Kingdom of Lesotho Naha ea Lesotho (Sesotho) | |
|---|---|
.svg)  | |
| Capital and largest city | Maseru 29°28′S 27°56′E / 29.467°S 27.933°E |
| Official languages | |
| Ethnic groups |
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| Religion (2015)[1] |
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| Demonym(s) |
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| Government | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
• Monarch | Letsie III |
| Moeketsi Majoro | |
| Mathibeli Mokhothu | |
| Ntlhoi Motsamai | |
| Legislature | Parliament |
| Senate | |
| National Assembly | |
| Independence from United Kingdom | |
• Granted | 4 October 1966 |
| Area | |
• Total | 30,355 km2 (11,720 sq mi) (137th) |
• Water (%) | 0.0032% |
| Population | |
• 2018 estimate | 2,108,328[2][3] (144th) |
• 2004 census | 2,142,249 |
• Density | 68.1/km2 (176.4/sq mi) (138th) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2017 estimate |
• Total | $7.448 billion[4] |
• Per capita | $3,868[4] |
| GDP (nominal) | 2017 estimate |
• Total | $2.721 billion[4] |
• Per capita | $1,413[4] |
| Gini (2015) | 54.2[5] high · 17 |
| HDI (2019) |  0.527[6]low · 165th |
| Currency | Loti (LSL) South African rand (ZAR) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (South African Standard Time) |
| Driving side | left |
| Calling code | +266 |
| ISO 3166 code | LS |
| Internet TLD | .ls |
Lesotho
Lesotho, officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is an enclaved country within the border of South Africa. It is by far the largest of the world's three independent states completely surrounded by the territory of another country; with Vatican City and San Marino being the other two. Additionally, it is the only such state outside the Italian peninsula, and the only one that is not a microstate. 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. The official language is Sesotho.