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Lesotho

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Overview

Lesotho · Travel guide

Lesotho ( lih-SOO-too; Sotho pronunciation: [lɪˈsʊːtʰʊ]), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of the three sovereign, non-exclave enclaves in the world. Lesotho is located in the Maloti Mountains, with the highest peak in southern Africa. It has an area of over 30,000 km2 (11,600 mi2), with a population of about 2.3 million. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho was formed in 1824 by King Moshoeshoe I. Continuous encroachments by Dutch settlers made the King enter into an agreement with the United Kingdom to become a protectorate in 1868 and, in 1884, a crown colony. It achieved independence in 1966, and was subsequently ruled by the Basotho National Party (BNP) for two decades. Its constitutional government was restored in 1993 after seven years of military rule. King Moshoeshoe II was exiled in 1990 but returned…

Safety

Lesotho

FCDO travel advice for Lesotho. Includes safety and security, insurance, entry requirements and legal differences.

Official source: UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

Facts & statistics

Lesotho

Capital: Maseru
Language: English
Currency: loti
Time zone: UTC+02:00
Calling code: +266
Internet domain: .ls
Driving side: left
Plug type: BS 546
Voltage: 220

Source: Wikidata.

Events

Lesotho

New Year's DayNew Year's Day2026-01-01

Moshoeshoe DayMoshoeshoe Day2026-03-11

Good FridayGood Friday2026-04-03

Easter MondayEaster Monday2026-04-06

Workers' DayWorkers' Day2026-05-01

Ascension DayAscension Day2026-05-14

Africa Day/ Heroes' DayAfrica Day/ Heroes' Day2026-05-25

King Letsie III's BirthdayKing Letsie III's Birthday2026-07-17

Independence DayIndependence Day2026-10-04

Christmas DayChristmas Day2026-12-25

Source: Nager.Date.

CapitalMaseru

Population2,108,132

CurrencyLSL

Languagesen-LS,st,zu,xh

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Airports

Moshoeshoe I International AirportMaseru(Mazenod)MSULebakeng AirportLebakengLEF Leribe AirportLeribeLRB Lesobeng AirportLesobengLES Mafeteng AirportMafetengMFC Matsaile AirportMatsaileMSG Mokhotlong AirportMokhotlongMKH Nkaus AirportNkausNKU Pelaneng AirportPelanengPEL Qacha's Nek AirportQacha's NekUNE Quthing AirportQuthingUTG Sehonghong AirportSehonghongSHK