Lesotho

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References & Edit History Facts & Stats

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Lesotho: traditional housing

Physical features of Lesotho

Lesotho: plateau

Maloti Mountains

Lesotho: Ethnic composition

For Students

Lesotho summary

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Lesotho: Facts & Stats

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

News •

Solar baked bread from Lesotho • Apr. 24, 2025, 1:09 AM ET (Deutsche Welle)

Dream71 to build renewable energy web platform for Lesotho • Apr. 17, 2025, 3:16 AM ET (Daily Star)

Trump’s Harsh Tariff Sparks Fear of Liquidity Crisis in Lesotho • Apr. 16, 2025, 6:35 PM ET (Bloomberg.com)

Lesotho Trade Minister on Trump Tariffs • Apr. 16, 2025, 2:35 AM ET (Bloomberg.com)

African nations that faced steep Trump tariffs get some relief but mostly more uncertainty • Apr. 10, 2025, 2:12 PM ET (AP)

Facts

Also Known As	Kingdom of Lesotho • Basutoland
Head Of Government	Prime Minister: Sam Matekane
Capital	Maseru
Population	(2025 est.) 2,135,000
Head Of State	King: Letsie III
Form Of Government	constitutional monarchy with two legislative houses (Senate [33 nonelected seats]; National Assembly [120])
Official Languages	Sotho; English
Official Religion	Christianity
Official Name	‘Muso oa Lesotho (Sotho); Kingdom of Lesotho (English)
Total Area (Sq Km)	30,355
Total Area (Sq Mi)	11,720
Monetary Unit	loti (plural maloti [M])
Population Rank	(2025) 148
Population Projection 2030	2,180,000
Density: Persons Per Sq Mi	(2025) 182.2
Density: Persons Per Sq Km	(2025) 70.3
Urban-Rural Population	Urban: (2024) 30.9% • Rural: (2024) 69.1%
Life Expectancy At Birth	Male: (2022) 59.1 years • Female: (2022) 66.7 years
Literacy: Percentage Of Population Age 15 And Over Literate	Male: (2022) 74% • Female: (2022) 90%
Gni (U.S.$ ’000,000)	(2023) 2,898
Gni Per Capita (U.S.$)	(2023) 1,250

Photos

Lesotho: traditional housing

Physical features of Lesotho

Lesotho: plateau

Maloti Mountains

Lesotho: housing

See All Images and Interactives →

Topics

Moshoeshoe Moshoeshoe II Africa Southern Africa member states of the Commonwealth Commonwealth Teyateyaneng Southern African Development Community Maseru Mohale’s Hoek United States India United Kingdom China Canada Russia Germany Australia Japan France

Moshoeshoe

African chief

Moshoeshoe II

king of Lesotho

A map of the continent of Africa, including its countries, boundaries, and capital cities. It also shows parts of Europe and Asia and surrounding bodies of water, including the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, and Indian Ocean.

Africa

continent

Namib desert

Southern Africa

region, Africa

Teyateyaneng

Lesotho

Maseru, Lesotho

Maseru

national capital, Lesotho

Mohale’s Hoek

Lesotho

Quthing

Lesotho

Maloti Mountains

Maloti Mountains

mountains, Lesotho

Thaba Bosiu

plateau, Lesotho

Thabana Ntlenyana, Lesotho

Thabana Ntlenyana

mountain, Lesotho

Maletsunyane Falls

Maletsunyane Falls

waterfall, Lesotho

South Africa

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Orange River

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Drakensberg mountains

Drakensberg

mountain range, Africa

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Great Escarpment

mountains, Africa

Mont-aux-Sources

mountain, South Africa-Lesotho

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