Geography of Lesotho

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Lesotho is a country in Southern Africa. It is an enclave of South Africa.

Geographic coordinates: 29°30′S, 28°30′E

Map references: Africa

Area:
total: 30,355 km²
land: 30,355 km²
water: 0 km²

Area - comparative: one and a half times the size of Wales; slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries:
total: 909 km
border countries: South Africa 909 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers

Terrain: mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m (the highest lowest-point of any country in the world)
highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m

Natural resources: water, agricultural and grazing land, some diamonds and other minerals

Land use:
arable land: 10.71%
permanent crops: 0%
Other: 89.29% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 10 km² (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: periodic droughts

Environment - current issues: population pressure forcing settlement in marginal areas results in overgrazing, severe soil erosion, and soil exhaustion; desertification; Highlands Water Project controls, stores, and redirects water to South Africa

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping

Geography - note: landlocked; surrounded by South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 meters above sea level; only country in the world that lies entirely above 1,000 meters. Lesotho is one of only three states surrounded entirely by another; the other two are San Marino and Vatican City, in Italy.

[edit] See also

• Lesotho
• Soil Maps of Lesotho European Digital Archive on the Soil Maps of the world