Map of Lesotho
Lesotho is a country in Africa with its capital at Maseru, home to about 2.36 million people across 30,355 km². The interactive map below plots 8 cities and towns, 2 rivers and 2 mountain summits recorded for Lesotho in YearMaps.
- Population
- 2.36 million
- Area
- 30,355 km²
- Capital
- Maseru
- Continent
- Africa
Interactive Map of Lesotho
Centred on Maseru at 29.3167° S, 27.4833° E. Use the layer panel to switch on rivers, dams, ports, peaks and historical borders.
About Lesotho
Lesotho ( lih-SOO-too; Sotho pronunciation: [lɪˈsʊːtʰʊ]), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of the three sovereign enclaves. Lesotho is located in the Maloti Mountains, with the highest peak in southern Africa. It has an area of over 30,000 km2 (11,600 mi2), with a population of about 2.3 million. Its capital and largest city is Maseru.
Lesotho was formed in 1824 by King Moshoeshoe I. Continuous encroachments by Dutch settlers made the King enter into an agreement with the United Kingdom to become a protectorate in 1868 and, in 1884, a crown colony. It achieved independence in 1966, and was subsequently ruled by the Basotho National Party (BNP) for two decades. Its constitutional government was restored in 1993 after seven years of military rule. King Moshoeshoe II was exiled in 1990 but returned in 1992 and was reinstated in 1995. One year later, Moshoeshoe II died and his son Letsie III took the throne, which he still holds.
The Sotho ethnic group (also known as Basotho), from which the country derives its name, comprises 99.7% of the country's current population, making it one of the most ethnically homogeneous in the world. Their native language, Sesotho, is an official language along with English, IsiXhosa, and SiPhuthi.
Lesotho is considered a lower middle income country with significant socioeconomic challenges, but also one of the highest rates of literacy in Africa (81% as of 2021). Lesotho is a member of the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Commonwealth of Nations, the African Union, and the Southern African Development Community.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Lesotho (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Geography and Climate of Lesotho
Paramount chief MOSHOESHOE I consolidated what would become Basutoland in the early 19th century and made himself king in 1822. Continuing encroachments by Dutch settlers from the neighboring Orange Free State caused the king to enter into an 1868 agreement with the UK that made Basutoland first a British protectorate and, after 1884, a crown colony. After gaining independence in 1966, the country was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho. The Basotho National Party ruled the country during its first two decades. King MOSHOESHOE II was exiled in 1990, returned to Lesotho in 1992, was reinstated in 1995, and was then succeeded by his son, King LETSIE III, in 1996. Constitutional government was restored in 1993 after seven years of military rule. In 1998, violent protests and a military mutiny following a contentious election prompted a brief but bloody intervention by South African and Batswana military forces under the aegis of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Subsequent constitutional reforms restored relative political stability. Peaceful parliamentary elections were held in 2002, but the National Assembly elections in 2007 were hotly contested, and aggrieved parties disputed how seats were awarded. In 2012, competitive elections saw Prime Minister Motsoahae Thomas THABANE form a coalition government -- the first in the country's history -- that ousted the 14-year incumbent, Pakalitha MOSISILI, who peacefully transferred power the following month. MOSISILI returned to power in snap elections in 2015 after the collapse of THABANE’s coalition government and an alleged attempted military coup. In 2017, THABANE returned to become prime minister but stepped down in 2020 after being implicated in his estranged wife’s murder. He was succeeded by Moseketsi MAJORO. In 2022, Ntsokoane Samuel MATEKANE was inaugurated as prime minister and head of a three-party coalition.
- Location
- Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa.
- Climate
- Temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers.
- Terrain
- Mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains.
- Highest point
- Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m.
- Lowest point
- Junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m.
- Coastline
- 0 km (landlocked)
- Land borders
- Total: 1,106 km; border countries: South Africa 1,106 km.
- Major rivers
- Orange river source (shared with South Africa and Namibia [m]) - 2,092 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth.
- Natural resources
- Water, agricultural and grazing land, diamonds, sand, clay, building stone.
- Land use
- Agricultural land: 77.8% (2023 est.); arable land: 11.8% (2023 est.); permanent crops: 0.1% (2023 est.); permanent pasture: 65.9% (2023 est.); forest: 1.1% (2023 est.); other: 21.1% (2023 est.)
- Natural hazards
- Periodic droughts.
- Geographic note
- Landlocked, surrounded by South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 m (5,900 ft) above sea level.
- Languages
- Sesotho (official), English (official), Phuthi, Xhosa, Zulu.
- Religions
- Protestant 47.8% (Pentecostal 23.1%, Lesotho Evangelical 17.3%, Anglican 7.4%), Roman Catholic 39.3%, other Christian 9.1%, non-Christian 1.4%, none 2.3% (2014 est.)
- Ethnic groups
- Sotho 99.7%, other 0.3% (includes Kwena, Nguni (Hlubi and Phuthi), Zulu)
- Economy
- Lower middle-income economy surrounded by South Africa; environmentally fragile and politically unstable; key infrastructure and renewable energy investments; dire poverty; urban job and income losses due to COVID-19; systemic corruption.
From the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived edition of 2026-01-22. The Factbook is no longer updated, so figures reflect that edition.
Lesotho in Numbers
- Population
- 2.36 million
- GDP
- US$2.6 billion
- GDP per person
- US$1,089
- Life expectancy
- 57.8 years
- Population growth
- 1.10% a year
- Population density
- 77 per km²
- Urban population
- 44.7%
- Surface area
- 30,360 km²
- Forest cover
- 1.1%
- Arable land
- 19.0%
- Access to electricity
- 60.6%
- Internet users
- 51.8%
Indicators from World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). The year under each figure is its reference year.
Lesotho in Depth
History
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 kaSenzangakhona 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.
Geography
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 Europe, as well as the only one that is not a microstate.
Lesotho lies between latitudes 28° and 31°S, and longitudes 27° and 30°E.
Economy
The economy of Lesotho is based on agriculture, livestock, manufacturing and mining, and depends workers' remittances and receipts from the SACU. Most of the population is involved in subsistence farming. The other main areas of employment are the clothing industry, mining in South Africa, and employment by the Lesotho government. 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 percentage of the population living below USD Purchasing Power Parity US$1.25/day fell from 48% to 44% between 1995 and 2003.
Demographics
Lesotho has a population of approximately 2,281,454. The population distribution of Lesotho is 25% urban and 75% rural. It is estimated that the annual increase in urban population is 3.5%. 60.2% of the population is between 15 and 64 years of age.
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.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Lesotho (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Lesotho: Key Facts
| Currencies | loti, rand |
|---|---|
| Official languages | English, Sesotho |
| Head of state | Letsie III of Lesotho |
| Head of government | Sam Matekane |
| Form of government | constitutional monarchy |
| Calling code | +266 |
| Internet domain | .ls |
| Highest point | Thabana Ntlenyana |
| Lowest point | Orange River |
| Established | 1966 |
Facts from Wikidata Q1013 (CC0).
History of Lesotho: Empires and States
The atlas records 4 polities whose mapped territory included part of Lesotho, from British Africa in 1885 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here | Extent |
|---|---|---|
| British Africa | 1885–1960 CE | Nearly all |
| The British Empire | 1885–1968 CE | Nearly all |
| British East Africa | 1961–1968 CE | Nearly all |
| Lesotho | 1967–2024 CE | Nearly all |
Historical Maps of Lesotho
Lesotho on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Visiting Lesotho
Lesotho is a small landlocked country entirely surrounded by South Africa. It is known as the "Kingdom in the Sky" because the entire country is at a high altitude. Its lowest point is 1,388 m (4,554 ft) above sea level; no other country in the world has its lowest point above 1,000 m (3,300 ft). Lesotho is a fantastic adventure holiday destination because of its smiling and resourceful people and bracing climate.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Lesotho (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in Lesotho
8 cities recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maseru | 361,324 | Maseru | National capital |
| 2 | Mafetang | 57,059 | Mafeteng | Admin-1 capital |
| 3 | Hlotse | 47,675 | Leribe | Admin-1 capital |
| 4 | Mohales Hoek | 24,992 | Mohale's Hoek | Admin-1 capital |
| 5 | Moyeni | 24,130 | Quthing | Admin-1 capital |
| 6 | Butha-Buthe | 16,330 | Leribe | Admin-1 capital |
| 7 | Mokhotlong | 8,809 | Mokhotlong | Admin-1 capital |
| 8 | Teyateyaneng | 5,115 | Berea | Admin-1 capital |
Highest Mountains in Lesotho
2 mountains recorded. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thabana Ntlenyana | 3,482 m | 11,424 ft | Africa |
| 2 | Mafadi | 3,451 m | 11,322 ft | Africa |
Thabana Ntlenyana
Mountain · 3,482 m
Thabana Ntlenyana is a mountain rising to 3,482 metres (11,424 ft) in Lesotho, in the Africa region.
Thabana Ntlenyana (tah-BAH-nə in-TLAY-nyə-nə) is the highest mountain in southern Africa. It stands 3,482 metres (11,424 ft) tall within the Maloti Mountains that crest Lesotho. The peak's name means "beautiful little mountain" in the Sesotho language, from thaba (mountain), the diminutive -na, ntle (beautiful), and yana (little one). Thabana Ntlenyana is ranked 11th in the world by topographic isolation.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Thabana Ntlenyana (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Elevation
- 3,482 m (11,424 ft)
- Global rank
- #172 of 641 indexed
- Region
- Africa (#16)
- Country
- Lesotho
- Coordinates
- -29.4666°, 29.2667°
Of the 641 named summits indexed in YearMaps, Thabana Ntlenyana ranks #172 by elevation, below Vostok Station (Rus.) (3,488 m) and above Mont Mohi (3,480 m).
- Ranges:
- Drakensberg (Africa), Lebombo Mountains (Africa)
- Neighbouring summits:
- Mafadi (3,451 m), Emlembe (1,862 m), Kompasberg (2,504 m)
- Settlements below:
- Qacha's Nek (91 km), Pietermaritzburg (110 km), Ladysmith (114 km)
More about Thabana Ntlenyana
Geography
Thabana Ntlenyana is situated on the Mohlesi ridge, north of the treacherous Sani Pass. The peak is climbed as part of a "Grand Traverse" of the Maloti, which follows a large system of peaks within the Maloti (Maluti) and the broader Drakensberg. Thabana Ntlenyana, like the broader highlands around it, is made of amygdaloidal flood basalt that formed during the Upper Triassic and Lower Jurassic epochs. Nearby the mountain are the headwaters of the Orange River, which runs approximately 1,300 kilometres (810 mi) to the west before draining into the Atlantic Ocean. Together with its main tributary, the Vaal River, the Orange River's catchment spans around 855,000 square kilometres (330,000 mi2) of land across Southern Africa.
Ecology
The high-elevation treeless areas in the Drakensberg like Thabana Ntlenyana are categorized by the World Wide Fund for Nature as part of the Drakensberg alti-montane grasslands and woodlands ecoregion. This ecoregion is characterized by high elevation and high rainfall, but also by cooler temperatures than more equatorial montane areas. Rainfall comes in summer, often exceeding 1,000 millimetres (39 in) per year. Snowfall can occur in winter. Temperature varies from −8 °C (18 °F) to 32 °C (90 °F), with an average of 13 °C (55 °F).
Vegetation in the Maloti is known to vary with the surface geomorphic features beneath it, such as the soil's grain size, carbon content, and depth. Flora communities are composed largely of tussock grasses and ericoid shrubs.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Thabana Ntlenyana (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Thabana Ntlenyana: Key Facts
| Topographic prominence | 2,390 m |
|---|---|
| Mountain range | Maloti Mountains |
Facts from Wikidata Q733132 (CC0).
Mafadi
Mountain · 3,451 m
Mafadi is a mountain rising to 3,451 metres (11,322 ft) in South Africa and Lesotho, in the Africa region. The summit stands on the border between them. From PeakBagger.com, with kind permission..
Maifadi is a peak on the border of South Africa and Lesotho. At a height of 3,446.1 metres (11,306 ft), it is the highest mountain in the nation of South Africa, but is lower than Thabana Ntlenyana, the highest peak in Lesotho which is, at 3,482 metres (11,424 ft), the highest point in Southern Africa.
By the Himalayan definition of a mountain, being a summit with at least 7% topographic prominence relative to height, Maifadi is not in fact a mountain summit, but rather a subsidiary summit of Makheka in Lesotho. By this definition, Champagne Castle is the highest mountain summit in South Africa, although Maifadi is unquestionably the highest point in South Africa.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Mafadi (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Elevation
- 3,451 m (11,322 ft)
- Global rank
- #181 of 641 indexed
- Region
- Africa (#18)
- Countries
- South Africa, Lesotho
- Coordinates
- -29.2000°, 29.3600°
Of the 641 named summits indexed in YearMaps, Mafadi ranks #181 by elevation, below Obasta Tsukai (3,452 m) and above Cerro El Jabaln (3,440 m).
- Ranges:
- Drakensberg (Africa), Lebombo Mountains (Africa)
- Neighbouring summits:
- Thabana Ntlenyana (3,482 m)
Rivers in Lesotho
2 rivers recorded. Listed alphabetically. A river is listed where its mapped reach lies, so long rivers appear under more than one country.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Lesotho
1 World Heritage Site recorded. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each.
| # | Name | Inscribed | Type | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maloti-Drakensberg Park | 2000 | Mixed | (i) (iii) (vii) (x) |
Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of Lesotho
1 landform recorded. Ranked by mapped area. Covers mountain ranges, deserts, plateaus, named glaciers, plains, basins, peninsulas and capes. One that crosses a border is listed under every country it lies in, with the area of the whole feature.
| # | Name | Area | Type | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Drakensberg | 296,305 km² | Range/mtn | Africa |
Drakensberg
Range/mtn · 296,305 km²
Drakensberg is a range/mtn in Africa, covering an estimated 296,305 km². It extends across South Africa and Lesotho. It is the 10th-largest of the 216 mountain ranges with a mapped extent in YearMaps.
The Drakensberg (Zulu: uKhahlamba; Sotho: Maloti; Afrikaans: Drakensberge) is the eastern portion of the Great Escarpment, which encloses the central Southern African plateau. The Great Escarpment reaches its greatest elevation – 2,000 to 3,482 metres (6,562 to 11,424 feet) within the border region of South Africa and Lesotho.
The Drakensberg escarpment stretches for more than 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) from the Eastern Cape Province in the South (starting at the Baziya mountains and just outside Tsolo), then successively forms, in order from south to north, the border between Lesotho and the Eastern Cape and the border between Lesotho and KwaZulu-Natal Province. Thereafter it forms the border between KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State, and next as the border between KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga Province. The escarpment winds north from there, through Mpumalanga, where it includes features such as the Blyde River Canyon, Three Rondavels, and God's Window. It then extends farther north to Hoedspruit in southeastern Limpopo where it is known as 'Klein Drakensberg' by the Afrikaner.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Drakensberg (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Feature class
- Range/mtn
- Mapped extent
- 296,305 km²
- Size rank
- #10 of 216 mountain ranges
- Region
- Africa
- Countries
- South Africa, Lesotho
- Coordinates
- -30.0926°, 28.7926°
- Summits:
- Thabana Ntlenyana (3,482 m), Mafadi (3,451 m)
- Adjacent ranges:
- Witwatersrand (Africa), Lebombo Mountains (Africa)
- Settlements:
- Maseru (83 km), Hlotse (85 km), Mohales Hoek (97 km)
More about Drakensberg
Geography
The highest peak is Thabana Ntlenyana, at 3,482 m (11,424 ft). Other notable peaks include Mafadi at 3,450 metres (11,320 ft), Makoaneng at 3,416 metres (11,207 ft), Njesuthi at 3,408 metres (11,181 ft), Champagne Castle at 3,377 metres (11,079 ft), Giant's Castle at 3,315 metres (10,876 ft), Ben Macdhui at 3,001 metres (9,846 ft), and Popple Peak at 3,331 metres (10,928 ft), all of these are in the area bordering on Lesotho, which contains an area popular for hikers, Cathedral Peak. North of Lesotho the range becomes lower and less rugged until entering Mpumalanga where the quartzite mountains of the Transvaal Drakensberg are loftier and more broken and they form the eastern rim of the Transvaal Basin, the Blyde River Canyon lying within this stretch.
Geology
The Great Escarpment is composed of steep rift valley walls formed around a bulging of continental crust during the breakup of southern Gondwana that have since eroded inland from their original positions near the southern African coast, and its entire eastern portion (see the accompanying map) constitutes the Drakensberg. The Drakensberg terminate in the north near Tzaneen at about the 22° S parallel. The absence of the Great Escarpment for approximately 450 km (280 mi) to the north of Tzaneen (to reappear on the border between Zimbabwe and Mozambique in the Chimanimani Mountains) is due to a failed westerly branch of the main rift that caused Antarctica to start drifting away from southern Africa during the breakup of Gondwana about 150 million years ago.
Ecology
The high treeless peaks of the Drakensberg (from 2,500 m (8,200 ft) upward) have been described by the World Wide Fund for Nature as the Drakensberg alti-montane grasslands and woodlands ecoregion. These steep slopes are the most southerly high mountains in Africa, and being farther from the equator provide cooler habitats at lower elevations than most mountain ranges on the continent. High rainfall generates many mountain streams and rivers, including the sources of the Orange River, southern Africa's longest, and the Tugela River.
These mountains also have the world's highest waterfall, the Tugela Falls (Thukela Falls), which has a total drop of 947 m (3,107 ft) (Venezuela's Angel Falls is also a candidate for highest waterfall).
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Drakensberg (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Drakensberg: Key Facts
| Length | 1,000 km |
|---|---|
| Highest point | Thabana Ntlenyana |
| Part of | Great Escarpment, Australia |
Facts from Wikidata Q183295 (CC0).
Countries Bordering Lesotho
Land and maritime neighbours.
More Maps in Africa
Lesotho: Quick Answers
- What is the capital of Lesotho?
- The capital of Lesotho is Maseru.
- What is the population of Lesotho?
- Lesotho has a population of about 2.36 million, the #145 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.
- How big is Lesotho?
- Lesotho covers 30,355 km², ranking #143 by area, with about 78 people per square kilometre.
- Which continent is Lesotho in?
- Lesotho is in Africa.
- Which countries border Lesotho?
- Lesotho shares a land or maritime border with South Africa.
- What is the largest city in Lesotho?
- Maseru is the largest city in Lesotho, with a metropolitan population of about 361,324.
- What is the highest mountain in Lesotho?
- The highest summit recorded for Lesotho in YearMaps is Thabana Ntlenyana at 3,482 m (11,424 ft). Summits on a border are counted for both countries.