Lesotho, officially known as the Kingdom of Lesotho and previously known as Basutoland, is an independent country located within the borders of South Africa. It is not just a landlocked country, but an enclaved one. This means that the entirety of the state is surrounded by the territory of one other state, which in this case is South Africa.
The country was constituted as a native state under British protection by a treaty signed with the native chief Moshoeshoe in 1843. Lesotho, which roughly translates to land of the people who speak Sesotho, declared its independence from the United Kingdom on 4 October 1966. It is currently a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
The largest city in Lesotho is Maseru and it is also the capital of the country. The land of Lesotho is called the mountain kingdom, the kingdom of the sky or the roof of Africa. While much of the tiny country, with spectacular canyons and thatched huts, remains untouched by modern machines and architecture, developers have laid down roads to reach its mineral and water resources.
This article offers the interesting Lesotho facts and provides information about its government, culture, and beauty.
Amazing Facts About Lesotho – Its Economy and Beauty
The Government of Lesotho
The fact about the Lesotho government is that the government is either legitimate or parliamentary. Mr. Tom Motsoahae Thabane is the head of the government and has the decision-making authority. There is a king of the country who performs only the ritual or ceremonial functions and has no executive authority and he does not involve in any political initiatives. The constitution consists of a self-governing judicial system that is made up of the High Court, the Court of Appeal, the magistrate, and the traditional courts. Lesotho has multiple law codes and it extracts them from the legislation, constitution, common laws, authoritative text and customary laws. Lesotho has a dual legal system that consists of general and customary laws functioning side by side.
Districts and Economy of Lesotho
Lesotho consists of ten districts and each district is in charge of the district administrator which is further divided into constituencies and community councils. The Lesotho facts about the economy are that the economy is based on livestock, agriculture, manufacturing, and mining, with a majority of the country’s population being involved in farming.
Lesotho has become the major exporter of garments to the United States by taking the advantage from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) from the sub-Saharan Africa. Lesotho’s important natural resources are the water and diamonds. The Lesotho Highlands Water Project has enabled the tiny country to be completely self-sufficient in the manufacturing of electricity and it has generated a good source of revenue from the government of South Africa by selling electricity and water to it. The diamonds are manufactured from the major cities of Lesotho and the export of diamonds had reached $230 million in 2011. Because of its exports, the country has brought superior and secured levels of income for the population.
Culture of Lesotho
The Lesotho facts about the culture are that it has different cultures which include the English Africans, the Afrikaans and the Basotho. The Basotho, which are the Bantu speaking people of the country, form the majority of the population. Within the ethnic Basotho group, there are subgroups which include the Bakuena (Kuena), Batloung (the Tlou), Baphuthi (the Phuti), Bafokeng, Bataung (the Tau), Batšoeneng (the Tšoene), Matebele etc. Their main language is Sesotho which is also the administrative and official language of the country.
Beauty of Lesotho
The friendliness and hospitality of the people attract a wide range of tourists to the country. Lesotho takes pride in its people and its mountains. The beautiful mountains stretch on forever and it is on the highest level in the world with the lowest altitude 130mts above sea level and even Lesotho’s lowlands would be the highlands anywhere in Africa. Lesotho is one of the third independent countries in the world completely surrounded by a single country. Each year, the high mountains of Lesotho attract thousands of sportsmen and women to compete in skiing, the high altitude marathon, and mountain climbing. It is very fun and enjoyable exploring the high mountains of Lesotho and experience the magnificent beauty of the country.