Lesotho (leh-SOO-tho), kingdom (11,720 sq mi/30,355 sq km; 1991 estimated population 1,801,170; 2004 estimated population 1,865,040), South Africa, bounded on all sides by the Republic of South Africa; (cap.) Maseru.
Geography
The Drakensberg Range, the Central Range, and Thoba Rutsoa Range occupies the central and E parts of the country, with the Maloti Mountains in the W; elevation varies from lowest level near Mohales Hoek c.4265 ft/1301 m, in SW, to more than 11,000 ft/3,353 m along the E frontier. The country is generally mountainous with high rainfall, having the highest peak in S Africa, Thabana-Ntlenyana (height 11,425 ft/3,482 km) and is commonly called “The Kingdom in the Sky,” “The Roof of Africa” and “The Switzerland of Africa.”
Population
About 80% of the Basotho are Christian, and the country has one of the highest literacy rates in Africa. At Roma, near Maseru, is the University of Lesotho. English and Sesotho (a Bantu language) are the official languages of the kingdom.
Economy
The kingdom is heavily populated, especially in W, where most of the 11% of arable land is located, the remainder being mainly pasture land. Corn and sorghum are the main crops; also wheat, beans, peas, asparagus, tomatoes, peaches. Sheep are bred for wool, Angora goats for mohair; cattle, hogs, and chickens are also raised. Breeding programs started in the 1970s have brought the sturdy, sure-footed Basotho pony into popularity for herding livestock and for tourist pony trekking. All land in Lesotho is held by the king and is allocated to Basotho residents by local chiefs; foreigners are forbidden to own land. Many Basotho are employed in South African mines and industries. Mining within Lesotho is limited to sandstone and clay quarrying. A diamond mine at Letseng-la-Terae, in NE, closed in 1982. Light manufacturing is concentrated in Maseru and most major towns and is central to Lesotho’s plans for economic growth. The local currency is the loti (plural, maloti); Lesotho belongs to a common monetary agreement with South Africa, Namibia, and Swaziland. Lesotho Highlands Water Scheme at the center of the country, with one dam completed in 1996, another in 1998, and one under construction, and four more planned, will provide power for Lesotho and, eventually, to a power grid comprising all SADC countries and provide water for South Africa, to be completed by 2020. Sehlabathebe National Park (25 sq mi/6500 ha) is in SE, Mont aux Sources National Park in NE, both border on Drakensberg. Wildlife in Lesotho is mainly limited to birds and small land animals.
History to 1871
San (Bushmen), who were the region’s earliest known inhabitants, were supplanted several centuries prior to colonization by various Bantu-speaking peoples. The Basotho are made up of remnants of ethnic groups that were scattered during the disturbances accompanying the rise of the Zulu (1816–1830). They were rallied c.1820 by Moshoeshoe (MOO-shwee-shwee), a commoner who founded a dynasty in what is now Lesotho. Moshoeshoe not only defended his people from Zulu raids but preserved their independence against Boer and British interlopers. During one of the many attacks upon his people, Moshoeshoe used a flat-topped mountain he named Thaba-Bosiu (Mountain of the Night) as his fortress against enemy sieges. He also welcomed Catholic and Protestant missionaries, who still play an important role in the kingdom. Following wars with the Boer-ruled Orange Free State in 1858 and 1865, Moshoeshoe put the Basotho under British protection (1868).
History - 1871 to 1973
The protectorate was annexed to Cape Colony in 1871 without Basotho consent; but in 1884 it was placed under the direct control of Britain. A resident commissioner was established at Maseru, where he administered through Basotho chiefs. When the Union of South Africa was forged in 1910, Basutoland came under the jurisdiction of the British High Commissioner in South Africa. Provisions were made for the eventual incorporation of the territory into the Union; but Basotho opposition, especially after the rise of the Nationalist party with its apartheid policy, prevented annexation. In 1960 the British granted Basutoland a new constitution that paved the way to internal self-government. On October 4, 1966, Basutoland became independent as Lesotho. Following general elections in early 1970, which the opposition Congress party apparently won, Prime Minister Leabua Jonathan declared a state of emergency and suspended the constitution; King Moshoeshoe II went into exile but returned at the end of the year.
History - 1973 to 1990
In 1973 an interim assembly began work on a new constitution, but the Congress party, led by Ntsu Mokhehle, refused to participate. In January 1974, Chief Leabua Jonathan accused the Congress party of attempting to stage a coup d’etat, and in the months that followed hundreds of its members reportedly were killed. Jonathan refused to concede democratic reforms to the outlawed Basutoland Congress party (BCP), and his government backed attacks on BCP supporters. Armed clashes between the Lesotho Liberation Army (the militarized segment of the BCP) and the government were common throughout the 1970s and 1980s. In the late 1970s, Jonathan exploited growing popular resentment against South Africa and its policies of apartheid. South Africa responded by organizing economic blockades and military raids against Lesotho. Major-General Justinus Lekhanya led a coup in 1986 that installed King Moshoeshoe II as head of state. After prolonged disputes with Lekhanya over power, the king went into exile.
History - 1990 to Present
In 1990, Lekhanya announced that civilian rule would be restored, but he was overthrown in a bloodless coup in 1991. In 1993, an elected government assumed office and in 1995 King Moshoeshoe was restored to the throne. In 1998, the army mutinied and there were violent protests by the people after a contentious election led to bloody South African military intervention. However, by 2002 peaceful parliamentary elections were held, and political stability restored.
Government
Since 1996 King Moshoeshoe son, King Letsie III has been chief of state. The head of government is Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili.
