Lesotho
Lesotho is a sovereign state in southern Africa. Its capital is Maseru. About 2.2 million people live there (2017). It covers 30,355 square kilometres.
- Capital
- Maseru
- People (2017)
- 2.2 million
- Area
- 30,355 km²
- Currency
- loti
Lesotho at a glance
- Official name
- Kingdom of Lesotho
- Status
- Sovereign country
- Continent
- Africa
- Capital
- Maseru
- Population
- 2,233,339 (2017)
- Area
- 30,355 km² (11,720 mi²)
- People are called
- Mosotho, Basotho
- Official languages
- English, Sesotho
- Currency
- loti, rand
- GDP (nominal)
- US$2.6 billion (2022)
- Life expectancy
- 54.2 years (2016)
- Human Development Index
- 0.514 (2021)
- Gini coefficient
- 44.9 (2017)
- Unemployment
- 26% (2014)
- Government
- constitutional monarchy
- Head of state
- Letsie III of Lesotho (since 1996)
- Head of government
- Sam Matekane (since 2022)
- Country codes
- LS, LSO
- Calling code
- +266
- Internet domain
- .ls
- Drives on the
- left
- Time zones
- UTC+02:00, Africa/Maseru
- Coordinates
- -29.55°, 28.25°
Lesotho and its neighbours
Lesotho borders South Africa. Click a neighbour on the map to open its page.
- Lesotho
- Neighbours
Divisions of Lesotho
- Berea District
- Butha-Buthe District
- Leribe District
- Mafeteng District
- Maseru District
- Mohale's Hoek District
- Mokhotlong District
- Qacha's Nek District
- Quthing District
- Thaba-Tseka District
Member of
- United Nations
- Commonwealth of Nations
- African Union
- World Trade Organization
- International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
- International Development Association
- International Finance Corporation
- Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
- International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes
- African Development Bank
- United Nations–African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur
- Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States
- Interpol
- Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
- UNESCO
and 10 more organisations.
How far are you from Lesotho?
On a phone this uses GPS. The calculator shows the straight-line distance to the nearest country border from where you are.
Questions
What is the capital of Lesotho?
The capital of Lesotho is Maseru.
What is the population of Lesotho?
Lesotho has about 2,233,339 people, as recorded in 2017.
How big is Lesotho?
Lesotho covers 30,355 square kilometres (11,720 square miles).
What currency does Lesotho use?
The loti.
What language is spoken in Lesotho?
The official languages of Lesotho are English and Sesotho.
Which countries border Lesotho?
Lesotho shares a border with South Africa.
Data from Wikidata (CC0), retrieved October 9, 2026. Each figure carries the year it was recorded; a statistic with no recorded date is not shown as current. More on Wikipedia.