25 Things You Should Know About Lesotho

Here are the  25 Things You Should Know About Lesotho the world’s most southern landlocked country.

1. Lesotho has an area of over 30,000 km²
2. ^Lesotho was previously the British Crown colony of Basutoland, which declared independence from the United Kingdom on 4 October 1966
3. The name Lesotho roughly translates to “land of the Sotho
4.  It broke relations with China and re-established relations with Taiwan in 1990, and later restored ties with China.
5. It recognises the State of Palestine
6. In 2019, it signed the UN treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
7. Lesotho does not have a single code containing its laws; it draws them from a variety of sources including: Constitution, Legislation, Common Law, Judicial precedent, Customary Law, and Authoritative texts
8. Lesotho is the southernmost landlocked country in the world.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. Because of its elevation, Lesotho remains cooler throughout the year than other regions at the same latitude. 
12. The least monthly rainfall in Lesotho occurs in June when most regions receive less than 15mm a month
13. 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.
14. The economy of Lesotho is based on agriculture, livestock, manufacturing and mining
15. Lesotho has a 52 years of life expectancy at birth.
16. Lesotho is the largest exporter of garments to the US from sub-Saharan Africa.
17. Water and diamonds are some of Lesotho’s natural resources and South Africa is its biggest client  for watter
18. The official currency is the loti 
19. Lesotho, Eswatini, Namibia, and South Africa form a common currency and exchange control area known as the Common Monetary Area (CMA).
20. The population distribution of Lesotho is 25% urban and 75% rural.
21. The population of Lesotho is estimated to be more than 95% Christian
22. 85% of women and 68% of men over the age of 15 are literate
23. Lesotho holds “one of the highest literacy rates in Africa
24. Lesotho’s adult HIV/AIDS prevalence rate of 23.6% was the second highest in the world, after Eswatini
25. The national dish of Lesotho is Motoho, a fermented sorghum porridge.