Geography of Lesotho – The Ultimate Free Guide 2021
Learn facts and Geography of Lesotho including Major Geographical Features, Natural resources, Region, area, Capital, Border countries, rivers in Lesotho.
- Lesotho officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is an enclaved country surrounded entirely by South Africa.
- The official languages are Sesotho and English.
- Lesotho was previously the British Crown Colony of Basutoland, but it declared independence from the United Kingdom on 4 October 1966. It is now a fully sovereign state and is a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, the African Union, and the Southern African Development Community.
- The name Lesotho roughly translates to “land of the Sotho”.
Geography of Lesotho
Region:
Southern Africa
Area:
Ranked 141st
Capital:
Maseru
Population:
2,108,328
Bordering Countries:
Lesotho is completely surrounded by South Africa, making it one of only three countries in the world that are enclaved within another country; the other two are San Marino and Vatican City, both located within Italy.
Total Size:
30,355 km2
Geographical Coordinates:
29°30′S 28°30′
World Region or Continent:
Africa
General Terrain:
Lesotho is a mountainous, landlocked country located in Southern Africa. It is an enclave, surrounded by South Africa. The total length of the country’s borders is 909 kilometer’s (565 mi) Its lowest point is at 1,400 meters (4,593 ft.), the highest lowest point of any country.
Geographical Low Point:
Junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers
Geographical High Point:
Geographical High Point
Climate:
Thabana Ntlenyana
Major cities:
| Maseru |
| Teyateyaneng |
| Mafeteng |
| Hlotse |
| Mohale’s Hoek |
| Maputsoe |
| Qacha’s Nek |
| Quthing |
| Butha-Buthe |
| Mokhotlong |
| Thaba-Tseka |
Major Land forms:
As for geographic regions in Lesotho, the only real lowlands are in the southwest along the Caledon River. The balance of Lesotho is a series of foothills and plateaus fronting mountains, central, east and north. Significant rivers include the Calendon, Makhaleng, Malibamatso, Matsoku and Orange (or Senqu).
Major Rivers and Lakes:
Major Rivers:
- Orange River
- Caledon River
- Little Caledon River
- Ngoe River
- Tele River
- Makhaleng River
- Senqunyane River
- Mantsonyane River
- Tsedike River
- Malibamat’so River
- Pelaneng River
- Dinakeng River
- Khubelu River
- Mokhotlong River
Major Lakes:
Lake Letsie
Natural Resources:
Natural resources of lesotho are Water, agricultural and grazing land, some diamonds and other minerals. Lesotho is an exporter of excess labor.
Major Geographical Features:
Biomes & Ecosystems:
In all four agro-ecological zones, Lesotho is dominated by the Grassland Biome (Figure 2) with less than 1% of Lesotho covered by forests (Gwimbi et al. 2013). The Grassland Biome is characterized by a single layer of grass with varying degrees of land-cover depending on rainfall and grazing practices.
Topography:
Lesotho is divided into four physiographic regions: the mountain region in the east, the foothills in central Lesotho, the Orange River Valley from the north-east to the south-west, and the lowlands in the west. Two-thirds of Lesotho terrain is mountainous. The highlands have an average elevation of over 2,438 meters
Oceans:
Lesotho is landlocked.
Islands:
There are no islands in lesotho.
Mountain Ranges:
- Makheka.
- Mafadi.
- Tsepeng.
- Khubetsoana.
- Makoaneng.
- Njesuthi.
- Thaba Chitja.
- Seqoqo.
Districts of Lesotho :
| Berea |
| Butha-Buthe |
| Leribe |
| Mafeteng |
| Maseru |
| Mohale’s Hoek |
| Mokhotlong |
| Qacha’s Nek |
| Quthing |
| Thaba-Tseka |
See Also:
