UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Lesotho
Lesotho has 1 site on the UNESCO World Heritage List (1 mixed), the first inscribed in 2000 (Maloti-Drakensberg Park). The map below plots it alongside the rest of the List, and each site is written up in full further down the page.
- World Heritage Sites
- 1
- Cultural
- 0
- Natural and Mixed
- 1
- First Inscribed
- 2000
Map of World Heritage Sites in Lesotho
CulturalNaturalMixedIn DangerLarge dots are in Lesotho. Click a dot to read about the site.
Maloti-Drakensberg Park
Lesotho · 29.4665° S, 29.3939° E · 2,493 km² · 98 km from Pietermaritzburg
The Maloti-Drakensberg Park is a World Heritage Site, established on 11 June 2001 by linking the Sehlabathebe National Park in the Kingdom of Lesotho and the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The highest peak is Thaba Ntlenyana rising to 3,482 metres.
Proposed extensions to the main park include the Golden Gate Highlands National Park, Sterkfontein Dam Nature Reserve (Free State) and Royal Natal National Park (KwaZulu-Natal) in South Africa; and the Bokong Nature Reserve and Ts'ehlanyane National Park in Lesotho.
The park is situated in the Drakensberg Mountains which form the highest areas in the sub-region, and support unique montane and sub-alpine ecosystems. These ecosystems hold a globally significant plant and animal biodiversity, with unique habitats and high levels of endemism. The park is also home to the greatest gallery of rock art in the world with hundreds of sites and many thousands of images painted by the Bushmen (San people).
The Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation and Development Area was conceived as a Peace park, covering about 8 113 km2, consisting of 5 170 km2 (64%) in Lesotho and 2 943 km2 (36%) in KwaZulu-Natal.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Maloti-Drakensberg Park (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Why Maloti-Drakensberg Park Is Listed
- (i)
- A masterpiece of human creative genius.
- (iii)
- A unique testimony to a cultural tradition or civilisation.
- (vii)
- Superlative natural phenomena or exceptional natural beauty.
- (x)
- The most important natural habitats for conserving biodiversity.
More about Maloti-Drakensberg Park
UNESCO's Description
The Maloti-Drakensberg Park is a transnational property composed of the uKhahlamba Drakensberg National Park in South Africa and the Sehlathebe National Park in Lesotho. The site has exceptional natural beauty in its soaring basaltic buttresses, incisive dramatic cutbacks, and golden sandstone ramparts as well as visually spectacular sculptured arches, caves, cliffs, pillars and rock pools. The site's diversity of habitats protects a high level of endemic and globally important plants. The site harbors endangered species such as the Cape vulture ( Gyps coprotheres ) and the bearded vulture ( Gypaetus barbatus ). Lesotho’s Sehlabathebe National Park also harbors the Maloti minnow ( Pseudobarbus quathlambae ), a critically endangered fish species only found in this park. This spectacular natural site contains many caves and rock-shelters with the largest and most concentrated group of paintings in Africa south of the Sahara. They represent the spiritual life of the San people, who lived in this area over a period of 4,000 years.
From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).
Key Facts
| Established | 2013 |
|---|---|
| Area | 2,493 km² |
Facts from Wikidata Q6744547 (CC0).
World Heritage in Lesotho: Quick Answers
- How many UNESCO World Heritage Sites are in Lesotho?
- Lesotho has 1 World Heritage Site: 1 mixed.
- What was the first World Heritage Site in Lesotho?
- Maloti-Drakensberg Park, inscribed in 2000.
- What are the natural World Heritage Sites in Lesotho?
- Maloti-Drakensberg Park (mixed).
- Are any World Heritage Sites in Lesotho in danger?
- None of the World Heritage Sites in Lesotho is on UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger.