Lesotho, formerly Kingdom of Basutoland, is a small African country located in the east-central portion of South Africa. Its territory has high altitudes: approximately 75% of its area is more than a thousand meters above sea level.
This territory became, in 1868, a British protectorate, becoming a Crown colony in 1884. It was only in 1996 that independence was obtained, and the country adopted the name of the Kingdom of Lesotho, integrating the British Commonwealth – an organization formed by the United Kingdom and its former colonies.
The national economy is underdeveloped, as the country is extremely dependent on South Africa. The main economic activity is agriculture, especially subsistence, in which corn, sorghum, wheat and beans are grown. Another highlight is sheep farming in the Drakensberg Mountains.
Lesotho has several socioeconomic problems. Most of the population lives below the poverty line, that is, on less than $1.25 a day; life expectancy is one of the lowest on the planet: 42.3 years; the infant mortality rate is 67 deaths per thousand live births. Another aspect of total relevance is that the country has one of the highest rates of HIV carriers in the world.
Coat of arms
Lesotho Data:
Territorial extension: 30,355 km²
Location: Africa
Capital: Maseru
Climate: Tropical altitude
Government: parliamentary monarchy
Administrative division: 10 districts
Language: English and sessoto (official)
Religion: Christianity - 91.8% (Catholics - 50.1%; no affiliation - 14.5%; others - 27.2%); traditional beliefs - 7%; others - 1%; no religion and atheism - 0.2%.
Population: 2,066,919 inhabitants (Men: 975,604; Women: 1,091,315)
Ethnic composition: Sotos - 99%; other -1%
Demographic density: 68 inhab/km²
Average annual population growth rate: 0.8%
Population residing in urban areas: 26.15%
Population residing in rural areas: 73.85%
Illiteracy: 17.8%
Undernourished population: 15%
Life expectancy at birth: 42.3 years
Households with access to drinking water: 78%
Households with access to a health network: 36%
Human Development Index (HDI): 0.427 (low)
Currency: Loti
Gross Domestic Product (GDP): 1.6 billion dollars
GDP per capita: 797 dollars
External relations: World Bank, British Commonwealth, IMF, WTO, UN, SADC, AU.
By Wagner de Cerqueira and Francisco
Graduated in Geography
Brazil School Team
countries - geography - Brazil School
