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Lesotho
Background
A Brief History
Lesotho was originally inhabited by local tribes of hunter-gatherers called the Khoisan. Later came the Bantu tribes and eventually the Sotho-Tswana peoples. In 1822 King Moshoeshoe I united the land under one rule for the first time. Lesotho (formerly Basutoland) was constituted as a native state under British protection by a treaty signed with the native chief Moshoeshoe in 1843.
It was annexed to Cape Colony in 1871, but in 1884 it was restored to direct control by the Crown. The colony of Basutoland became the independent nation of Lesotho on October 4th, 1966, with King Moshoeshoe II as sovereign. For the first 20 years, the Basotho National Party remained in power. The country has since had changes in power and leaders with some protests and some unrest.
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Official Name:
Kingdom of Lesotho
Short form: Lesotho
former: Basutoland
ISO Country Code: ls
Local Time = UTC +2h
Country Calling Code: +266
Capital City: Maseru (1997 pop. est. 386 000)
Other Cities:
Teyateyaneng (pop. est. 240 754), Leribe (300 160), Mafeteng (211 970), Mohale's Hoek (184 034).
Government:
Type: Modified constitutional monarchy.
Independence: 4 October 1966. (from 1868 until independence Lesotho was placed under British protection.)
Geography:
Location: South Africa
Area: 30,355 sq. km. (11 718 sq. mi.).
Terrain: High veld, plateau and mountains.
Climate: Temperate; summers hot, winters cool to cold; humidity generally low and evenings cool year-round. Rainy season in summer, winters dry. Southern hemisphere seasons are reversed.