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Countries
Lesotho

Lesotho

Capital: Maseru

About

Lesotho, officially the Kingdom of Lesotho and formerly known as Basutoland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of the only three sovereign enclaves. Lesotho is located in the Maloti Mountains, with the highest peak in southern Africa. It has an area of over 30,000 km2 (11,600 mi2), with a population of about 2.3 million. Its capital and largest city is Maseru.

Summary excerpted from the Wikipedia article Lesotho, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Text may be clipped or paraphrased to fit this page.

When things are closed

Upcoming public holidays in Lesotho. On these dates, expect banks, post offices, and government services to close. Many shops and museums close or run shortened hours; transit typically still runs.

King Letsie III's Birthday
July 17, 2026
Friday
Independence Day
October 4, 2026
Sunday
Christmas Day
December 25, 2026
Friday
St. Stephen's Day · Boxing Day
December 26, 2026
Saturday
New Year's Day
January 1, 2027
Friday
Moshoeshoe Day
March 11, 2027
Thursday

Public holidays sourced from date.nager.at.

Cities (0)

By the numbers

Population
2.2M
Area
30.4k km²
GDP (nominal)
$2.6B
GDP per capita
$1.1k
HDI
0.514
Life expectancy
54.2 yr

Wikidata · most recent values circa 2022.

Travel

Language
Sesotho, English
Currency
LSL L
Calling code
+266
Schengen
No
Voltage
220V/50Hz
Plugs
M
Tap water
Not safe
Emergency
112, 123, 121
Tipping
Appreciated in tourist service: about 5-10% where no service charge is included.
US visa
Visa-free

Sources

This page blends public reference data, travel-planning lookups, and personal atlas notes. Visa and entry rules move quickly, so treat the travel fields as planning prompts and verify before booking.

  • Travel.State.gov →

    Entry, safety, emergency, and advisory context for U.S. travelers.

  • Wikidata →

    Country identifiers, baseline facts, and linked reference data.

  • Wikipedia →

    Public encyclopedia summary and context.

  • FlagCDN →

    Country flag image fallback from ISO code.

  • Exchange-rate feed →

    Currency-rate widget data.

  • Site credits →

    Global source notes, map tiles, flags, licenses, and attribution policy.