Basic Information About Lesotho:

The Kingdom of Lesotho, a developing and mountainous country is completely surrounded by South Africa. Agriculture, livestock, manufacturing and mining, are the primary economic drivers and the country is highly dependent on exporting water and electricity to South Africa.

Population: The population of Lesotho is 2,171,181.

GDP: $22.880 billion (2016)

Climate: Lesotho gets hot during the summers and cold during winters. The winters temperature in the lowlands get down to −7 °C (19.4 °F) and the highlands to −20 °C (−4.0 °F). January and February are the usually the two hottest months.  October to April is the rainy season especially in the mountains.  It also snows in the highlands during the May to September.  Despite the different climates, Lesotho is considered the land of clear blue skies and sunshine.

People: Lesotho’s ethno-linguistic structure consists almost entirely of the Basotho, a Bantu-speaking people: an estimated 99.7% of the people identify as Basotho. Basotho subgroups include the Bakuena (Kuena), Batloung (the Tlou), Baphuthi (the Phuti), Bafokeng, Bataung (the Tau), Batšoeneng (the Tšoene), Matebele etc.

Religion: Lesotho Protestants represent 45% of the population (Evangelicals 26%, and Anglican and other Christian groups an additional 19 %.), Roman Catholics represent 45 percent of the population, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Baha’i, and members of traditional indigenous religions comprise the remaining 10 percent of the population.

Capital: Maseru is the capital city of Lesotho. Maseru — whose name is a Sesotho means the “place of the sandstone”

Language: Lesotho has two official languages: Sotho and English. Sotho, also known as Sesotho or Southern Sotho, is the country’s most spoken language, with over 1.7 million native speakers.  This Bantu language is the primary language of most of Lesotho’s population, and is widely used for everyday communication, as well as being used as an administrative language.

Currency: The Basotho Loti is the currency of Lesotho.

Time Zone: UTC+02:00

Country Phone Code: 266

Emergency Number(s): 112; Police: 123, 124 or (266) 2231-2934; Fire: 122; Medical: 121

Electricity: 220 volts, 50 cycles AC

Plug Styles: Type M

Security Concerns: Like many other countries, Lesotho has its share of petty crimes such as pick pocketing and purse snatching.  Crimes against foreigners are on the rise, so, foreigners are cautioned to be careful and vigilant.