{"id":6775,"date":"2020-12-02T04:00:15","date_gmt":"2020-12-02T04:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/?p=6775"},"modified":"2020-12-02T19:09:15","modified_gmt":"2020-12-02T19:09:15","slug":"lesotho","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/lesotho\/","title":{"rendered":"Lesotho"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction:<\/h2>\n

Lesotho, officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is an enclaved country<\/a> within the border of South Africa<\/a>. Along with the Vatican City<\/a> and San Marino<\/a>, it is one of only three independent states completely surrounded by the territory of another country. Additionally, it is the only such state outside the Italian peninsula, and the only one that is not a microstate<\/a>. Lesotho is just over 30,000 km2 (11,583 sq mi) and has a population of around 2 million. Its capital and largest city is Maseru<\/a>. The official language is Sesotho<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lesotho in Africa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lesotho was previously the British Crown Colony<\/a> of Basutoland<\/a>, 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<\/a>, the Commonwealth of Nations<\/a>, the African Union<\/a>, and the Southern African Development Community (SADC)<\/a>. The name Lesotho roughly translates to “the land of the people who speak Sesotho”.<\/p>\n

History:<\/h2>\n

Early History:<\/h3>\n

The original inhabitants of Lesotho were the San people<\/a>. Examples of their rock art can be found in the mountains throughout the area.[10]<\/p>\n

Modern Lesotho, then called Basutoland, emerged as a single polity under King Moshoeshoe I<\/a> in 1822.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
King Moshoeshoe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Moshoeshoe, a son of Mokhachane, a minor chief of the Bakoteli lineage, formed his own clan and became a chief around 1804. Between 1821 and 1823, he and his followers settled at the Butha-Buthe Mountain<\/a>, joining with former adversaries in resistance against the Lifaqane<\/a> associated with the reign of Shaka Zulu<\/a> from 1818 to 1828.<\/p>\n

Further evolution of the state emerged from conflicts between British Empire and Dutch colonists leaving the Cape Colony<\/a> following its seizure from the French-allied Dutch by the British in 1795, and also from the Orange River Sovereignty<\/a> and subsequent Orange Free State<\/a>. Missionaries Thomas Arbousset, Eug\u00e8ne Casalis and Constant Gosselin from the Paris Evangelical Missionary Society<\/a>, invited by Moshoeshoe I, were placed at Morija<\/a>, developing Sesotho orthography and printed works in the Sesotho language between 1837 and 1855. Casalis, acting as translator and providing advice on foreign affairs, helped set up diplomatic channels and acquire guns for use against the encroaching Europeans and the Griqua people<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Trekboers<\/a> from the Cape Colony arrived on the western borders of Basutoland and claimed rights to its land, the first of which being Jan de Winnaar, who settled in the Matlakeng<\/a> area in May\u2013June 1838.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Boer Family 1886<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Incoming Boers<\/a> attempted to colonize the land between the two rivers and even north of the Caledon<\/a>, claiming that it had been abandoned by the Sotho people. Moshoeshoe subsequently signed a treaty with the British Governor of the Cape Colony, Sir George Thomas Napier<\/a>, that annexed the Orange River Sovereignty where many Boers had settled.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
George Thomas Napier<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

These outraged Boers were suppressed in a brief skirmish in 1848. In 1851, a British force was defeated by the Basotho army at Kolonyama, provoking an embarrassing war for the British. After repelling another British attack in 1852, Moshoeshoe sent an appeal to the British commander that settled the dispute diplomatically, and then defeated the Batlokoa in 1853. In 1854, the British pulled out of the region, and in 1858, Moshoeshoe fought a series of wars with the Boers in what is known as the Free State\u2013Basotho War<\/a>. As a result, Moshoeshoe lost a great portion of the western lowlands. The last war with the Boers ended in 1867 when Moshoeshoe appealed to Queen Victoria<\/a>, who agreed to make Basutoland a British protectorate in 1868.<\/p>\n

British Rule (1869\u20131966):<\/h3>\n

In 1869, the British signed a treaty at Aliwal North<\/a> with the Boers that defined the boundaries of Basutoland. This treaty effectively reduced Moshoeshoe’s kingdom to half its previous size by ceding away its western territories.<\/p>\n

Following the cession in 1869, the British transferred functions from Moshoeshoe’s capital in Thaba Bosiu<\/a> to a police camp on the northwest border, Maseru, until eventually the administration of Basutoland was transferred to the Cape Colony in 1871. Moshoeshoe died on 11 March 1870, marking the end of the traditional era and the beginning of the colonial era of Basutoland. He was buried at Thaba Bosiu.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Thaba Boisu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the Cape Colony period between 1871 and 1884, Basutoland was treated similarly to other territories that had been forcibly annexed, much to the humiliation of the Basotho, leading to the Basuto Gun War<\/a> in 1880\u20131881.<\/p>\n

In 1884, the territory became a Crown colony by the name of Basutoland, with Maseru as its capital. It remained under direct rule by a governor, though effective internal power was wielded by traditional tribal chiefs. In 1905, a railway line was built to connect Maseru to the railway network of South Africa.<\/p>\n

Independence (1966\u2013Present):<\/h3>\n

Basutoland gained its independence from Britain and became the Kingdom of Lesotho in 1966.<\/p>\n

Political instability and armed civil strife have since been the norm for Lesotho, ultimately resulting in the involvement of South African troops to restore order.\u00a0 Details about these conflicts is best reviewed elsewhere<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Geography:<\/h2>\n

Lesotho covers 30,355 km2 (11,720 sq mi). It is the only independent state in the world that lies entirely above 1,000 metres (3,281 ft) in elevation. Its lowest point of 1,400 metres (4,593 ft) is thus the highest lowest point of any country in the world.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Topographic Map of Lesotho<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Over 80 percent of the country lies above 1,800 metres (5,906 ft). Lesotho is also the southernmost landlocked country in the world and is entirely surrounded by South Africa. About 12% of Lesotho is arable land, however, this land is vulnerable to soil erosion, and it is estimated that 40 million tons of soil are lost each year due to erosion.<\/p>\n

Economy:<\/h2>\n

Lesotho is geographically surrounded by South Africa and economically integrated with it. The economy of Lesotho is based on agriculture, livestock, manufacturing and mining, and depends heavily on inflows of workers’ remittances and receipts from the Southern African Customs Union (SACU). The majority of households subsist on farming. The formal sector employment consists mainly of female workers in the apparel sector, male migrant labor, primarily miners in South Africa for three to nine months, and employment by the Government of Lesotho (GOL).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Treemap of Lesotho Exports<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The western lowlands form the main agricultural zone. Almost 50 percent of the population earn income through informal crop cultivation or animal husbandry with nearly two-thirds of the country’s income coming from the agricultural sector. The country is among the “Low Human Development” countries (rank 160 of 187 on the Human Development Index as classified by the UNDP, with 52 years of life expectancy at birth. Adult literacy is as high as 82 percent. Among the children below the age of five years, 20 percent are under weight.<\/p>\n

Transportation:<\/h2>\n

Prior to Lesotho’s independence in 1966, the only paved road in the country was the Kingsway in the capital, Maseru<\/a>, between the Mejametalana Airport<\/a> and the Royal Palace. Since the early 1970s, the road infrastructure has been substantially developed. In 1999, Lesotho had a road network measuring at 5,940 kilometers (3,690 mi) in length, of which 1,087 kilometers (675 mi) were paved. The most weight has been given to connecting the district centers, but the roads within central Lesotho have also been improved, as part of the construction needs of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project.<\/a><\/p>\n

The only railway line in Lesotho is the Maseru branch line<\/a>, which connects the capital city Maseru to the Bloemfontein<\/a>\u2013Bethlehem<\/a> line in the railway network of South Africa.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Map of the Railway Line from Bloemfontein to Maseru<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The final 1.6 kilometers (1.0 mi) of this line, which opened on 18 December 1905, lies within the borders of Lesotho, running from the border bridge on the Mohokare River<\/a> through the northern industrial district of Maseru to that city’s station, the only railway station in the country.<\/p>\n

There are a total of 28 airports in Lesotho, of which 3 have paved runways. The only international airport is the Moshoeshoe I International Airport<\/a> in Mazenod, a short distance southeast from Maseru.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Moshoeshoe I International Airport<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The main runway of the Moshoeshoe Airport is the only one with a runway longer than 1,523 meters; it measures at 3,200 meters.<\/p>\n

Flag of Lesotho:<\/h2>\n

The current national flag of Lesotho, adopted on the 40th anniversary of Lesotho’s independence on 4 October 2006, features a horizontal blue, white, and green tricolour with a black mokorotlo<\/a> (a Basotho<\/a> hat) in the center.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Flag of Lesotho<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The design is intended to reflect a state that is both at peace both internally and with its only neighbor South Africa<\/a>, replacing the old flag design that featured a military emblem of a shield, spear and knobkerrie.<\/p>\n

Blue represents the sky or rain.
\nWhite represents peace. Lesotho has had the ideology of peace since the ages of King Moshoeshoe I<\/a>.
\nGreen represents prosperity.<\/p>\n

The first flag of Lesotho was introduced on 4 October 1966, the day of Lesotho’s full independence from the United Kingdom. It featured a prominent white mokorotlo. The blue stood for sky and rain, the white for peace, the green for land, and the red for faith.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Flag of Lesotho 1966-1987<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A new flag, designed by Sergeant Ret\u0161elisitsoe Matete, was adopted on 20 January 1987, following a military coup which ousted the Basotho National Party<\/a> after 20 years in power. A light brown traditional Basotho shield along with an assegai (lance) and knobkierrie (club) replaced the Basotho hat as the primary emblem. The colour scheme and pattern changed as well, with a triangular white field standing for peace. The bottom diagonal contained a blue strip for rain and a green triangle for prosperity.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Flag of Lesotho (1987\u20132006)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 2006, a new flag was chosen from four proposed designs; all of these designs included a brown Basotho hat instead of the shield. This was subsequently changed to a black Basotho hat in order to represent Lesotho as a black nation. The bill changing the flag was approved by the National Assembly<\/a> on 18 September 2006, with 84 members of parliament voting in favor of it, 18 against it, and two abstaining. It was subsequently approved by the Senate<\/a> as well.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The current national flag of Lesotho, adopted on the 40th anniversary of Lesotho’s independence on 4 October 2006, features a horizontal blue, white, and green tricolour with a black mokorotlo (a Basotho hat) in the center. The design is intended to reflect a state that is both at peace both internally and with its only neighbour South Africa, replacing the old flag design that featured a military emblem of a shield, spear and knobkerrie.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7130,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[19,59,5,6,7,155],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6775"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6775"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6775\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7130"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}