The Kingdom of Lesotho (population 1.8 million) is a mountainous, landlocked country completely surrounded by South Africa, which covers an area of 30,355 square kilometres. Formerly known as Bosutoland, the country was re-named when it gained independence from Britain in 1966. Maseru is the capital and the country is divided into 10 districts for administrative purposes. Constitutional reforms preceded peaceful parliamentary elections in 2002.
According to the United Nations human development index (HDI), Lesotho is ranked 145/177 countries worldwide (value 0.493)1 and 17/45 African countries for which an index is available. This places Lesotho in the group of countries with low human development.
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The Kingdom of Lesotho (population 1.8 million) is a mountainous, landlocked country completely surrounded by South Africa, which covers an area of 30,355 square kilometres. Formerly known as Bosutoland, the country was re-named when it gained independence from Britain in 1966. Maseru is the capital and the country is divided into 10 districts for administrative purposes. Constitutional reforms preceded peaceful parliamentary elections in 2002.