Lesotho; The Kingdom in the Sky.

Lesotho (pronounced li-soo-too), is officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, (formerly Basutoland).  It was constituted as a native state under British protection by a treaty signed with 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 Oct. 4, 1966, with King Moshoeshoe II as sovereign. Lesotho has a constitional monarchy and has a sytyem of government similar to the UK.

Lesotho is a land locked country (being completely surrounded by South Africa) and is commonly known as the Kingdom in the Sky because of its mountainous terrain and height above sea level - Lesotho has the highest "low point" of any country in the world.  The country itself is about the size of Belgium and has a population of around 1.8 million people.

Lesotho's capital city is called Maseru, it is located on its Western border with South Africa. 

It is also the only country in Africa where people live above the snowline.

Lesotho is also famous for suffering the largest number of lightening strikes in the world!

The Basotho people (the local inhabitants of Lesotho) are renowned for their crafts, and their traditional products have a reputation for quality, individuality and variety. For many years ponies were their only means of transport through the mountainous terrain, resulting in a strong tradition of horse-riding and breeding.

The traditional Basotho Hat, or mokorotlo, is the best known of a fine range of grass-works made in Lesotho. The shape is based on Mt Qiloane which can be seen here from the plateau of Thaba Bosiu. This is the ancient stronghold of King Moshoeshoe I, and the sacred centre of the nation where kings are buried. The hat’s conical shape is seen everywhere in the kingdom. The Parliament building is based on the same shape.