World Factbook
Lesotho
Kingdom of Lesotho
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
30,355 sq km
water
0 sq km
total
30,355 sq km
Climate
temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers
Terrain
mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains
Land use
other
21.1% (2023 est.)
forest
1.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
77.8% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 11.8% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 0.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 65.9% (2023 est.)
Location
Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa
Coastline
0 km (landlocked)
Elevation
lowest point
junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m
highest point
Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m
mean elevation
2,161 m
Irrigated land
12 sq km (2013)
Map references
Africa
Land boundaries
total
1,106 km
border countries
South Africa 1,106 km
Maritime claims
none (landlocked)
Natural hazards
periodic droughts
Geography - note
landlocked, surrounded by South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 m (5,900 ft) above sea level
Natural resources
water, agricultural and grazing land, diamonds, sand, clay, building stone
Area - comparative
slightly smaller than Maryland
Geographic coordinates
29 30 S, 28 30 E
Population distribution
relatively higher population density in the western half of the nation, with the capital of Maseru and the smaller cities of Mafeteng, Teyateyaneng, and Leribe attracting the most people, as shown in this population distribution map
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Atlantic Ocean drainage
Orange (941,351 sq km)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Orange river source (shared with South Africa and Namibia [m]) - 2,092 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth