 Lesotho
(pronounced li-soo-too), is officially the Kingdom of Lesotho,(formerly Basutoland).
It was constituted as a native state under British
protection by a treaty signed with the native chief Moshoeshoe in 1843.
It was annexed to Cape Colony in 1871, but in 1884 it was restored to
direct control by the Crown. The colony of Basutoland became the
independent nation of Lesotho on Oct. 4, 1966, with King Moshoeshoe II
as sovereign.  Lesotho
is a land locked country (being completely surrounded by South Africa)
and is commonly known as the Kingdom in the Sky because of its
mountainous terrain and height above sea level - Lesotho has the highest
"low point" of any country in the world. The country itself is
about the size of Belgium and has a population of around 1.8 million
people.Lesotho's capital city is called Maseru, it is located on its Western border with South Africa. It is also the only country in Africa where people live above the snow line.
The Basotho people (the local inhabitants of Lesotho) are renowned for their crafts, and their traditional products have a reputation for quality, individuality and variety. For many years ponies were their only means of transport through the mountainous terrain, resulting in a strong tradition of horse-riding and breeding. The traditional Basotho Hat, or mokorotlo, is the best known of a fine range of grass-works made in Lesotho. It's conical shape is seen everywhere in the kingdom, and is the recognized symbol of the country. The hat’s shape is believed to have been inspired by the Qiloane mountain near the mountain fortress of Moshoeshoe I - Thaba-Bosiu.
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Lesotho is also famous for
suffering the largest number of lightening strikes in the world!