Law imported from the Cape and the Lesotho statutes. The codification of customary law came about after a council was appointed in 1903 to advise the British Resident Commissioner on which laws would be best for governing the Basotho. Until this time, the Basotho customs and laws were passed down from generation to generation through oral tradition. The council was given the task of codifying them, and they came up with the Laws of Lerotholi which are applied by customary courts today (local courts). Written works of certain authors have persuasive value in the courts of Lesotho. These include writings of the "old authorities as well as contemporary writers from similar jurisdictions".

Districts

Main article: Districts of Lesotho
 
Districts and Cities

For administrative purposes, Lesotho is divided into 10 districts, each headed by a district administrator. Each district has a capital known as a camptown.

The districts are subdivided into 80 constituencies, which consist of 129 local community councils.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Lesotho
 
Topographic map
 
The Afriski resort in the Maloti Mountains

Lesotho covers 30,355 km2 (11,720 sq mi). It is the only independent state in the world that lies entirely above 1,000 metres (3,281 ft) in elevation. Its lowest point of 1,400 metres (4,593 ft) is thus the highest lowest point of any country in the world. Over 80% of the country lies above 1,800 metres (5,906 ft). Lesotho is the southernmost landlocked country in the world. It is the largest of the world's three independent states completely surrounded by the territory of another country, with Vatican City and San Marino being the other two. It is the only such state outside the Italian peninsula, and the only one that is not a microstate.

Lesotho lies between latitudes 28° and 31°S, and longitudes 27° and 30°E. About 12% of Lesotho is arable land which is vulnerable to soil erosion; it is estimated that 40 million tons of soil are lost each year due to erosion.[30]

Climate

Main article: Climate of Lesotho

Because of its elevation, Lesotho remains cooler throughout the year than other regions at the same latitude. Most of the rain falls as summer thunderstorms. Maseru and surrounding lowlands may reach 30 °C (86 °F) in summer. The temperature in the lowlands can get down to −7 °C (19 °F) and the highlands to −18 °C (0 °F) at times. Snow is more common in the highlands between May and September; the higher peaks may experience snowfalls year-round. Rainfall in Lesotho is variable regarding both when and where precipitation occurs. Annual precipitation can vary from 500mm annually in one area to 1200mm in another because of elevation.[30] The summer season that stretches from October to April sees the most rainfall, and from December to February, the majority of the country receives over 100mm of rain a month.[30] The least monthly rainfall in Lesotho occurs in June when most regions receive less than 15mm a month.[30]

Drought

 
Hills

Periodic droughts have an effect on Lesotho's majority rural population as some people living outside of urban areas rely on subsistence farming or small scale agriculture as their primary source of income.[31] Droughts in Lesotho are exacerbated by some agricultural practices.[32] The World Factbook lists periodic droughts under the 'Natural Hazard' section of Lesotho's section of the publication.[33]

In 2007, Lesotho experienced a drought and was advised by the United Nations to declare a state of emergency to get aid from international organizations.[31] Famine Early Warning Systems Network reported that the rainy season of 2018/2019 not only started a month later than normal but also has recorded below-average amounts of rain.[34] Data from the Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation Station (CHIRP) shows rainfall in Lesotho between October 2018 and February 2019 ranged from 55% to 80% below normal rates.[34]

In March 2019, the Lesotho Vulnerability Assessment and Analysis Committee conducted a report that initially predicted that 487,857 people in the country need humanitarian assistance because of the effects of drought.[34]

There are a variety of different ways drought in Lesotho has led to the need for humanitarian assistance. Some hygiene practices that result from "a lack of clean water" can cause cases of typhoid and diarrhea. Lack of available water indirectly leads to an "increased risk" for women and girls who collect water for household consumption as they must spend more time and travel longer distances while running the risk of being physically or sexually assaulted.[34] Drought in Lesotho leads to both migration to more urban areas and immigration to South Africa for new opportunities and to escape food insecurity.[32] The report found that between July 2019 and June 2020 640,000 people in Lesotho are expected to be affected by food insecurity as a result of "unproductive harvests as well as the corresponding rise in food prices because of the drought".[34]

Wildlife

Main article: Wildlife of Lesotho
See also: Category:Environment of Lesotho

There are known to be 339 bird species in Lesotho, including 10 globally threatened species and two introduced species, 17 reptile species, including geckos, snakes and lizards, and 60 mammal species endemic to Lesotho, including the endangered white-tailed rat.

Lesotho's flora is Alpine, due to mountainous terrain. The Katse Botanical Gardens houses a collection of medicinal plants and has a seed bank of plants from the Malibamat'so River area.[35][36] three terrestrial ecoregions lie within Lesotho's boundaries: Drakensberg alti-montane grasslands and woodlands, Drakensberg montane grasslands, and Highveld grasslands.[37]

Economy

Main article: Economy of Lesotho
 
Sani Pass on the border is a tourist attraction.

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).[38][39] The majority of households subsist on farming. The formal sector employment consists mainly of female workers in the apparel sector, male migrant labour, primarily miners in South Africa for 3 to 9 months, and employment by the Government of Lesotho (GOL). The western lowlands form the main agricultural zone. Almost 50% of the population earn income through informal crop cultivation or animal husbandry with nearly two-thirds of the country's income coming from the agricultural sector. The % of the population living below USD Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) US$1.25/day fell from 48% to 44% between 1995 and 2003.[38] The country is among the "Low Human Development" countries (rank 160 of 187 on the Human Development Index as classified by UNDP, with 52 years of life expectancy at birth.[40][41] Adult literacy is as high as 82%. Among the children below the age of 5 years, 20% are under weight.[42]

Lesotho has taken advantage of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) to become the largest exporter of garments to the US from sub-Saharan Africa.[43] US brands and retailers sourcing from Lesotho include: Foot Locker, Gap, Gloria Vanderbilt, JCPenney, Levi Strauss, Saks, Sears, Timberland and Wal-Mart.[44] In mid-2004 its employment reached over 50,000, mostly female, marking the first time that manufacturing sector workers outnumbered government employees. In 2008 it exported goods worth 487 million dollars mainly to the US. Since 2004, employment in the sector has dwindled to about 45,000 in mid-2011 due to international competition in the garment sector. It was the largest formal sector employer in Lesotho in 2011.[45] In 2007, the average earnings of an employee in the textile sector were US$103 per month, and the official minimum wage for a general textile worker was US$93 per month. The average gross national income per capita in 2008 was US$83 per month.[45] The sector initiated a program to fight HIV/AIDS called Apparel Lesotho Alliance to Fight AIDS (ALAFA). It is an industry-wide program providing disease prevention and treatment for workers.[46]

 
Katse Dam
 
Mohale Dam

Water and diamonds are some of Lesotho's natural resources.[38] Water is used through the 21-year, multibillion-dollar Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP), under the authority of the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority. The project commenced in 1986.[47] LHWP is designed to capture, store, and transfer water from the Orange River system to South Africa's Free State and greater Johannesburg area. Completion of the first phase of the project has made Lesotho "almost completely self-sufficient" in the production of electricity and generated approximately US$70 million in 2010 from the sale of electricity and water to South Africa.[48]

Diamonds are produced at the Letšeng, Mothae, Liqhobong, and Kao mines, which combined are estimated to produce 240,000 carats of diamonds in 2014, worth US$300 million. The Letšeng mine is estimated to produce diamonds with an average value of US$2172/carat, making it the world's richest mine on an average price per carat basis.[49] The sector underwent a setback in 2008 as the result of the world recession, and rebounded in 2010 and 2011. Export of diamonds reached US$230 million in 2010–2011.[50] In 1957, a South African adventurer, colonel Jack Scott, accompanied by Keith Whitelock, set out prospecting for diamonds. They found their diamond mine at 3,100 m elevation, on top of the Maluti Mountains in northeastern Lesotho, some 70 km from Mokhotlong at Letšeng. In 1967, a 601-carat (120.2 g) diamond (Lesotho Brown) was discovered in the mountains by a Mosotho woman. In August 2006, a 603-carat (120.6 g) white diamond, the Lesotho Promise, was discovered at the Letšeng-la-Terae mine. Another 478-carat (95.6 g) diamond was discovered at the same location in 2008.[51]

Lesotho has progressed in moving from a predominantly subsistence-oriented economy to a lower middle-income economy exporting natural resources and manufacturing goods. The exporting sectors have brought "higher and more secure" incomes to a portion of the population.[38] The global economic crisis make Lesotho underwent a loss of textile exports and jobs in this sector due somewhat to the economic slowdown in the United States, 1 of their export destinations. Reduced diamond mining and exports, including a drop in the price of diamonds and a drop in SACU revenues due to the economic slowdown in the South African economy contributed to the crisis. Reduction in worker remittances due to "weakening" of the South African economy and contraction of the mining sector and related job losses in South Africa contributed to in 2009, Lesotho's GDP growth slowing to 0.9%.[38]

The official currency is the loti (plural: maloti) which can be used interchangeably with the South African rand. Lesotho, Eswatini, Namibia, and South Africa form a common currency and exchange control area known as the Common Monetary Area (CMA). The loti is at par with the rand. 100 lisente (singular: sente) equal 1 loti.

Demographics

See also: Demographics of Lesotho
 
Primary school class

Lesotho has a population of approximately 2,281,454.[2][3] The population distribution of Lesotho is 25% urban and 75% rural. It is estimated that the annual increase in urban population is 3.5%.[52] 60.2% of the population is between 15 and 64 years of age.[52]

Ethnic groups and languages

Main article: Languages of Lesotho

Lesotho's ethno-linguistic structure consists mostly of the Basotho, a Bantu-speaking people: an estimated 99.7% of the people identify as Basotho. In this regard, Lesotho is part of a minority of African countries that are nation states with a single dominant cultural ethnic group and language; the majority of African nations' borders were drawn by colonial powers and do not correspond to ethnic boundaries or pre-colonial polities.[53] Basotho subgroups include the Bafokeng, Batloung, Baphuthi, Bakuena, Bataung, Batšoeneng, and Matebele.

Religion

Main article: Religion in Lesotho
 
St.Michael's Cathedral

The population of Lesotho is estimated to be more than 95% Christian.[54] Among these estimations, Protestants account for 18.2% of the population, Pentecostals 15.4%, Anglicans 5.3%, and other Christians an additional 1.8%.[1] Catholics represent 49.4% of the population,[1] served by the province of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Maseru and his three suffragans (the bishops of Leribe, Mohale's Hoek and Qacha's Nek), who form the national episcopal conference. Non-Christian religions represent 9.6% of the population, and those of no religion 0.2%.[1]

Education and literacy

Main article: Education in Lesotho

According to estimates, 85% of women and 68% of men over the age of 15 are literate.[55] As such, Lesotho holds "one of the highest literacy rates in Africa",[52] in part because Lesotho invests over 12% of its GDP in education.[56] Female literacy (84.93%) exceeds male literacy (67.75%) by 17.18%. According to a study by the Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality in 2000, 37% of grade 6 pupils in Lesotho (average age 14 years) are at or above reading level 4, "Reading for Meaning."[57] A pupil at this level of literacy can read ahead or backwards through parts of text to link and interpret information. While education is not compulsory, the Government of Lesotho is incrementally implementing a program for free primary education.[58]

According to the International Telecommunication Union, 3.4% of the population use the Internet. A service from Econet Telecom Lesotho expanded the country's access to email through entry-level, low-end mobile phones and, consequently, improved access to educational information. The African Library Project works to establish school and village libraries in partnership with US Peace Corps Lesotho[59] and the Butha Buthe District of Education.

Health

Main article: Health in Lesotho

Life expectancy at birth in Lesotho in 2016 was 51 years for men and 55 for women. Infant mortality is about 8.3%. In 2019, life expectancy was estimated at 52 years for men and women.[41]

As of 2018, Lesotho's adult HIV/AIDS prevalence rate of 23.6% was the second highest in the world, after Eswatini.[60] In 2021, Lesotho had a 22.8% HIV prevalence rate among people between 15 and 49 years of age.[61] The country has the highest incidence of tuberculosis in the world.[62]

According to the Lesotho Census of 2006, around 4% of the population is thought to have some sort of disability. There are concerns regarding the reliability of the methodologies used and the real figure is thought to be closer to the global estimate of 15%. According to a survey conducted by the Lesotho National Federation of Organisations of the Disabled in conjunction with SINTEF,[63] people with disability in Lesotho face social and cultural barriers which prevent them from accessing education, healthcare, and employment on an equal basis with others. On 2 December 2008 Lesotho became the 42nd country in the world to sign the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

According to World Health Organization data, since 2008 Lesotho had the world's highest rate of suicide per capita.[64]

Women in Lesotho

Main article: Women in Lesotho

According to UN, Lesotho has the highest rape rate of any country (91.6 per 100,000 people rate for reported rape in 2008).[65] International data from UNODC found the incidence of rapes recorded in 2008 by the police to be the highest in Lesotho out of any country in the study.[66] A study in Lesotho found that 61% of women reported having experienced sexual violence at some point in their lives, of which 22% reported being physically forced to have sexual intercourse.[67] In the 2009 DHS survey 15.7% of men said that a husband is justified in hitting or beating his wife if she refuses to have sex with him, while 16% said a husband is justified to use force to have sex.[68] In another study, researchers have concluded that "Given the high prevalence of HIV in Lesotho, programs should address women's right to control their sexuality."[69] The Married Persons Equality Act 2006 gives equal rights to wives in regard to their husbands, abolishing the husband's marital power.[70] The World Economic Forum's 2020 Gender Gap Report ranks Lesotho 88th in the world for gender parity, while neighboring South Africa ranks 17th.[71]

Culture

See also: Music of Lesotho and List of African writers by country § Lesotho
 
Women wearing Basotho blankets

The cuisine of Lesotho includes African traditions and British influences.[72] The national dish of Lesotho is Motoho, a fermented sorghum porridge. Some staple foods include pap or 'mealies', a cornmeal porridge covered with a sauce consisting of vegetables. Tea and locally brewed beer are choices for beverages. Lesotho is famed for its fermented ginger beer, of which, there are two types with and without raisins. These are regularly sold by people at roadsides thoroughout Lesotho. Sishenyama is regularly sold independently thoroughout Lesotho with side-dishes such as cabbage, pap and baked bean salad.[73]

British influence in Lesotho is visible through the remnants of trading posts that were operated from the 18th century into the 20th century.[74] These are in the villages Roma, Ramabantana, Ha Matela, Malealea and Semonkong. In the past these lodges were employed in the sale of fuel, grains, mealie meal and animals. Important in the times before the car was prevalent.

The national dress revolves around the Basotho blanket, a covering made originally of wool. Nowadays, the Basotho blanket is made out of acrylic fibres. The main manufacturer of the Basotho blanket is Aranda, of which, has a factory over the border in South Africa.

The Morija Arts & Cultural Festival is held annually in the town of Morija where missionaries arrived in 1833.

Examples of San rock art can be found in the mountains throughout Basutoland. There are examples in the village of Ha Matela.[75]

Basotho Pony

The Basotho Pony is integral to the culture of Lesotho. The pony was historically ridden into battle and in the modern day used for transport and agriculture. The horsemanship of Lesotho is famed throughout Africa.

Film and Media

In 2017, Lesotho Born music artist Pope Troy released Ancient African Gravity Guardian, The Chronicles of Ezekiel paying homage to Benjamin Netanyahu in respect to the Jerusalem move and the prophesy of ezekiel pertaining to Jerusalem in the book of Ezekiel, The album went on to receive accreditation from proquest for academic research, studying and teaching making Pope Troy The first Sotho rap artist to obtain academic recognition for his lyrical art globally.[76] The 2018 film Black Panther director Ryan Coogler stated that his depiction of Wakanda was inspired by Lesotho.[77][78] Basotho blankets "became more known" as a result of the film.[79] In November 2020, the film This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection became the first Lesotho film to be submitted for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film by the country.[80]

See also

References

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External links

January 20, 2023
lesotho, coordinates, listen, officially, kingdom, country, landlocked, enclave, south, africa, situated, maloti, mountains, contains, highest, mountains, southern, africa, area, over, population, about, million, kingdom, naha, sotho, flag, coat, armsmotto, kh. Coordinates 29 36 S 28 18 E 29 6 S 28 3 E 29 6 28 3 Lesotho l e ˈ s uː t uː listen le SOO too 7 officially the Kingdom of Lesotho is a country landlocked as an enclave in South Africa It is situated in the Maloti Mountains and contains the highest mountains in Southern Africa 8 It has an area of over 30 000 km2 11 600 sq mi and has a population of about 2 million Kingdom of LesothoNaha ea Lesotho Sotho Flag Coat of armsMotto Khotso Pula Nala Peace Rain Prosperity Anthem Lesōthō Fatse La Bo Ntat a Rōna English Lesotho land of our Fathers source source source track track track Show globeShow map of AfricaCapitaland largest cityMaseru29 28 S 27 56 E 29 467 S 27 933 E 29 467 27 933Official languagesSesothoEnglishEthnic groups99 7 Basotho0 3 OthersReligion 2022 1 92 3 Christianity 49 4 Roman Catholic 40 7 Protestant 2 2 Other Christian6 4 Traditional faiths1 0 Others0 3 NoneDemonym s Mosotho singular Basotho plural GovernmentUnitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy MonarchLetsie III Prime MinisterSam MatekaneLegislatureParliament Upper houseSenate Lower houseNational AssemblyIndependence from United Kingdom Declared4 October 1966Area Total30 355 km2 11 720 sq mi 137th Water 0 0032 Population 2021 estimate2 281 454 2 3 144th 2004 census2 142 249 Density68 1 km2 176 4 sq mi 138th GDP PPP 2021 estimate Total 5 762 billion 4 Per capita 2 761 4 GDP nominal 2021 estimate Total 2 478 billion 4 Per capita 1 187 4 Gini 2017 44 9 5 mediumHDI 2021 0 514 6 low 168thCurrencyLesotho Loti LSL South African rand ZAR Time zoneUTC 2 South African Standard Time Date formatyyyy mm dddd mm yyyy a Driving sideleftCalling code 266ISO 3166 codeLSInternet TLD ls yyyy mm dd in Sotho dd mm yyyy in English It was previously the British Crown colony of Basutoland which declared independence from the United Kingdom on 4 October 1966 It is a fully sovereign state and is a member of the United Nations the Commonwealth of Nations the African Union and the Southern African Development Community The name Lesotho roughly translates to land of the Sotho 9 10 Contents 1 History 1 1 Basutoland 1 2 Independence 2 Politics 2 1 Foreign relations 2 2 Defence and law enforcement 2 3 Law 2 4 Districts 3 Geography 3 1 Climate 3 2 Drought 3 3 Wildlife 4 Economy 5 Demographics 5 1 Ethnic groups and languages 5 2 Religion 5 3 Education and literacy 5 4 Health 5 5 Women in Lesotho 6 Culture 6 1 Basotho Pony 6 2 Film and Media 7 See also 8 References 9 External linksHistory EditMain article History of Lesotho This section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed October 2015 Learn how and when to remove this template message Basutoland Edit King Moshoeshoe I with his ministers 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 Between 1820 and 1823 he and his followers settled at the Butha Buthe Mountain joining with former adversaries in resistance against the Lifaqane associated with the reign of Shaka Zulu from 1818 to 1828 Further evolution of the state emerged from conflicts between British and Dutch colonists leaving the Cape Colony following its seizure from the French allied Dutch by the British in 1795 and also from the Orange River Sovereignty and subsequent Orange Free State Missionaries Thomas Arbousset Eugene Casalis and Constant Gosselin from the Paris Evangelical Missionary Society invited by Moshoeshoe I were placed at Morija developing Sesotho orthography and printed works in the Sesotho language between 1837 and 1855 Casalis acting as translator and providing advice on foreign affairs helped set up diplomatic channels and acquire guns for use against the encroaching Europeans and the Griqua people 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 These outraged Boers were suppressed in a skirmish in 1848 In 1851 a British force was defeated by the Basotho army at Kolonyama After repelling another British attack in 1852 Moshoeshoe sent an appeal to the British commander that settled the dispute diplomatically and then defeated the Batlokoa in 1853 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 As a result Moshoeshoe lost a portion of the western lowlands The last war with the Boers ended in 1867 when Moshoeshoe appealed to Queen Victoria who agreed to make Basutoland a British protectorate in 1868 1959 stamps for the Basutoland National Council 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 Then the British transferred functions from Moshoeshoe s capital in Thaba Bosiu to a police camp on the northwest border Maseru until eventually the administration of Basutoland was transferred to the Cape Colony in 1871 Moshoeshoe died on 11 March 1870 marking the beginning of the colonial era of Basutoland In the Cape Colony period between 1871 and 1884 Basutoland was treated similarly to other territories that had been forcibly annexed much to the humiliation of the Basotho leading to the Basuto Gun War in 1880 1881 11 12 In 1884 the territory became a Crown colony by the name of Basutoland with Maseru as its capital It remained under direct rule by a governor while effective internal power was wielded by tribal chiefs In 1905 a railway line was built to connect Maseru to the railway network of South Africa Independence Edit Basutoland gained its independence from the United Kingdom and became the Kingdom of Lesotho in 1966 13 The Basotho National Party BNP ruled from 1966 until January 1970 What later ensued was a de facto government led by Leabua Jonathan until 1986 when a military coup forced it out of office 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 BCP began a rebellion and then received training in Libya for its Lesotho Liberation Army LLA under the pretense of being Azanian People s Liberation Army soldiers of the Pan Africanist Congress PAC Deprived of arms and supplies by the David Sibeko faction of PAC in 1978 the 178 strong LLA was rescued from their Tanzanian base by the financial assistance of a Maoist PAC officer and launched a guerrilla war A force was defeated in northern Lesotho and later guerrillas launched more sporadic attacks The campaign was compromised when BCP s leader Ntsu Mokhehle went to Pretoria In the 1980s some Basotho who sympathised with the exiled BCP were threatened with death and attacked by the government of Leabua Jonathan On 4 September 1981 the family of Benjamin Masilo was attacked In the attack his 3 year old grandson died Four days later Edgar Mahlomola Motuba the editor of the newspaper Leselinyana la Lesotho was abducted from his home together with two friends and murdered Lesotho mountain village The Transitional Military Council that came to power granted executive powers to King Moshoeshoe II who was until then a ceremonial monarch In 1987 the king was forced into exile after coming up with a 6 page memorandum on how he wanted the Lesotho s constitution to be which would have given him more executive powers than the military government had originally agreed to His son was installed as King Letsie III in his place The chairman of the military junta Major General Justin Metsing Lekhanya was ousted in 1991 and replaced by Major General Elias Phisoana Ramaema who handed over power to a democratically elected government of BCP in 1993 Moshoeshoe II returned from exile in 1992 as an ordinary citizen After the return to democratic government King Letsie III tried unsuccessfully to persuade the BCP government to reinstate his father Moshoeshoe II as head of state In August 1994 Letsie III staged a military backed coup that deposed the BCP government after the BCP government refused to reinstate his father Moshoeshoe II according to Lesotho s constitution Member states of the Southern African Development Community SADC engaged in negotiations to reinstate the BCP government One of the conditions Letsie III put forward for this was that his father should be re installed as head of state After protracted negotiations the BCP government was reinstated and Letsie III abdicated in favour of his father in 1995 and ascended the throne again when Moshoeshoe II died at the age of 57 in a supposed road accident when his car plunged off a mountain road on 15 January 1996 According to a government statement Moshoeshoe had set out at 1 am to visit his cattle at Matsieng and was returning to Maseru through the Maluti Mountains when his car left the road 14 In 1997 the ruling BCP split over leadership disputes Prime Minister Ntsu Mokhehle formed a new party the Lesotho Congress for Democracy LCD and was followed by a majority of members of parliament which enabled him to form a new government Pakalitha Mosisili succeeded Mokhehle as party leader and LCD won the general elections in 1998 Opposition protests intensified culminating in a demonstration outside the royal palace in August 1998 While the Botswana Defence Force troops were welcomed tensions with South African National Defence Force troops resulted in fighting Incidences of rioting intensified when South African troops hoisted a South African flag over the Royal Palace By the time the SADC forces withdrew in May 1999 much of the capital of Maseru lay in ruins and the southern provincial capital towns of Mafeteng and Mohale s Hoek had lost over a third of their commercial real estate An Interim Political Authority IPA charged with reviewing the electoral structure in the country was created in December 1998 IPA devised a proportional electoral system to ensure that the opposition would be represented in the National Assembly The new system retained the existing 80 elected Assembly seats and added 40 seats to be filled on a proportional basis Elections were held under this new system in May 2002 and LCD won gaining 54 of the vote There are irregularities and threats of violence from Major General Lekhanya Nine opposition parties hold all 40 of the proportional seats with BNP having the largest share 21 LCD has 79 of the 80 constituency based seats While its elected members participate in the National Assembly BNP has launched legal challenges to the elections including a recount On 30 August 2014 an alleged abortive military coup took place forcing then Prime Minister Thomas Thabane to flee to South Africa for three days 15 16 On 19 May 2020 Thomas Thabane formally stepped down as prime minister of Lesotho following months of pressure after he was named as a suspect in the murder of his ex wife 17 Moeketsi Majoro the economist and former Minister of Development Planning was elected as Thabane s successor 18 On 13 May 2020 according to the health ministry Lesotho became the last African nation to report a COVID 19 case Politics EditMain article Politics of Lesotho The Lesotho Government is a parliamentary or constitutional monarchy The Prime Minister Sam Matekane is the head of government and has executive authority The King of Lesotho Letsie III is the head of state and serves a largely ceremonial function he no longer possesses any executive authority and is prohibited from actively participating in political initiatives The All Basotho Convention ABC 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 The constitution provides for an independent judicial system made up of the High Court the Court of Appeal Magistrate s Courts and traditional courts that exist predominantly in rural areas All but one of the Justices on the Court of Appeal are South African jurists There is no trial by jury rather judges make rulings alone or in the case of criminal trials with two other judges as observers The constitution protects some civil liberties including freedom of speech freedom of association freedom of the press freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of religion Lesotho was ranked 12th out of 48 sub Saharan African countries in the 2008 Ibrahim Index of African Governance 19 As of 2010 update the People s Charter Movement called for the practical annexation of the country by South Africa due to the HIV epidemic Nearly a quarter of the population tests positive for HIV 20 The country has faced unemployment economic collapse a weaker currency and travel documents restricting movement An African Union report called for economic integration of Lesotho with South Africa and stopped short of suggesting annexation In May 2010 the Charter Movement delivered a petition to the South African High Commission requesting integration South Africa s home affairs spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa rejected the idea that Lesotho should be treated as a special case It is a sovereign country like South Africa We sent envoys to our neighbours Botswana Zimbabwe Swaziland and Lesotho before we enforced the passport rule When you travel from Britain to South Africa don t you expect to use a passport 21 Foreign relations Edit Main article Foreign relations of Lesotho Lesotho is a member of some regional economic organisations including the Southern African Development Community SADC 22 and the Southern African Customs Union SACU 23 It is active in the United Nations UN the African Union AU the Non Aligned Movement the Commonwealth and other international organisations 24 Lesotho has maintained ties with the United Kingdom Wales in particular Germany the United States and other Western states It broke relations with China and re established relations with Taiwan in 1990 and later restored ties with China It recognises the State of Palestine 25 From 2014 up until 2018 it recognised the Republic of Kosovo 26 It was a public opponent of apartheid in South Africa and granted a number of South African refugees political asylum during the apartheid era 25 In 2019 it signed the UN treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons 27 Defence and law enforcement Edit The Lesotho Defence Force LDF is charged with the maintenance of internal security and the defence of Lesotho Its chief officer is designated Commander 28 The Lesotho Mounted Police Service LMPS is charged with the maintenance of law and order Its chief officer is designated Commissioner LMPS provides uniformed policing criminal detection and traffic policing There are specialist units dealing with high tech crime immigration wildlife and terrorism The force has existed with changes of name continuously since 1872 The Lesotho National Security Service LNSS is charged with the protection of national security Its chief officer is designated Director by the Constitution LNSS is an intelligence service reporting directly to the Government The power to appoint or dismiss a Director is vested directly in the Prime Minister Law Edit Lesotho does not have a single code containing its laws it draws them from a variety of sources including the Constitution legislation common law judicial precedent customary law and authoritative texts 29 The Parliament building in Maseru The Constitution of Lesotho came into force after the publication of the Commencement Order 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 These include government publications ministerial orders ministerial regulations and municipal by laws 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 Civilian law and the English Common Law its general law operates independently Lesotho applies the common law which refers to unwritten law or law from non statutory sources and excludes customary law Decisions from South African courts are only persuasive and courts refer to them in formulating their decisions Decisions from some jurisdictions can be cited for their persuasive value Magistrates courts decisions do not become precedent since these are lower courts They are bound by decisions of the High Court and the Court of Appeal The Court of Appeal the final appellate forum on all matters has a supervisory and review jurisdiction over all the courts of Lesotho Lesotho has a dual legal system consisting of customary and general laws operating side by side Customary law is made up of the customs of the Basotho written and codified in the Laws of Lerotholi The general law on the other hand consists of Roman Dutch Law imported from the Cape and the Lesotho statutes The codification of customary law came about after a council was appointed in 1903 to advise the British Resident Commissioner on which laws would be best for governing the Basotho Until this time the Basotho customs and laws were passed down from generation to generation through oral tradition The council was given the task of codifying them and they came up with the Laws of Lerotholi which are applied by customary courts today local courts Written works of certain authors have persuasive value in the courts of Lesotho These include writings of the old authorities as well as contemporary writers from similar jurisdictions Districts Edit Main article Districts of Lesotho Districts and Cities For administrative purposes Lesotho is divided into 10 districts each headed by a district administrator Each district has a capital known as a camptown Berea Butha Buthe Leribe Mafeteng Maseru Mohale s Hoek Mokhotlong Qacha s Nek Quthing Thaba Tseka The districts are subdivided into 80 constituencies which consist of 129 local community councils Geography EditMain article Geography of Lesotho Topographic map The Afriski resort in the Maloti Mountains Lesotho covers 30 355 km2 11 720 sq mi It is the only independent state in the world that lies entirely above 1 000 metres 3 281 ft in elevation Its lowest point of 1 400 metres 4 593 ft is thus the highest lowest point of any country in the world Over 80 of the country lies above 1 800 metres 5 906 ft Lesotho is the southernmost landlocked country in the world It is the largest of the world s three independent states completely surrounded by the territory of another country with Vatican City and San Marino being the other two It is the only such state outside the Italian peninsula and the only one that is not a microstate Lesotho lies between latitudes 28 and 31 S and longitudes 27 and 30 E About 12 of Lesotho is arable land which is vulnerable to soil erosion it is estimated that 40 million tons of soil are lost each year due to erosion 30 Climate Edit Main article Climate of Lesotho Because of its elevation Lesotho remains cooler throughout the year than other regions at the same latitude Most of the rain falls as summer thunderstorms Maseru and surrounding lowlands may reach 30 C 86 F in summer The temperature in the lowlands can get down to 7 C 19 F and the highlands to 18 C 0 F at times Snow is more common in the highlands between May and September the higher peaks may experience snowfalls year round Rainfall in Lesotho is variable regarding both when and where precipitation occurs Annual precipitation can vary from 500mm annually in one area to 1200mm in another because of elevation 30 The summer season that stretches from October to April sees the most rainfall and from December to February the majority of the country receives over 100mm of rain a month 30 The least monthly rainfall in Lesotho occurs in June when most regions receive less than 15mm a month 30 Drought Edit Hills Periodic droughts have an effect on Lesotho s majority rural population as some people living outside of urban areas rely on subsistence farming or small scale agriculture as their primary source of income 31 Droughts in Lesotho are exacerbated by some agricultural practices 32 The World Factbook lists periodic droughts under the Natural Hazard section of Lesotho s section of the publication 33 In 2007 Lesotho experienced a drought and was advised by the United Nations to declare a state of emergency to get aid from international organizations 31 Famine Early Warning Systems Network reported that the rainy season of 2018 2019 not only started a month later than normal but also has recorded below average amounts of rain 34 Data from the Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation Station CHIRP shows rainfall in Lesotho between October 2018 and February 2019 ranged from 55 to 80 below normal rates 34 In March 2019 the Lesotho Vulnerability Assessment and Analysis Committee conducted a report that initially predicted that 487 857 people in the country need humanitarian assistance because of the effects of drought 34 There are a variety of different ways drought in Lesotho has led to the need for humanitarian assistance Some hygiene practices that result from a lack of clean water can cause cases of typhoid and diarrhea Lack of available water indirectly leads to an increased risk for women and girls who collect water for household consumption as they must spend more time and travel longer distances while running the risk of being physically or sexually assaulted 34 Drought in Lesotho leads to both migration to more urban areas and immigration to South Africa for new opportunities and to escape food insecurity 32 The report found that between July 2019 and June 2020 640 000 people in Lesotho are expected to be affected by food insecurity as a result of unproductive harvests as well as the corresponding rise in food prices because of the drought 34 Wildlife Edit Main article Wildlife of Lesotho See also Category Environment of Lesotho Aloe polyphylla There are known to be 339 bird species in Lesotho including 10 globally threatened species and two introduced species 17 reptile species including geckos snakes and lizards and 60 mammal species endemic to Lesotho including the endangered white tailed rat Lesotho s flora is Alpine due to mountainous terrain The Katse Botanical Gardens houses a collection of medicinal plants and has a seed bank of plants from the Malibamat so River area 35 36 three terrestrial ecoregions lie within Lesotho s boundaries Drakensberg alti montane grasslands and woodlands Drakensberg montane grasslands and Highveld grasslands 37 Economy EditMain article Economy of Lesotho Sani Pass on the border is a tourist attraction 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 38 39 The majority of households subsist on farming The formal sector employment consists mainly of female workers in the apparel sector male migrant labour primarily miners in South Africa for 3 to 9 months and employment by the Government of Lesotho GOL The western lowlands form the main agricultural zone Almost 50 of the population earn income through informal crop cultivation or animal husbandry with nearly two thirds of the country s income coming from the agricultural sector The of the population living below USD Purchasing Power Parity PPP US 1 25 day fell from 48 to 44 between 1995 and 2003 38 The country is among the Low Human Development countries rank 160 of 187 on the Human Development Index as classified by UNDP with 52 years of life expectancy at birth 40 41 Adult literacy is as high as 82 Among the children below the age of 5 years 20 are under weight 42 Lesotho has taken advantage of the African Growth and Opportunity Act AGOA to become the largest exporter of garments to the US from sub Saharan Africa 43 US brands and retailers sourcing from Lesotho include Foot Locker Gap Gloria Vanderbilt JCPenney Levi Strauss Saks Sears Timberland and Wal Mart 44 In mid 2004 its employment reached over 50 000 mostly female marking the first time that manufacturing sector workers outnumbered government employees In 2008 it exported goods worth 487 million dollars mainly to the US Since 2004 employment in the sector has dwindled to about 45 000 in mid 2011 due to international competition in the garment sector It was the largest formal sector employer in Lesotho in 2011 45 In 2007 the average earnings of an employee in the textile sector were US 103 per month and the official minimum wage for a general textile worker was US 93 per month The average gross national income per capita in 2008 was US 83 per month 45 The sector initiated a program to fight HIV AIDS called Apparel Lesotho Alliance to Fight AIDS ALAFA It is an industry wide program providing disease prevention and treatment for workers 46 Katse Dam Mohale Dam Water and diamonds are some of Lesotho s natural resources 38 Water is used through the 21 year multibillion dollar Lesotho Highlands Water Project LHWP under the authority of the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority The project commenced in 1986 47 LHWP is designed to capture store and transfer water from the Orange River system to South Africa s Free State and greater Johannesburg area Completion of the first phase of the project has made Lesotho almost completely self sufficient in the production of electricity and generated approximately US 70 million in 2010 from the sale of electricity and water to South Africa 48 Diamonds are produced at the Letseng Mothae Liqhobong and Kao mines which combined are estimated to produce 240 000 carats of diamonds in 2014 worth US 300 million The Letseng mine is estimated to produce diamonds with an average value of US 2172 carat making it the world s richest mine on an average price per carat basis 49 The sector underwent a setback in 2008 as the result of the world recession and rebounded in 2010 and 2011 Export of diamonds reached US 230 million in 2010 2011 50 In 1957 a South African adventurer colonel Jack Scott accompanied by Keith Whitelock set out prospecting for diamonds They found their diamond mine at 3 100 m elevation on top of the Maluti Mountains in northeastern Lesotho some 70 km from Mokhotlong at Letseng In 1967 a 601 carat 120 2 g diamond Lesotho Brown was discovered in the mountains by a Mosotho woman In August 2006 a 603 carat 120 6 g white diamond the Lesotho Promise was discovered at the Letseng la Terae mine Another 478 carat 95 6 g diamond was discovered at the same location in 2008 51 Lesotho has progressed in moving from a predominantly subsistence oriented economy to a lower middle income economy exporting natural resources and manufacturing goods The exporting sectors have brought higher and more secure incomes to a portion of the population 38 The global economic crisis make Lesotho underwent a loss of textile exports and jobs in this sector due somewhat to the economic slowdown in the United States 1 of their export destinations Reduced diamond mining and exports including a drop in the price of diamonds and a drop in SACU revenues due to the economic slowdown in the South African economy contributed to the crisis Reduction in worker remittances due to weakening of the South African economy and contraction of the mining sector and related job losses in South Africa contributed to in 2009 Lesotho s GDP growth slowing to 0 9 38 The official currency is the loti plural maloti which can be used interchangeably with the South African rand Lesotho Eswatini Namibia and South Africa form a common currency and exchange control area known as the Common Monetary Area CMA The loti is at par with the rand 100 lisente singular sente equal 1 loti Demographics EditSee also Demographics of Lesotho Primary school class Lesotho has a population of approximately 2 281 454 2 3 The population distribution of Lesotho is 25 urban and 75 rural It is estimated that the annual increase in urban population is 3 5 52 60 2 of the population is between 15 and 64 years of age 52 Ethnic groups and languages Edit Main article Languages of Lesotho Lesotho s ethno linguistic structure consists mostly of the Basotho a Bantu speaking people an estimated 99 7 of the people identify as Basotho In this regard Lesotho is part of a minority of African countries that are nation states with a single dominant cultural ethnic group and language the majority of African nations borders were drawn by colonial powers and do not correspond to ethnic boundaries or pre colonial polities 53 Basotho subgroups include the Bafokeng Batloung Baphuthi Bakuena Bataung Batsoeneng and Matebele Religion Edit Main article Religion in Lesotho St Michael s Cathedral The population of Lesotho is estimated to be more than 95 Christian 54 Among these estimations Protestants account for 18 2 of the population Pentecostals 15 4 Anglicans 5 3 and other Christians an additional 1 8 1 Catholics represent 49 4 of the population 1 served by the province of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Maseru and his three suffragans the bishops of Leribe Mohale s Hoek and Qacha s Nek who form the national episcopal conference Non Christian religions represent 9 6 of the population and those of no religion 0 2 1 Education and literacy Edit Main article Education in Lesotho National University of Lesotho According to estimates 85 of women and 68 of men over the age of 15 are literate 55 As such Lesotho holds one of the highest literacy rates in Africa 52 in part because Lesotho invests over 12 of its GDP in education 56 Female literacy 84 93 exceeds male literacy 67 75 by 17 18 According to a study by the Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality in 2000 37 of grade 6 pupils in Lesotho average age 14 years are at or above reading level 4 Reading for Meaning 57 A pupil at this level of literacy can read ahead or backwards through parts of text to link and interpret information While education is not compulsory the Government of Lesotho is incrementally implementing a program for free primary education 58 According to the International Telecommunication Union 3 4 of the population use the Internet A service from Econet Telecom Lesotho expanded the country s access to email through entry level low end mobile phones and consequently improved access to educational information The African Library Project works to establish school and village libraries in partnership with US Peace Corps Lesotho 59 and the Butha Buthe District of Education Health Edit Main article Health in Lesotho Life expectancy at birth in Lesotho in 2016 was 51 years for men and 55 for women Infant mortality is about 8 3 In 2019 life expectancy was estimated at 52 years for men and women 41 As of 2018 Lesotho s adult HIV AIDS prevalence rate of 23 6 was the second highest in the world after Eswatini 60 In 2021 Lesotho had a 22 8 HIV prevalence rate among people between 15 and 49 years of age 61 The country has the highest incidence of tuberculosis in the world 62 According to the Lesotho Census of 2006 around 4 of the population is thought to have some sort of disability There are concerns regarding the reliability of the methodologies used and the real figure is thought to be closer to the global estimate of 15 According to a survey conducted by the Lesotho National Federation of Organisations of the Disabled in conjunction with SINTEF 63 people with disability in Lesotho face social and cultural barriers which prevent them from accessing education healthcare and employment on an equal basis with others On 2 December 2008 Lesotho became the 42nd country in the world to sign the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities According to World Health Organization data since 2008 Lesotho had the world s highest rate of suicide per capita 64 Women in Lesotho Edit Main article Women in Lesotho According to UN Lesotho has the highest rape rate of any country 91 6 per 100 000 people rate for reported rape in 2008 65 International data from UNODC found the incidence of rapes recorded in 2008 by the police to be the highest in Lesotho out of any country in the study 66 A study in Lesotho found that 61 of women reported having experienced sexual violence at some point in their lives of which 22 reported being physically forced to have sexual intercourse 67 In the 2009 DHS survey 15 7 of men said that a husband is justified in hitting or beating his wife if she refuses to have sex with him while 16 said a husband is justified to use force to have sex 68 In another study researchers have concluded that Given the high prevalence of HIV in Lesotho programs should address women s right to control their sexuality 69 The Married Persons Equality Act 2006 gives equal rights to wives in regard to their husbands abolishing the husband s marital power 70 The World Economic Forum s 2020 Gender Gap Report ranks Lesotho 88th in the world for gender parity while neighboring South Africa ranks 17th 71 Culture EditSee also Music of Lesotho and List of African writers by country Lesotho Women wearing Basotho blankets The cuisine of Lesotho includes African traditions and British influences 72 The national dish of Lesotho is Motoho a fermented sorghum porridge Some staple foods include pap or mealies a cornmeal porridge covered with a sauce consisting of vegetables Tea and locally brewed beer are choices for beverages Lesotho is famed for its fermented ginger beer of which there are two types with and without raisins These are regularly sold by people at roadsides thoroughout Lesotho Sishenyama is regularly sold independently thoroughout Lesotho with side dishes such as cabbage pap and baked bean salad 73 British influence in Lesotho is visible through the remnants of trading posts that were operated from the 18th century into the 20th century 74 These are in the villages Roma Ramabantana Ha Matela Malealea and Semonkong In the past these lodges were employed in the sale of fuel grains mealie meal and animals Important in the times before the car was prevalent The national dress revolves around the Basotho blanket a covering made originally of wool Nowadays the Basotho blanket is made out of acrylic fibres The main manufacturer of the Basotho blanket is Aranda of which has a factory over the border in South Africa The Morija Arts amp Cultural Festival is held annually in the town of Morija where missionaries arrived in 1833 Examples of San rock art can be found in the mountains throughout Basutoland There are examples in the village of Ha Matela 75 Basotho Pony Edit The Basotho Pony is integral to the culture of Lesotho The pony was historically ridden into battle and in the modern day used for transport and agriculture The horsemanship of Lesotho is famed throughout Africa Film and Media Edit In 2017 Lesotho Born music artist Pope Troy released Ancient African Gravity Guardian The Chronicles of Ezekiel paying homage to Benjamin Netanyahu in respect to the Jerusalem move and the prophesy of ezekiel pertaining to Jerusalem in the book of Ezekiel The album went on to receive accreditation from proquest for academic research studying and teaching making Pope Troy The first Sotho rap artist to obtain academic recognition for his lyrical art globally 76 The 2018 film Black Panther director Ryan Coogler stated that his depiction of Wakanda was inspired by Lesotho 77 78 Basotho blankets became more known as a result of the film 79 In November 2020 the film This Is Not a Burial It s a Resurrection became the first Lesotho film to be submitted for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film by the country 80 See also Edit Africa portalIndex of Lesotho related articles Outline of Lesotho Telephone numbers in LesothoReferences Edit a b c d Lesotho Association of Religion Data Archives 2015 Retrieved 18 May 2020 a b World Population Prospects 2022 population un org United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division Retrieved 17 July 2022 a b World Population Prospects 2022 Demographic indicators by region subregion and country annually for 1950 2100 XSLX population un org Total Population as of 1 July thousands United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division Retrieved 17 July 2022 a b c d Report for Selected Countries and Subjects October 2021 International Monetary Fund Gini Index coefficient CIA World Factbook Retrieved 10 August 2021 Human Development Report 2020 The Next Frontier Human Development and the Anthropocene PDF United Nations Development Programme 15 December 2020 pp 343 346 ISBN 978 92 1 126442 5 Retrieved 16 December 2020 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 Maloti Mountains Britannica Nicole Itano 2007 No Place Left to Bury the Dead Simon and Schuster p 314 ISBN 978 0 7432 7095 3 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 Sam Romaya Alison Brown April 1999 City profile Maseru Lesotho Cities 16 2 123 133 doi 10 1016 S0264 2751 98 00046 8 James S Olson Robert S Shadle ed 1996 Historical Dictionary of the British Empire Greenwood Press p 118 ISBN 0 313 27917 9 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a author has generic name help Karen Tranberg Hansen Mariken Vaa 2004 Reconsidering Informality Perspectives from Urban Africa Nordic African Institute p 180 ISBN 91 7106 518 0 Donald G McNeil Jr 16 January 1996 King of Tiny Land Circled by South Africa Dies in Car Plunge The New York Times Lesotho coup forces PM Thabane to South Africa Archived 2 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine BBC 30 August 2014 Lesotho PM Thabane returns home after fleeing coup Archived 29 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine BBC 3 September 2014 Thomas Thabane resigns as Lesotho prime minister BBC News 19 May 2020 Majoro ready to take over Lesotho Times 4 April 2020 Retrieved 10 March 2021 Home Mo Ibrahim Foundation Archived 21 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine moibrahimfoundation org HIV AIDS in Lesotho HelpLesotho org Archived from the original on 5 November 2014 Lesotho has the second highest HIV prevalence rate in the world more than 23 percent of people or just under one in four people in the country are living with HIV Smith Alex Duval 6 June 2010 Lesotho s people plead with South Africa to annex their troubled country The Observer Maseru Lesotho Archived from the original on 15 September 2013 Retrieved 4 July 2010 Lesotho Country profile Southern African Development Community Southern African Customs Union website Sacu int Archived from the original on 3 September 2010 Retrieved 4 July 2010 The World Factbook Central Intelligence Agency www cia gov Retrieved 20 September 2017 a b Lesotho US State department state gov Retrieved 4 July 2010 Pas njohjes nga Lesoto Hoxhaj vazhdon lobimin ne Afrike After recognition of Lesotho Hoxhaj continues lobbying in Africa Ministry of Foreign Affairs Republic of Kosovo Archived from the original on 29 December 2014 Retrieved 12 December 2014 Chapter XXVI Disarmament No 9 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons United Nations Treaty Collection 7 July 2017 Articles 146 1 and 2 of the Constitution of Lesotho Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Millennium Web Catalog nyulawglobal org Archived from the original on 20 June 2010 Retrieved 4 July 2010 a b c d Lesotho Meteorological Services www lesmet org ls Retrieved 16 December 2019 a b Elgoni A G Ntsike M Matji M 1997 Quality of Life under Drought Conditions A Case Study of Children in Lesotho Quality of Life Research 6 5 456 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link a b LESOTHO Severe Drought Africa Research Bulletin Economic Financial and Technical Series 44 6 2007 Africa Lesotho The World Factbook Central Intelligence Agency www cia gov Retrieved 16 December 2019 a b c d e Lesotho Drought Situation Update 01 as of 2 May 2019 Lesotho ReliefWeb Retrieved 16 December 2019 Katse Botanical Garden St Ives Communications Archived from the original on 27 December 2016 Retrieved 9 December 2016 Flora Semonkong Lodge Semonkong Archived from the original on 20 December 2016 Retrieved 9 December 2016 Dinerstein Eric et al 2017 An Ecoregion Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm BioScience 67 6 534 545 doi 10 1093 biosci bix014 ISSN 0006 3568 PMC 5451287 PMID 28608869 a b c d e World bank Lesotho Country Brief Archived from the original on 31 March 2014 Retrieved 3 March 2012 CIA Lesotho Economy 2011 Archived from the original on 24 February 2012 Retrieved 3 March 2012 UNDP Lesotho Country Profile Human Development Indicators Archived from the original on 11 May 2013 Retrieved 10 March 2012 a b CDC Global Health Lesotho www cdc gov 22 July 2019 Retrieved 22 November 2019 Human Development Report 2009 Archived 22 November 2009 at the Wayback Machine The United Nations Retrieved 7 March 2012 Central Bank of Lesotho Africa Growth and Opportunities Act AGOA Economic Impact and Future Prospects PDF Archived from the original PDF on 15 July 2012 Retrieved 4 February 2012 Purchase for Africa An appeal for American apparel buys Archived from the original on 1 November 2009 Retrieved 28 October 2009 a b World Bank IFC Africa Can Compete The Miracle of Tiny Lesotho Sub Saharan Africa s Largest Garment Exporter PDF Archived from the original PDF on 31 July 2013 Retrieved 4 December 2021 Apparel Lesotho Alliance to Fight AIDS ALAFA Archived from the original on 25 February 2011 Retrieved 4 February 2012 Lesotho Highlands Water Project The Treaty Lhwp org ls 24 October 1986 Archived from the original on 19 December 2013 LHWP Water Sales PDF Archived from the original PDF on 10 May 2011 Retrieved 8 March 2012 Corporate Profile 29 September 2016 Central Bank of Lesotho QUARTERLY REVIEW June 2011 PDF Archived from the original PDF on 9 February 2012 Retrieved 6 March 2012 Dan Oancea Letseng la Terae The 603 Carat Lesotho Promise Diamond Technology infomine com Archived from the original on 13 February 2010 Retrieved 20 May 2010 a b c Lesotho The World Factbook Retrieved 15 May 2007 Boyd 1979 p 1 Table Christian Population as Percentages of Total Population by Country Pew Research Center 19 December 2011 Archived from the original on 11 May 2017 Retrieved 21 April 2018 Lesotho UNESCO 4 November 2014 Retrieved 18 May 2019 Unesco Institute for Statistics Date Centre 14 September 2007 Archived from the original on 30 January 2011 Retrieved 28 February 2011 The SACMEQ II Project in Lesotho A Study of the Conditions of Schooling and the Quality of Education Harare SACMEQ Sacmeq 2 October 2005 Archived from the original on 25 April 2013 Retrieved 4 July 2010 Lesotho Ministry of Education and Training Basic Education Education gov ls 5 October 2005 Archived from the original on 20 July 2010 Retrieved 4 July 2010 Peace Corps Lesotho 14 July 2010 Archived from the original on 5 February 2011 Retrieved 28 February 2011 Prevalence of HIV total of population ages 15 49 Lesotho Data data worldbank org Retrieved 14 July 2020 HIV and AIDS in Lesotho Avert 21 July 2015 Retrieved 19 January 2022 Incidence of tuberculosis per 100 000 people Data data worldbank org Retrieved 14 July 2020 Yusman Kamaleri and Arne H Eide eds 2011 Living Conditions of People with Disability in Lesotho Archived 2 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine SINTEF Technology and Society lnfod org ls Suicide rates Data by country World Health Organization 2016 Retrieved 23 September 2018 Countries Compared by Crime gt Rape rate International Statistics at NationMaster com Archived 1 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine nationmaster com Rape at the National Level number of police recorded offenses Archived 29 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine United Nations Magnitude of sexual violence in Lesotho Archived 29 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine confex com Lesotho Demographic and Health Survey 2009 Archived 29 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine Ministry of Health and Social Welfare Maseru Lesotho November 2010 L Brown 2006 Sexual violence in Lesotho Stud Fam Plann 37 4 269 80 doi 10 1111 j 1728 4465 2006 00105 x PMID 17209284 Buhle Angelo Dube The Law and Legal Research in Lesotho Archived 20 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine nyulawglobal org The Global Gender Gap Report 2020 PDF World Economic Forum pp 221 315 Lesotho British influence meets African tradition foodspring Archived from the original on 17 February 2015 Retrieved 1 April 2014 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint bot original URL status unknown link Ethnic Food of Lesotho USA Today Archived from the original on 10 March 2018 Retrieved 1 March 2018 Explore Lesotho s Bygone Trading Posts 27 April 2018 Walsham How Marion 1962 The Mountain Bushmen of Basutoland Pretoria J L Van Schaik Ltd AAGGON TCOE Alexander Street Retrieved 9 January 2023 How Black Panther s director fell in love with Lesotho amp isiXhosa TimesLIVE Jones Nate 15 February 2018 A Brief History of Wakanda Black Panther s Fictional Utopia Vulture Black Panther made Basotho blankets world famous but you wouldn t be able to tell that from local sales BusinessInsider Vourlias Christopher 10 November 2020 Oscar Debutant Lesotho Selects This Is Not a Burial for International Feature Film Race Variety Retrieved 10 November 2020 Boyd J Barron December 1979 African Boundary Conflict An Empirical Study African Studies Review 22 3 1 14 doi 10 2307 523892 ISSN 0002 0206 JSTOR 523892 S2CID 145722128 External links EditLesotho at Wikipedia s sister projects Definitions from Wiktionary Media from Commons News from Wikinews Quotations from Wikiquote Texts from Wikisource Textbooks from Wikibooks Travel information from Wikivoyage Resources from Wikiversity Government of Lesotho Published Judicial Opinions Lesotho The World Factbook Central Intelligence Agency Lesotho from UCB Libraries GovPubs Lesotho at Curlie Lesotho profile from the BBC News Wikimedia Atlas of Lesotho Geographic data related to Lesotho at OpenStreetMap Key Development Forecasts for Lesotho from International Futures Introduction of Lesotho Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Lesotho amp oldid 1134706594, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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