Lesotho

Lesotho is a landlocked country entirely surrounded by South Africa. Its high plateau and mountain ranges make it the world’s only independent state lying entirely above 1,000 meters.

Drakensberg: A mountain range in southern Africa that forms part of Lesotho’s eastern border. Its escarpment rises along Lesotho’s eastern edge and shapes the country’s rugged terrain.
Moshoeshoe I: The founder and first king of the Sotho Kingdom, who ruled from the early nineteenth century until 1870. His diplomacy and leadership established the kingdom that became Lesotho.
Lesotho Highlands Water Project: A binational infrastructure project that transfers water from Lesotho’s highlands to South Africa and generates hydropower. It turns Lesotho’s abundant highland water into a major export and energy resource.
Basotho migrant workers: Workers from Lesotho who have migrated, especially to South Africa, for employment. Cross-border labor migration has long connected household incomes and the national economy to South Africa.
Orange River: The longest river in South Africa, flowing west from the Lesotho Highlands to the Atlantic Ocean. Its headwaters originate in Lesotho, linking the country’s highlands to southern Africa’s major river system.
Free State–Basotho Wars: A series of nineteenth-century conflicts between the Basotho and the Orange Free State over land and boundaries. These wars helped shape Lesotho’s borders and drove its leaders to seek British protection.
Katse Dam: A large concrete arch dam in Lesotho that forms part of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project. Its reservoir stores water for transfer through tunnels toward South Africa.
Southern African Customs Union: A customs union among five southern African countries that shares customs revenue and applies a common external tariff. Its revenue-sharing arrangement is a significant source of Lesotho’s public income.
Basotho: The Sotho-speaking people who form the majority population of Lesotho. Their language and identity are central to Lesotho’s national culture.
Basutoland: The British protectorate that occupied the territory of present-day Lesotho from 1868 until independence. Its colonial boundaries and institutions carried over into the independent country.

Linked from 11 pages