Lesotho

Kingdom of Lesotho Naha ea Lesotho (Sesotho)
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Khotso, Pula, Nala" (Sotho) "Peace, Rain, Prosperity"
Anthem: Lesōthō Fatše La Bo-Ntat'a Rōna (English: "Lesotho, land of our Fathers")
Show globe Show map of Africa
Capital and largest city	Maseru 29°28′S27°56′E / 29.467°S 27.933°E / -29.467; 27.933
Official languages	Sesotho English
Ethnic groups	99.7% Basotho 0.3% Others
Religion (2015)^[1]	92.3% Christianity —49.4% Catholicism —40.7% Protestantism —2.2% Other Christian 6.4% Traditional faiths 1.0% Others 0.3% None
Demonym(s)	Mosotho (singular) Basotho (plural)
Government	Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy

• Monarch	Letsie III
• Prime Minister	Moeketsi Majoro

Legislature	Parliament
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	National Assembly
Independence from United Kingdom

• Granted	4 October 1966

Area
• Total	30,355 km² (11,720 sq mi) (137th)
• Water (%)	0.0032%
Population
• 2018 estimate	2,108,328^[2]^[3] (144th)
• 2004 census	2,142,249
• Density	68.1/km² (176.4/sq mi) (138th)
GDP (PPP)	2017 estimate
• Total	$7.448 billion^[4]
• Per capita	$3,868^[4]
GDP (nominal)	2017 estimate
• Total	$2.721 billion^[4]
• Per capita	$1,413^[4]
Gini (2017)	44.9^[5] medium
HDI (2019)	0.527^[6] low · 165th
Currency	Loti (LSL) South African rand (ZAR)
Time zone	UTC+2 (South African Standard Time)
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy
Driving side	left
Calling code	+266
ISO 3166 code	LS
Internet TLD	.ls

Country Comparisons

Contents