Lesotho Area Code

+266 is the dialing code for Lesotho.

Lesotho is a small mountainous country, completely surrounded by South Africa. Following the independence of Britain in 1966, a long period of political turbulence followed. Only in the early 2000s was the country given a democratically elected government. Despite hardships such as famine and poverty, the population has increased rapidly in recent decades. The increase has now been slowed down by the HIV epidemic. Economically, Lesotho is almost completely dependent on South Africa, where many residents work.

  • Abbreviationfinder: Brief profiles of Lesotho, including geography, history, politics, economics as well as common acronyms about this country.

Geography and climate

Lesotho Area Code

Lesotho is a small mountainous country, just slightly larger than Småland. It is completely surrounded by South Africa. Between the high mountain range Drakensberg in the east and the Maloti Mountains and Thaba Putsoa in the west, the valley of the Orange River intersects.

At the far west beyond the mountains is a narrow lowland strip with arable land. There is the capital Maseru.

The vegetation consists mostly of grass and shrubs. Hard grazing livestock and intensive utilization of the land have led to severe soil degradation; both plant and animal life have been depleted. However, there are still small populations of stone antelope and leopard.

Lesotho has a pronounced inland climate. Winters can get cold with snow in the mountainous regions, while summers are hot. From November to March, it usually rains quite a bit, but some years the rain does not cause heavy drought.

Country Facts

Geography

Cultivated land 76.1 %
Land area 30355 km 2

Population and health

Population development 0.32 ‰
Urban population (Urbanization) 27.3 %
Death rate 14.89 per 1000 residents
Life expectancy: Women 52.97 years
Life expectancy: Men 52.76 years
Birth rate 25.47 births per 1000 residents
HDI index 0.497
Population 1947701
Infant mortality 49.03 deaths / 1000 births

Population Graph Source: Countryaah.com

Energy

Electricity, production 486 million kWh
Energy consumption per resident 9.7 kg. oil per resident
Natural gas, production million cubic meters
Crude oil, production million tons

Infrastructure

Internet users 5.3 per 100 residents
Mobile subscriptions 110 per 100 residents
Passenger cars 4 per 1000 residents

Business and economics

Unemployment 28.1% of the workforce
GDP 3000 per resident
Primary occupations 86 %
Secondary profession 7 %
Tertiary professions 7 %

FACTS – GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE

Surface

30 355 km2 (2018)

Time

Swedish +1 hour

Adjacent country (s)

South Africa

Capital with number of residents

Maseru 250,000

Other major cities

Hlotse (Leribe) 45,000, Mafeteng 40,000 (estimated 2010)

Highest mountain

Thabana Ntlenyana (3 482 m asl)

Important rivers

the Orange

Average Precipitation / year

725 mm

Average / day

Maseru 25 °C (Jan), 15 °C (July)

2016

December

New party sees the light of day

December 16th

Monyane Moleleki, who was formerly the vice-president of the Democratic Congress (DC), founded a new party called the Democratic Alliance (AD). Moleleki had been excluded from DC a few weeks earlier after challenging Pakalitha Mosisili for the post of party leader.

November

Drop off among ministers

November 8

Economic policy disagreement deepens the political crisis in the country. Prime Minister Mosisili dismisses four ministers, resulting in the resignation of four other ministers. At the same time, 20 MEPs announce that they no longer support the governing coalition, which is thus losing its majority in parliament

Byte of army chief

November 8

General Kamoli agrees to retire as army commander. The reinstatement of Kamoli in the post after the spring 2015 elections created political tensions in the country. Both neighboring countries and the United States have pressed for him to be replaced.