Lesotho - Geography

The Kingdom of Lesotho is a small landlocked country entirely surrounded by South Africa. It is known as the ‘Mountain Kingdom’, the whole country being over 1,000m in altitude. The country is divided into ten districts, each named after the principal town.

Area:30,355 sq km

Main towns:Maseru (capital, pop. 116,300 in 2006), Mafeteng (61,600), Hlotse (50,900), Mohale’s Hoek (44,500), Maputsoa (32,800), Qacha’s Nek (28,000), Quthing (25,900).

Topography:Lesotho has two main mountain ranges – the Drakensberg and the Maloti ranges – both running north–south from the northern high plateau. The highest mountain in southern Africa is Thabana-Ntlenyana (3,842m) in eastern Lesotho. The land descends to the west to an arable belt, known as the lowlands, where the capital is situated and two-thirds of the population live. The country is well-watered in a generally dry region, the Orange river and its tributary the Caledon both rising in Lesotho.

Climate:The climate is temperate with well-marked seasons. The rainy season (receiving 85% of total precipitation) is October to April, when there are frequent violent thunderstorms. Rainfall averages 746mm p.a. Temperatures in the lowlands range from 32.2°C to –6.7°C; the range is much greater in the mountains. From May to September, snow falls in the highlands with heavy frosts occurring in the lowlands.

Environment:The most significant issue is overgrazing, resulting in severe soil erosion and desertification.

Vegetation:Mainly grassland and bushveld, with forest in ravines and on the windward slopes of mountains. Forest covers about 0.3% of the land area and arable land comprises 11%.

Wildlife:The Drakensberg Mountains are the last stronghold in southern Africa of the huge bearded vulture, the lammergeier. Large mammals have largely been eradicated by stock farming, and indigenous ground-living species are now restricted to small antelope, hares and the mountain-dwelling rock-rabbit (dassie).

Transport:There are5,940km of roads, 18% paved. South African Railways runs a short freight line into Lesotho, terminating at the Maseru industrial estate. The international airport, Moshoeshoe I Airport, lies 20km south of Maseru; there are 31 airstrips around the country for domestic flights.