Lesotho

LESOTHO
Land of mountains and plateaux where the rugged terrain of this 'Kingdom in the Sky' is best covered by sturdy Basotho ponies.

Sent by Kelly's parents who visited Lesotho in May.

Lesotho (/lɨˈsuːtuː/ li-soo-too), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country completely surrounded by South Africa. It is just over 30,000 km² (11,583 sq mi) in size and has a population slightly over two million. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name Lesotho translates roughly into the land of the people who speak Sotho. About 40% of the population lives below the international poverty line of US $1.25 a day. (read further)

Lesotho - Mosotho Rider

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KINGDOM OF LESOTHO
Mosotho Rider. Mosotho is also known as Basotho.

Sent by Phillip from Maseru in Lesotho.

"The Basotho are a group of people from a cluster of tribes united under King Moshoeshoe I (Moo shway shway) during the early 1800’s. Moving south from the Transvaal region of South Africa, they settled in the Orange Free State and on into the mountainous area now known as The Kingdom of Lesotho. Lesotho, with an area of 11,720 square miles, is completely surrounded by the Republic of South Africa.

Rugged, beautiful Lesotho ranges from five thousand feet in the western lowlands to more than eleven thousand feet in the majestic Maluti Mountains, which cover the majority of the country.

It is often called “the roof of Africa.” With few good roads, many areas are accessible only by horseback or light plane. Today, approximately 2.3 million Basotho live in the mountain kingdom of Lesotho while another 3 million live in the Republic of South Africa. Lesotho itself is severely overpopulated in the lowlands. Life expectancy is approximately 52 years of age but with the onslaught of AIDS this is reducing.

The majority of the Basotho in South Africa reside in the Orange Free State Province which borders Lesotho; however, there is also a large population in the city of Johannesburg." (Source)