Completely landlocked by South Africa, Lesotho is known as 'The Kingdom of the Sky' and has a spectacular and beautiful mountain landscape, ideal for trekking amidst the Thaba-Putsoa and Drakensburg Mountains. A particular challenge is to summit Thabana Ntlenyana, the highest peak in Africa south of Kilimanjaro at 3,482 metres. Explore in depth highlights of Lesotho.
| Tours | Unesco WHS | Guidebooks |
|---|---|---|
| groups tours with set departures |
0 World Heritage Sites | country, regions and cities |
| Time zone: | GMT +2 (Central Africa time) | Daylight savings: None |
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| Main languages: | English, Sesotho | Other languages: Xhosa, Zulu |
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| Currency: |
maloti (LSL) €1 = L16.22, $1 = L14.53, £1 = L19.33 (rates as of Sep 2016) |
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| Internet Domain: | .ls | International Dialling Code: 266 |
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For help planning your trip to Lesotho including visas, vaccinations, currency exchange, flights, accomodation and insurance, see our Lesotho trip planning page.
Further information on Lesotho
Discover more about Lesotho - the country's geogrpahy and natural features, an assessment of its status on freedom and rights and data on the country's population and economy.
Geography & Natural Features
Total area: 30,355 sq km (0 sq km under water)
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Neighbours (border lengths): South Africa (909km)
Climate: Continental climate with cold, dry winters and hot, wet summers.
Highest mountain: Thabana Ntlenyana (3,482m)
Freedom & Rights
Summary status and rankings for Lesotho from classifications of different organisations measuring political and economic freedom, democracy and civil rights. See more details of these rankings.
| Index | Status | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Freedom in the World | Free | - |
 | Democracy Index | Flawed democracy | 60/167 |
 | Economic Freedom | Repressed | 155/179 |
 | Press Freedom | Noticeable problems | 75/179 |
 | ILGA LGBT rights | Limited rights | - |
 | Corruption Perceptions | Medium corruption | 55/174 |
| Overall Ranking: | 73/195 | ||
Other Data & Links
Full name: Kingdom of Lesotho Status: Independent Country
Population: 1,942,008 (rank: 145/196) Density: 63.9 people/sq km (rank: 118/196)
Ethnic groups: Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%,
Religions: Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%
GDP (PPP): $4.27 billion GDP per capita: $2,200 (rank: 160/195)
Information derived from the CIA World Factbook. Other country profiles: BBC News.