Lesotho is a sovereign country in Southern Africa, in the wider region of Africa. Its full official name is Kingdom of Lesotho. Its seat of government is Maseru.
It is home to roughly 2.3 million people, placing it 147th of 250 by population — between Albania above it and Guinea-Bissau below. Among the 5 entries in Southern Africa it ranks 4th by area and 4th by population.
The land area is 30,355 km², which ranks it 143rd of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind Belgium and just ahead of Armenia. Put next to a country most people can picture, it is almost exactly the same size as Belgium.
The lie of the land
Plotted on a globe it falls at 29.5° south, 28.5° east, which puts it in the southern hemisphere, roughly 3,284 km from the equator, in what geographers would call subtropical latitudes.
Follow that same latitude east or west and you reach Chile and Norfolk Island — places that share its distance from the equator but little else.
It has exactly one neighbour, South Africa, which surrounds it completely. Only a handful of places on earth are enclaved inside a single country like this, and it means every overland route in or out crosses South Africa.
It has no sea coast of its own. That is true of 45 of the 250 entries here, so all seaborne trade runs through a neighbour's ports. You can see the full picture on the landlocked countries page.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
The people of Lesotho
Density comes out at around 77 people per square kilometre, which makes it less crowded than the typical entry on this list. Half the entries in this dataset fall below roughly 90 per square kilometre.
Officially it is multilingual, listing English and Sotho. English, the first listed, is shared with 90 other entries worldwide.
Someone from Lesotho is a Mosotho.
Against Africa as a whole it is the 45th most populous of 59 entries, and it accounts for 3.2% of everyone living in Southern Africa.
Useful reference details
More than one currency circulates: Lesotho loti (LSL) and South African rand (ZAR). It is issued for Lesotho alone.
Maseru is the city to remember for this country.
Its internet country code is .ls. The international dialling code is +266. Standard country codes: ls and LSO.
It holds a seat at the United Nations, one of 193 entries here that do. The other 57 entries are territories, dependencies or observers, which is why totals on this site run to 250 rather than the familiar 195.
Neighbouring countries
Lesotho shares borders with 1 country:
Fun facts about Lesotho
- It is landlocked, one of 45 entries here with no coastline of its own.
- Websites based there use the .ls domain.
- Within Southern Africa it is the 4th largest of 5.
- Its capital city is Maseru.
- It lies about 3,284 km from the equator, in subtropical latitudes.
- English is official here and in 90 other entries worldwide.
Lesotho — frequently asked questions
- What is the capital of Lesotho?
- The capital of Lesotho is Maseru.
- Where is Lesotho located?
- Lesotho is in Southern Africa, part of Africa. Its reference coordinates are 29.5° south and 28.5° east, roughly 3,284 km from the equator in subtropical latitudes.
- What is the population of Lesotho?
- Lesotho has a population of about 2.3 million, which makes it the 147th most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. Albania sits just above it and Guinea-Bissau just below.
- What language is spoken in Lesotho?
- Lesotho lists 2 official languages: English and Sotho.
- Is Lesotho a country?
- Yes. Lesotho is a sovereign state and one of the 193 UN members listed on this site.
- What currency does Lesotho use?
- Lesotho uses the Lesotho loti, written L (currency code LSL). No other entry in this dataset uses it.
- Which countries border Lesotho?
- Just one: South Africa, which surrounds Lesotho entirely.
- How big is Lesotho?
- Lesotho covers 30,355 km², ranking 143rd of 250 by land area. That makes it almost exactly the same size as Belgium.
- Is Lesotho landlocked?
- Yes. Lesotho has no sea coast, which makes it one of 45 landlocked entries in this dataset. Everything it imports or exports by sea has to cross a neighbour's territory first, and that transit dependency is a well-documented drag on trade costs.
