See Lesotho
Flowers in Zastron

High in the mountains of Southern Africa, unique in that it is an independent nation completely surrounded by South Africa, is the Kingdom of Lesotho — the Kingdom in the Sky.

Also known as the Switzerland of Southern Africa because of the beauty and mountainous landscape. Lesotho is over 30 000 square kilometres and is covered in gullies, sparkling waterfalls, and rugged mountains making it a tourist destination hotspot! Lesotho was inhabited by Bushman and there are Bushmen drawings and paintings in the river gorges making it an excellent place for long walks and hiking. Traditionally men see to the ploughing and planting of crops. Since death was considered so terrible an occurrence in all localities, it would be out of question to classify the many inconvenient superstitions about it. Although many Basotho still live and work outside their Country, their attachment to their local village and traditional culture is still strong. Basotho culture is centred around village life, and most traditions and festivals relate to local village life and the seasons of the year. Basotho people are predominately rural, and getting around in mountainous areas has always been difficult. However, the Basotho pony is ideal for local transportation and so breeding and riding these surefooted ponies is very important. Villages are often located high in the mountains, usually on the mid-levels well above the deep river valleys and the flood dangers they carry. Some are for sleeping, some for storage and one for cooking. Each kraal will also have an enclosure for livestock. All around the village will be many fields and these are allocated by the chief to villagers. This indicates a place where something is being sold. Drought in the early 1990’s hasn’t helped, and most of the population is unable to subsist on what they grow. The country has little manufacturing and most goods are imported from South Africa. This pressure on the land causes immense problems, especially in terms of overgrazing by livestock and consequent erosion. With many boys spending years as shepherds one generally finds more girls than boys at the schools, and often the boys are older. The Roman Catholic church is very influential as are the Lesotho Evangelical church and the Anglican church. The country has one university, the Lesotho National University in Roma. Originally the university catered for students from Lesotho, Botswana and Swaziland. The education system means that some Basotho speak English. In the rural areas, however, older people do not usually speak English and neither do those who did not reach high school. A smattering of Sesotho is worth learning for the traveller.