Lesotho
Updated: Sep 29, 2022
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Country Name
Lesotho, or officially the Kingdom of Lesotho.
Location
Lesotho is located in southern Africa. Lesotho is an enclave in South Africa, so it is bordered by South Africa to the north, south, east, and west.
Capital
Maseru.
The reason for naming the country
Lesotho was previously the British Crown Colony of Basutoland, but it declared independence from the United Kingdom on 4 October 1966. The name Lesotho roughly translates to "the land of the people who speak Sesotho".
Flag
The current flag of Lesotho was adopted on the 40th anniversary of Lesotho's independence on 4 October 2006. The flag consists of three horizontal stripes blue, white, and green; هn the middle of the white stripe, a Basut black hat is located. The blue represents the sky and rain, and the white represents peace and indicates the country’s internal peace and its peaceful relationship with its sole international neighbor, South Africa, the green represents prosperity or the fertile land that is Lesotho. The traditional Basotho hat, the mokorotlo is said to represent the Basotho cultural heritage.
Language
The national and official languages of Lesotho are English and Sesotho. English is generally spoken in government offices and official businesses. For educational purposes, Sesotho, also known as Sotho, is the native language of the Basotho ethnic group.
Religion
Christianity is the dominant religion in Lesotho and is practiced by approximately 90% of the country's population. (Protestant approx. 50%, and Catholics nearly 40%), the remaining 10% of the population includes adherents from other religions like Islam (Sunnis & Ahmadiyyas), Hinduism, and traditional African religions. There is a small percentage of the population who strictly adhere only to their traditional religion.
Currency
Lesotho loti (LSL), &
South African rand (ZAR).
Time Zone
+02:00 GMT.
Government Regime
Unitary presidential constitutional republic.
Climate
The weather in Lesotho is frequently unstable, with dramatic fluctuations in wind and temperature from day to day. Summer is the wettest season, while winter is the driest. Because it is in the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons are plainly reversed in comparison to the Northern Hemisphere.
Although November to March is the rainiest season, it is also the greatest time to visit Lesotho since it is bright and not as chilly at night as the rest of the year. Lower elevations can get hot during the day, but nights are cool: carry a sweater for the evening even if you're staying in Maseru. However, due to the rainfall, certain mountain roads may be unusable at this time.
Spring and autumn are also ideal times to visit Lesotho, particularly in April, September, and October, when temperatures are pleasant, but there are still significant changes between night and day; the sun shines regularly, and rainfall is possible but not excessive. However, even in spring and fall, it can freeze at night and snow at high altitudes.
International Phone Code
+266
Internet Code
.ls