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General Information
Area 30,355 sq km (11,720 sq miles). Population 2,200,000 (official estimate 2002). Population Density 67.0 per sq km. Capital Maseru. Population: 271,000 (UN estimate 2001, including suburbs). Geography Lesotho is a landlocked country surrounded on all sides by South Africa. It is a mountainous kingdom situated at the highest part of the Drakensberg escarpment on the eastern rim of the South African plateau. Its mountainous terrain is cut by countless valleys and ravines, making it a country of great beauty. To the west, the land descends through a foothill zone of rolling hills to a lowland belt along the border where two-thirds of the population live. Three large rivers, the Caledon, the Orange, and the Tugela, rise in the mountains. Government Kingdom. Gained independence from the UK in 1966. Head of State: King Letsie III since 1996. Head of Government: Prime Minister Bethuel Pakalitha Mosisili since 1998. Language Sesotho and English. Religion 90 per cent Christian; mainly Anglican, Roman Catholic and Lesotho Evangelical. The remainder belong to other denominations, including Islam. Time GMT + 2. Electricity 220 volts AC, 50Hz. Communications Telephone IDD is available to some cities. Country code: 266 (no area codes). Outgoing international code: 00. There is a limited internal telephone network. Mobile telephone GSM 900 networks operated by Econet Ezi-Cel and Vodacom Lesotho. Coverage is limited to main urban areas. Internet There are Internet cafes in Maseru. ISPs include LEO Internet Services (website: www.lesoff.co.za). Telegram Limited facilities exist in main post offices and hotels. For charges, contact the High Commission or Embassy. Post Post office hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1300 and 1400-1630, Sat 0800-1200. Press Lesotho Today, Public Eye and The Sun are the major English-language newspapers. Radio BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov) can be received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most up-to-date can be found online. |
