Geography of Lesotho

Lesotho is a mountainous, landlocked country located in Southern Africa. It is an enclave, surrounded by South Africa. The total length of the country's borders is 909 kilometres (565 mi). Lesotho covers an area of around 30,355 square kilometres (11,720 sq mi), of which a negligible percentage is covered with water.

The most popular geographic fact about Lesotho, apart from its status as an enclave, is that it is the only independent state in the world that lies entirely above 1,000 metres (3,281 ft) in elevation.^[1] Its lowest point is at 1,400 metres (4,593 ft), the highest low point of any country.^[2] Because of its elevation, the country's climate is cooler than in most other regions at the same latitude. Its climate zone can be classified as continental.

Location

Lesotho is a country in Southern Africa, located at around 29°30' south latitude and 28°30' east longitude. It is the

Lesotho can be roughly divided into three geographic regions: the lowlands, following the southern banks of the

Even though very little of Lesotho is covered in water, the rivers that run across the country are an important part of Lesotho's economy. Much of the country's export income comes from water, and much of its power comes from hydroelectricity.^[7] The Orange River rises in the Drakensberg mountains in northeastern Lesotho and flows across the entire length of the country before exiting to South Africa at the Mohale's Hoek District in the southwest. The Caledon River marks the northwestern part of the border with South Africa. Other rivers include the Malibamatso, Matsoku and Senqunyane.

The bedrock of Lesotho belongs to the Karoo Supergroup, consisting mostly of shale and sandstone.^[8] Peatlands can be found in the highlands of Lesotho, most extensively in the mountainous escarpment near the country's eastern border. The summit of Thabana Ntlenyana is partially encircled by bogs.^[9]

Lesotho is divided into 10 administrative

• Berea
• Butha-Buthe
• Leribe
• Mafeteng
• Maseru
• Mohale's Hoek
• Mokhotlong
• Qacha's Nek
• Quthing
• Thaba-Tseka

Climate

Because of its altitude, the country remains cooler throughout the year than most other regions at the same latitude. Lesotho has a temperate climate,^[14] with hot summers and cold winters. Maseru and its surrounding lowlands often reach 30 °C (86 °F) in the summer.^[15] Winters can be cold with the lowlands getting down to −7 °C (19.4 °F) and the highlands to −20 °C (−4.0 °F) at times.^[15]

The yearly precipitation varies from around 600 millimetres (23.6 in) in the lowland valleys to around 1,200 millimetres (47.2 in) in areas of the northern and eastern escarpment bordering South Africa.

Natural resources

Lesotho is poor in natural resources.

The main mineral resource is diamonds from the Letseng diamond mine in the Maluti mountain range. The mine produces very few stones, but has the highest dollar ratio per carat of any diamond mine in the world.^[21] Other mineral resources include coal, galena, quartz, agate and uranium deposits, but their exploitation is not considered commercially viable.^[22] Clay deposits can be found in the country, and are used for producing tiles, bricks and other ceramics.^[22]

Much of the population engages in

Extreme points

This is a list of the extreme points of Lesotho, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location.

• Northernmost point - unnamed location on the border with Golden Gate National Park in South Africa immediately north-west of the village of Monontsa, In Butha-Buthe District
• Easternmost point - unnamed location on the border with South Africa immediately west of the South African mountain Giant's Castle, Mokhotlong District
• Southernmost point - Gairntoul mountain, Quthing District
• Westernmost point - unnamed location in the Caledon River on the border with South Africa, Mafeteng District

References