Lesotho is unique in respect to that it’s landlocked completely by one country. How? Lesotho is actually in the middle of, and surrounded by, the Republic of South Africa, where FIFA 2010 competition took place. Lesotho is the only country to have this situation.
On this day October 4th, in 1966, Basutoland is disestablished and replaced by Lesotho. Lesotho literally means “the land of the people that speak Sotho”.
Basutoland was a British colony established in 1884. Upon gaining independence its name was changed to Lesotho. Sadly, about 40% of the 2 million people that live in Lesotho live below international poverty line, which is $1.25 American dollars. Lesotho is about 11.5 thousand square miles. Its capital is Maseru, which is Sotho for “place of red sandstone”. Over 80% of the country is at an elevation over 1 mile above sea level, making it cooler than most other states in that region.