Country · Africa
Lesotho
Kingdom of Lesotho
Lesotho is a country in Southern Africa. About 2.1 million people live there, in an area of 30 355 square kilometres. Its capital city is Maseru.
Picture credit: Graham Maclachlan (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Graham Maclachlan (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Graham Maclachlan (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Ymblanter (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Ymblanter (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Lesotho?
Lesotho lies in Southern Africa, on the continent of Africa.
It sits in the southern half of the world, roughly 3 284 km from the equator.
Lesotho is landlocked: it has no coast at all, so you cannot reach the sea without crossing another country.
It shares a border with 1 country: South Africa.
How big is Lesotho?
Lesotho covers 30 355 square kilometres.
That is about 12 times the size of Luxembourg.
Among the world's countries that makes it the 137th largest.
If everybody spread out evenly, there would be about 69.4 people on every square kilometre.
That is close to the world average of roughly 60 people per square kilometre.
Who lives in Lesotho?
About 2.1 million people live in Lesotho.
That is the 143rd biggest population in the world.
People here speak English and Sotho.
They pay with the Lesotho loti and South African rand.
On average, people born here can expect to live about 51 years.
The land of Lesotho
The land of Lesotho sits on average 2 161 metres above sea level — high enough that much of it counts as mountain country.
Because the country is landlocked, everything arriving by ship has to cross its one neighbour, South Africa, first.
It lies between the tropics and the poles, which is the single biggest reason its weather is the way it is.
What makes Lesotho different?
Websites from here often end in .ls.
Lesotho and the rest of the world
Out of every thousand people alive on Earth, about one lives in Lesotho.
It takes up about 0.02 % of all the land that countries stand on.
Within Africa the country ranks 43rd of 54 by size, and 45th by population.
Lesotho and its neighbours
South Africa, its only neighbour, is about 40.2 times bigger.
South Africa has more people: 57.8 million against 2.1 million.
Nature and animals
The highest mountain in the country is Thabana Ntlenyana, at 3 482 metres. The longest river in the country is the Orange River. The country has no large natural lake; its largest body of water, Katse Reservoir, is a reservoir.
Where this country lands in the record lists
How big is Lesotho compared with the United States?
- The United States is about 309 times as big as Lesotho: 9 372 610 km² against 30 355 km².
- The United Kingdom is about 8 times as big as Lesotho: 242 900 km² against 30 355 km².
Questions children ask
What is the capital of Lesotho?
The capital of Lesotho is Maseru. It is the city where the country's government works from.
How many people live in Lesotho?
About 2.1 million people live in Lesotho, which makes it the 143rd most populated country in the world. (Source: World Bank, 2018.)
Which countries border Lesotho?
Lesotho borders South Africa — 1 neighbour in total.
How big is Lesotho?
Lesotho covers 30 355 square kilometres, making it the 137th largest country in the world. That is about 12 times the size of Luxembourg.
What is the highest mountain in Lesotho?
The highest mountain in Lesotho is Thabana Ntlenyana, 3 482 metres above sea level. It is the country's highest point.
What is the longest river in Lesotho?
The longest river in Lesotho is the Orange River. The whole river measures about 2 432 kilometres, and part of that course runs through the country.
What is the largest lake in Lesotho?
The largest body of water in Lesotho is Katse Reservoir, a reservoir of about 36 km²; there is no large natural lake in the country.
Which continent is Lesotho in?
Lesotho is in Africa, in the part called Southern Africa.
Where these numbers come from
Borders and outlines: Natural Earth. Names, capitals, areas, languages and currencies: ISO 3166 data (world-countries). Population: World Bank, 2018. Every derived figure on this page (ranks, density, distance from the equator) is calculated from those values.
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