Lesotho 🇱🇸
Lesotho is a country in Africa with a population of 2,305,825. Its capital is Maseru. The official currency is LSL, and the main languages are Sesotho, English.
Quick facts
- Capital: Maseru
- Continent: Africa
- Population: 2,305,825
- Area: 30,355 km²
- Density: 76.0 people per km²
- Currency: LSL
- Languages: Sesotho, English
- ISO code: LS
Where Lesotho sits
Lesotho 🇱🇸 is one of 54 countries in Africa, with its capital at Maseru. It covers 30,355 square kilometres — 138th in the world — and is home to about 2,305,825 people, 145th globally.
The countries it shares a continent with include Nigeria, Ethiopia, Egypt, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania. If you are learning geography region by region — which works far better than alphabetically, because memory for places is spatial — those are the ones to learn alongside it.
How Lesotho compares
Raw figures are hard to hold on their own, so it helps to anchor them. In population, Lesotho sits closest to Gabon and Slovenia. In land area, its nearest counterparts are Belgium and Armenia.
At 76.0 people per square kilometre it is somewhat above the world average of 59.4. It ranks higher by area than by population, so it is more spacious than its population alone suggests.
Sesotho is listed as official in Lesotho alone. The LSL is used by Lesotho and no one else.
To see Lesotho next to every other country, sort the country rankings by population, area or density; its currency and languages are listed alongside every other country's in world currencies and world languages.
How to remember Lesotho
Maseru lies on the Caledon River, right on the border with South Africa, so the capital is on the edge of the country that surrounds it. For the flag, picture the Basotho hat sitting on a white cloud between a blue sky and green fields.
The flag of Lesotho: blue, white and green, with a black hat
🇱🇸 The flag is three horizontal stripes of blue, white and green, with a black mokorotlo (a traditional Basotho straw hat) in the centre of the white stripe. Blue stands for rain, white for peace and green for prosperity. The mokorotlo is a national symbol. This version of the flag was introduced in 2006, for 40 years of independence.
Region and neighbours
Lesotho is a small, mountainous, landlocked kingdom in Southern Africa, completely surrounded by South Africa. It shares land borders with one country: South Africa. Lesotho is an enclave: South Africa surrounds it on every side, so it is Lesotho's only neighbour. Lesotho is landlocked, with no coast on the open ocean.
- South Africa 🇿🇦 — capital Pretoria
Three facts about Lesotho
- Lesotho is the only independent state in the world that lies entirely above 1,000 m. Its lowest point, about 1,400 m, is the highest lowest point of any country.
- Surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of the world's three sovereign enclaves. The other two are Vatican City and San Marino.
- Lesotho, once called Basutoland, became independent from the United Kingdom on 4 October 1966.
Sources: Wikipedia: Lesotho, Wikipedia: Flag of Lesotho, Wikipedia: Maseru, CIA World Factbook.
Quiz yourself on Lesotho
- African capitals quiz — match Lesotho to Maseru
- African flags quiz — spot the Lesotho flag among its neighbours
- Landlocked countries quiz — Lesotho has no sea coast
Quizzes that include Lesotho
Three angles are worth covering for any country — where it is, what its flag looks like, and what its capital is. For Lesotho those are:
- Africa map quiz — place it on a blank map
- Africa flags quiz — identify its flag among its neighbours
- Africa capitals quiz — match it to Maseru
- Lesotho capital quiz — five quick questions starting with Lesotho
- Daily Map Challenge — five countries to find on a blank world map, the same five for everyone each day
Doing all three for one continent before moving on is far more efficient than learning flags globally, then capitals globally, then the map.
Read more about Lesotho
- Capital of Lesotho: Maseru — the capital in detail, with size and density rankings
- All 54 countries of Africa
Nearby countries
- Algeria 🇩🇿 — capital Algiers
- Angola 🇦🇴 — capital Luanda
- Benin 🇧🇯 — capital Porto-Novo
- Botswana 🇧🇼 — capital Gaborone
- Burkina Faso 🇧🇫 — capital Ouagadougou
- Burundi 🇧🇮 — capital Gitega
- Cabo Verde 🇨🇻 — capital Praia
- Cameroon 🇨🇲 — capital Yaoundé
- Central African Republic 🇨🇫 — capital Bangui
- Chad 🇹🇩 — capital N'Djamena
- Comoros 🇰🇲 — capital Moroni
- Congo 🇨🇬 — capital Brazzaville
Frequently asked questions
What are the colours of the Lesotho flag?
The flag of Lesotho is three horizontal stripes of blue, white and green, with a black mokorotlo (a traditional Basotho straw hat) in the centre of the white stripe. Blue stands for rain, white for peace and green for prosperity. The mokorotlo is a national symbol. This version of the flag was introduced in 2006, for 40 years of independence.
Which countries border Lesotho?
Lesotho shares land borders with South Africa. Lesotho is an enclave: South Africa surrounds it on every side, so it is Lesotho's only neighbour.
How can I remember the capital of Lesotho?
Maseru lies on the Caledon River, right on the border with South Africa, so the capital is on the edge of the country that surrounds it. For the flag, picture the Basotho hat sitting on a white cloud between a blue sky and green fields.