1. The Geography of Lesotho

Lesotho's location in Africa and in the world.
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Lesotho is located in southern Africa.  It is entirely surround by South Africa.  It is a small country, with 11,720 sq miles of land area, and a population of just over two million people.[1]  For comparison, it has a slightly smaller area than Maryland, with approximately one-third of the population.[2]  The capital city is Maseru, located on the north-west border with South Africa .  It has a population of just over a quarter million people.[3]

Maseru is the capital city.  Its coordinates are 29.31°S 27.48°E.
OCHA [CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
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Lesotho is the highest country in the world, with its lowest point being almost 4,600 feet above sea level.[4]  It lies on the north-west side of the crest of the Drakensburg Mountains, one of the main geographic features of southern Africa.  It has a cool, continental climate, as distinguished from neighboring states because of its altitude and because of its distance from bodies of water.[5]  One significant benefit of this cool, high climate is that malaria is not an issue in this region.

Lesotho is the site of the origin of the Orange River (or Senqu River), which bisects South Africa and forms parts of several national and international boundaries. 

Map of the Orange River Watershed
Note that national boundaries are marked in red, and that the Orange river forms Namibia's southern border with South Africa.
By Imagico [CC-BY-SA-2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5) or CC-BY-SA-2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AOrange_watershed_topo.png

Lesotho has few natural resources.  It is very mountainous and therefore not conducive to easy farming—less than two-tenths of a percent of Lesotho’s land is permanently used for farming.[6]  The mountains do provide a source of income through tourism.  Pony trekking is a growing industry.  The Letseng Diamond Mine is located in Lesotho and, while it has very poor production, it does produce the largest diamonds in the world.[7]  The Lesotho Highlands Water Project is an additional source of income and production as it provides water resources and power throughout Lesotho.[8]   Most people survive on subsistence farming although there is some manufacturing work.  Lesotho’s poverty—resulting from its less hospitable climate, relative aridity, and history of war, as the Afrikaners and the English fought for control of southern Africa—is one of the factors which has led to its high HIV/AIDS rate, which is the third highest rate in the world.  Almost 30% of adults in Lesotho have HIV/AIDS.[9]

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[1] “Geography of Lesotho”, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Lesotho, ¶ 3, and 5.1, ¶1.

[2] “Maryland”. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryland. ¶4.

[3] “Maseru”, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maseru. §2.

[4] “Geography of Lesotho”, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Lesotho, ¶ 2.

[5] “Geography of Lesotho”, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Lesotho, ¶ 2.

[6] “Lesotho”, http://geography.about.com/library/cia/blclesotho.htm,

[7] “Letseng Diamond Mine”. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letseng_diamond_mine.

[8] “Lesotho Highlands Water Project”. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesotho_Highlands_Water_Project.

[9] “HIV/AIDS in Lesotho”, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS_in_Lesotho.