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1) True or false: according to 2018 data from UNESCO's Institute for Statistics, LESOTHO's youth literacy rate is 95.2%.
There is a town named Bratsberg near the center of ____________________.
A — NORWAY
B — GERMANY
C — LATVIA
3) Which of the following is not a city in Lebanon?
A — Beirut
B — Tyre
C — Riyadh
D — Tripoli
4) Being home to an interesting red-and-white 1800s lighthouse (↗) and having a namesake current, Cape Agulhas is located southeast of Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA. The southernmost point of Africa, this cape is known as a separation point between the Atlantic Ocean and __________ Ocean.
ANSWERS
Question 1:
True
Question 2:
A . . . . . Norway
Question 3:
C . . . . . Riyadh which is in Saudi Arabia (↗); Tripoli (D) is a city in Lebanon and also in Libya (↗)
Question 4:
Indian
People all across LESOTHO are celebrating their country's Independence Day today. Lesotho achieved independence from The United Kingdom in 1966. Happy Independence Day!
● Basotho hats
● Drakensberg mountain range
● Friendly people
● Hydroelectric dams
● Malealea
● Maletsunyane Falls
● Nation-founder King Moshoeshoe I
● Ponies for transportation purposes
● Thaba-Bosiu
Most items were listed in The Africa Book; the MLA citation is below. What are other "trademarks" of this African country? Feel free to share your thoughts with a comment!
Phillips et al. The Africa Book: A Journey through Every
Country in the Continent. Lonely Planet, 2007.
— #AfricaWeek —
October 4th, 1966 was a monumental date for southern Africa's Basutoland, which achieved independence from the United Kingdom and became the Kingdom of LESOTHO. Fast forward to 2017, in which the economic and health outcomes of citizens are steadily improving. The political situation could definitely use some stability, but I have faith that the nation's democracy can shine once the political dramas and incidents desist and wind down. Treatment for AIDS/HIV is improving, life expectancies are rising, more and more youth are enrolled in school ... there is a lot to be optimistic about in Lesotho. Happy Independence Day to the Basotho people!
For everyone in the world, I hope you are having — or had, depending on what is the current day where you live — a happy Cinnamon Roll Day and happy Taco Day!
According to National Geographic MapMaker (mapmaker.nationalgeographic.org), the following items are major exports of LESOTHO: barley, beverages, building gravel/stone, clothing, corn (maize), diamonds, electricity and water to South Africa, footwear, livestock, mohair, packaged food, pulses, sorghum, textiles, wheat, wool, and various vegetables. According to the International Monetary Fund (data.imf.org), countries and territories buying and importing most of those exports (February 2017 statistics) include South Africa (top importer), the United States, Belgium, the United Arab Emirates, Swaziland, Canada, the Netherlands, Mauritius, Botswana, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Tanzania, Sudan, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Egypt, Kenya, Malaysia, Serbia, and Saudi Arabia.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for LESOTHO in Southern Africa lists eight endangered species. So far in my posting about endangered species, Kiribati and Lesotho are the only countries to not have any critically endangered species, just endangered (a lower level of species). There are fortunately no extinct species in Lesotho, or at least none listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Lesotho's eight endangered species are the Cape Griffon (Cape Vulture), Egyptian Eagle, Lesotho Meadow Katydid, Ludwig's Bustard bird, Maloti Redfin minnow fish, Sehlabathebe Water Lily, Southern Crowned Crane, and White-tailed Rat. Cape Vultures live in parts of Botswana, Lesotho, and South Africa.
Lesotho Meadow Katydids are endemic to the southern Lesotho Highlands and only live in an estimated area of 8 square kilometers. Ludwig's Bustard birds unfortunately collide with power lines at an alarming rate. These birds live in Namibia, South Africa, and extreme southwestern Angola. The geographic ranges of Maloti Redfins and Sehlabathebe Water Lilies extend from much of Lesotho into the eastern portion of Eastern Cape province and the western part of KwaZulu-Natal province. Like Lesotho Meadow Katydids, Lesotho Blue butterflies (Lepidochrysops lerothodi) are named after the mountainous kingdom, which is completely surrounded by South Africa.
Opportunities for panoramic views are plentiful throughout the Maloti-Drakensberg park heritage site, including in the Bushman's Nek wilderness area.
Copyright (©) by fabulousfabs on Flickr, supplemented with this Creative Commons license
Post #2 of UNESCO Heritage Sites Week
Another transnational UNESCO World Heritage Site, Maloti-Drakensberg Park crosses the border between LESOTHO and SOUTH AFRICA and straddles the Drakensberg mountain range. UNESCO added the Sehlabathebe National Park of Lesotho in 2013 as an extension to South Africa's uKhahlamba (Drakensberg) Park, which served as the original heritage site since 2000. Maloti-Drakensberg Park boasts topography exciting to geologists and geomorphologists. Deep valleys, towering mountains, cliffs made of basalt and sandstone, and plateaus are major landforms. The area's biodiversity is remarkable: over 2,000 plant species and about 300 bird species call the park home.
Travelers to LESOTHO in Southern Africa might tell you about the "rugged" transportation in the tiny kingdom. In some ways, they are correct. The only transportation by train is a mile long and only found in the capital, Maseru. Meanwhile, eastern and southeastern Lesotho has several roads in decent condition, but many are unpaved and can be dangerous to travel on due to the mountainous and hilly terrain. In fact, automobile accidents are a leading cause of deaths among the Basotho people. Fortunately, there are more paved roads in western Lesotho connecting many cities and towns; some of these are visible on Google Maps' Street View. Most highways only have two lanes, although there are some four-lane highways near the capital. Some highways are marked by A and then a number, such as A11 for example. There are some green diamond-shaped highway signs, but not all A highways have signs. Most highways connecting to South Africa have border checkpoints; a visa is not necessarily for residents of specific countries (such as the United States; see other sources for details) unless the trip/vacation is long, but a passport is required from everyone. Small and private airports are scattered across the country, and Moshoeshoe I International Airport southeast of Maseru provides connecting flights to Johannesburg, South Africa. Rivers such as Caledon and Senqu (Orange) and tinier streams are found in all parts of Lesotho, and are in most cases capable of providing transportation for residents.
LESOTHO, a small, mountainous, and landlocked country in Southern Africa, is usually not featured prominently in global news. However, a recent event caught worldwide attention, so much so that it was a trending topic on Facebook. Thomas (Tom) Thabane, Lesotho's Prime Minister, says that a military coup d'état targeting Thabane and confiscating police officers' weapons caused him to seek refuge and safety in South Africa on Saturday to try and solve the dilemma. However, the military denies Thabane's claims. In 2012, Lesotho finally conducted a fair democratic election, but this situation risks the country's attempts to make government agencies act in a more democratic fashion.
For some more information about this current event, there are news reports from AFP (link unavailable), CNN, CTV in Canada, France24, and other media sources.
The flag of LESOTHO (link to blog post) changed in 2006 and features three horizontal stripes and a center design of an important cultural icon. The top stripe is blue (representing rain), the middle is white (peace), and the bottom is green (prosperity), representing the motto Khotso, Pula, Nala that is found on Lesotho's coat of arms, currency, and more. The black element in the flag's center is a Basotho hat representing the people and cultural heritage of Lesotho.
Being the southernmost landlocked country in the world, the mountainous kingdom of LESOTHO is an enclave country completely surrounded by South Africa. It is administratively divided into ten districts. The districts are Berea, Butha-Buthe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohale's Hoek, Leribe, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, and Thaba-Tseka. The district capitals are Teyateyaneng (Berea District), Butha-Buthe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohale's Hoek, Leribe (Hlotse), Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, and Thaba-Tseka. The capital of Lesotho, Maseru, is a city with a population greater than 200,000 in the western part of Maseru District.
The shapefiles used to make this map in ArcGIS 10.1 came from the website Global Administrative Areas, located at www.gadm.org. Click on the map above to view it larger.
If you read Mountains Beyond Mountains, written by Tracy Kidder, you would become familiar with the charitable work of one of the world's most generous and caring doctors. He is Dr. Paul Farmer, who dedicated a lot of his time to work in HAITI, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. He started caring for people in Haiti many years before the country, on the western part of Hispaniola island, was severely devastated by earthquakes in 2010. While still improving medical care for some in Haiti, he has since spread medical generosity to other parts of the world. Partners In Health is a nonprofit medical organization that he co-founded. As seen under the Where We Work tab on the PIH website, Partners in Health and Dr. Farmer also operate in LESOTHO, MALAWI, MEXICO, PERU, RUSSIA, RWANDA, the UNITED STATES (including the Navajo Nation), and other countries. Keep up the good work, Dr. Farmer and Partners in Health! It is greatly appreciated for those wanting to strive for a healthy and happy Earth!
Out of all the countries in Southern Africa, the Kingdom of LESOTHO, MALAWI, and NAMIBIA have the highest percentage of Christians. Anywhere from 80 to 90% of the people in these countries are Christians, while many of the rest believe in indigenous beliefs. There is a small population of believers in other religions. Other Southern African countries with high percentages of Christians include ANGOLA, SOUTH AFRICA, SWAZILAND, and ZAMBIA. Christian missionaries from around the world played a pivotal role in introducing Christianity to Sub-Saharan Africa.
SENEGAL, a French-speaking country that surrounds almost all of Gambia in West Africa, shares with many other African countries a story of unfortunate circumstances. While Senegal is actually considered somewhat prosperous in comparison to extremely poor countries, its people are nevertheless burdened with poverty, malnourishment, and an overall lack of economic opportunities, among other things. About 1/2 of Senegal's total population is not employed, while almost 40% cannot read. LESOTHO, in Southern Africa, has a relatively high literacy rate of over 80%. Unfortunately, the Kingdom in the Sky suffers with poverty, HIV/AIDS, and soil erosion, not to mention a lack of clean water partially due to the Highlands Water Project distributing a vast water supply to South Africa's industrial and population centers. Lesotho and Senegal are far away, but share similar hopes and dreams. Bringing about improvements in the economy, food/water situation, and employment is possible if governments invest in the important causes that will truly benefit the people and non-profit organizations continue to act out their gracious service. Statues and monuments would not be part of this, but organizing government-sponsored career fairs, donating bottled water or building wells, and investing in start-up businesses would be important and great strides towards prosperity and well-being. The possibilities are endless with a little bit of organization and creativity. The government of Lesotho started a positive initiative in which patients with AIDS/HIV can receive necessary treatment/shots at little to no cost. It is enlightening to notice that the people themselves are trying to make beneficial change, and that is important. In Senegal, hip hop artists and rappers joined together in a movement called Y'en A Marre to express their concerns for their country through powerful means. They influence fellow Senegalese citizens to vote, support each other, voice their concerns, and be willing to make changes for a better future. With glimmers of hope that do indeed shine across the continent of Africa, I am optimistic that the people of Africa will one day obtain prosperity!
Three African countries, LESOTHO, SWAZILAND, and MOROCCO, have monarchial systems of government. Swaziland is the only absolute monarchy in Africa, while Lesotho and Morocco are constitutional monarchies.
The Olympics team of LESOTHO (my second favorite country), a small, landlocked, and mountainous country inside South Africa, consists of four athletes competing in running and swimming events. If you seen the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, you might have been surprised — like I was — to see Lesotho featured in a segment! Jay Leno asked the audience whether Lesotho was a country or a medication — and most of the audience believed it's a medication! Video footage of the Lesotho Olympics team in the Parade of Nations soon followed; at least they know about Lesotho now!
EASTERN CAPE, a province of SOUTH AFRICA located south and southwest of LESOTHO, formerly had one exclave completely surrounded by land belonging to KWAZULU-NATAL. Eastern Cape's exclave (which is Kwazulu-Natal's enclave) was eliminated by a change in the two provinces' boundaries. As seen on maps from the middle 2000s and before, that enclave/exclave existed east of southern Lesotho and included the following towns: Umzimkulu, Sneezewood, Bisi, Bontrand, and Riverside. Interesting to note, most roads in this area currently are unpaved, possibly signifying a lack of infrastructure development and low population. Regional Route R56 and other routes are paved. After the boundary fix, the aforementioned towns are now in Kwazulu-Natal province. You can still see the former boundary in Bing Maps (east-southeast of Lesotho), but only in the initial worldwide view.
In Southern Africa, the Drakensberg Mountains is a remarkable chain of tall peaks and gorgeous landscapes that runs along LESOTHO's southeastern border with SOUTH AFRICA.
The tallest peak of the Drakensberg Mountains, Thabana Ntlenyana, stands 11,424 feet (3482 meters) tall in eastern Lesotho. A peak with a French name, Mont-Aux-Sources also stands in Lesotho at 10,823 feet (about 3299 meters). Mafadi, standing around 11,318 feet (3450 meters) tall on the border between Lesotho and South Africa, is South Africa's highest peak. Cleft Peak also lies on the border with a peak of 10,760 feet (3280 meters). Giant's Castle (10,824 feet and 3314 meters) and Njesuthi (around 11,188 feet/3410 meters) lies predominantly in South Africa.
In LESOTHO — a southern African country and, personally, my second favorite country in the world — today marks Moshoeshoe Day. Moshoeshoe Day commemorates the life and accomplishments of King Moshoeshoe I, who created what was known as Basutoland (Land of the Basotho – now known as Lesotho) and first led the country. He lived to be 84, a high life expectancy for the mid and late 1800's! An interesting thing about this holiday is that it marks when Moshoeshoe I died, not when he was born! To all GeoFact of the Day readers and the Basotho people, Happy Moshoeshoe Day!
BELARUS, a former Soviet nation located in eastern Europe and east of Poland, is the world's northernmost landlocked country (Kazakhstan is very close), while LESOTHO, a small kingdom in southern Africa that achieved independence from the United Kingdom, is the world's southernmost landlocked country.
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