Lesotho
Kingdom of Lesotho
- Capital: Maseru
- Southern Africa
- 1 neighbour in Travle
Lesotho overview
Lesotho is in Southern Africa, Africa. Its capital is Maseru. The World Bank counts about 2.4 million people for 2025 on 30,360 km² of surface area.
In the Travle map, Lesotho has 1 neighbour: South Africa. From there, 125 countries can be reached by land.
Population, density and language
The World Bank counts 2,363,325 people in Lesotho for 2025, which is 142nd of 170 by population. Spread over 30,360 km² of surface area (2024), that is about 78 people per km², 82nd of 169 by density.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (SP.POP.TOTL), data updated 2026-10-08; checked 2026-10-19.Rankings compare the entries in Travle's country list that have World Bank data (170 with population, 169 with surface area). Some list entries are territories, so a rank here is not a rank among sovereign states.
| Language | Share (est.) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Southern Sotho | 98% | official |
| English | 27% | official |
| Zulu | 14% | — |
| Swati | 2.4% | — |
| Xhosa | 0.99% | — |
CLDR shares are estimates of people who use each language, so they can add up to more than 100%.
How big is Lesotho, really?
With 30,360 km² (2024, land plus inland water), Lesotho is 138th of 169 by surface area and covers 0.02% of the combined area of those entries.
In that ordering, Belgium (30,689 km²) is just larger; Armenia (29,740 km²) just smaller.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (AG.SRF.TOTL.K2), data updated 2026-10-08; checked 2026-10-19.Lesotho at a glance
- Capital
- Maseru
- Region
- Southern Africa, Africa
- Population
- 2,363,325 (2025)
- Surface area
- 30,360 km² (2024)
- Density
- 78 people per km²
- Official languages
- Southern Sotho and English
- Currency
- Rand (ZAR) and Loti (LSL)
- Calling code
- +266
- Internet domain
- .ls
- Land neighbours
- 1 (Natural Earth) · 1 (Travle)
Each figure is sourced in its own section below. "Not available" means no source used on this page has the figure.
Lesotho within Southern Africa
Natural Earth places Lesotho in Southern Africa (UN subregion). Of the 5 entries from Travle's country list in that subregion, Lesotho is 4th by population and 4th by surface area, with 3.2% of the combined population of those entries.
| Country | Population (2025) | Area km² (2024) |
|---|---|---|
 South Africa | 64,747,319 | 1,219,602 |
 Namibia | 3,092,816 | 824,292 |
 Botswana | 2,562,122 | 581,730 |
| Lesotho | 2,363,325 | 30,360 |
 Eswatini | 1,256,174 | 17,364 |
Sources: World Bank WDI (SP.POP.TOTL, AG.SRF.TOTL.K2), data updated 2026-10-08; subregion from Natural Earth 1:110m. A dash means the World Bank has no figure.
Location, borders and position
Lesotho is in Southern Africa, Africa. Its outline in Natural Earth lies in the southern hemisphere and the eastern hemisphere. Its capital, Maseru, is at about 29.3° S and 27.5° E.
On land, Natural Earth's boundary data gives Lesotho 1 neighbour; the Travle game map gives it 1.
Sources: Natural Earth 1:110m (outline and capital) and 1:10m boundary lines (neighbours), public domain.
Where Lesotho is on the map
Countries bordering Lesotho
Natural Earth's boundary data and the Travle map agree on this 1 land neighbour.
| Country | Direction | Land boundary in Natural Earth | Border in Travle |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | west | Yes | Yes |
Geographic column: Natural Earth 1:10m Admin-0 boundary lines (land) 5.1.0 (public domain), checked 2026-10-19; Natural Earth shows de facto boundaries and does not settle disputes. Travle column: the game's own border map.
Money and language in Lesotho
Currency
- Rand: code ZAR, numeric 710. ISO 4217 lists it for 3 entries in total, so it is shared with 2 others.
- Loti: code LSL, numeric 426. ISO 4217 lists it for this country only.
Official languages
- Southern Sotho: official only here, according to CLDR.
- English: official in 91 territories in CLDR, including Lesotho.
CLDR is a technical reference, not a legal text. Laws and constitutions can describe languages differently.
Currency, domain and dialling code
- Currency
- Rand (ZAR) and Loti (LSL)
Source: Unicode CLDR release-48-2 currencyData (region LS); code, name and number from ISO 4217 list one (SIX), published 2026-09-17; checked 2026-10-19. - Internet domain
- .ls
Source: IANA Root Zone Database; checked 2026-10-19. - International dialling code
- +266
Source: ITU, List of ITU-T Recommendation E.164 assigned country codes (position on 15 December 2016); checked 2026-10-19. - Time
- UTC+02:00 all year (2026)
IANA zones: Africa/Maseru
Source: IANA Time Zone Database 2026e (zone.tab); UTC offsets computed for 15 Jan and 15 Jul 2026 with Node.js ICU tz 2026a; checked 2026-10-19.
Lesotho codes and abbreviations
| Standard | Code |
|---|---|
| ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 | LS |
| ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 | LSO |
| ISO 3166-1 numeric | 426 |
| ISO 4217 currency (Rand) | ZAR · 710 |
| ISO 4217 currency (Loti) | LSL · 426 |
| Country-code top-level domain | .ls |
| ITU-T E.164 country code | +266 |
Sources: Natural Earth (ISO 3166-1), ISO 4217 list one (SIX), IANA Root Zone Database, ITU E.164 list; linked with dates in the sections above.
Fun facts about Lesotho
- English has official status in 91 territories in Unicode CLDR, Lesotho among them.
- It has a single land neighbour in Natural Earth's boundary data.
- The longest Travle trip from Lesotho takes 18 steps, to Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste.
- UNESCO lists 1 World Heritage property in Lesotho; the earliest inscription dates from 2000.
Each fact is calculated from the sources cited on this page.
How far can you travel from Lesotho in Travle?
Starting from Lesotho and moving one border at a time, this is how many countries in the game's map you reach at each step. Countries that need a sea crossing never appear, because the game only follows land borders.
| Steps | Countries | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | |
| 2 | 5 | |
| 3 | 4 | |
| 4 | 6 | |
| 5 | 6 | |
| 6 | 6 | |
| 7 | 4 | |
| 8 | 7 | |
| 9 | 10 | |
| 10 | 8 | |
| 11 | 13 | |
| 12 | 13 | |
| 13 | 25 | |
| 14 | 10 | |
| 15 | 2 | |
| 16 | 1 | |
| 17 | 2 | |
| 18 | 2 |
In total 125 of the 171 other countries in the map can be reached by land. The longest trips take 18 steps and end in Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste. The other 46 cannot be reached without crossing the sea (18 in North America, 13 in South America, 6 in Oceania, 5 in Asia, 3 in Europe, 1 in Africa).
Nearby routes from Lesotho
Shortest land routes in the game's map to the countries up to 3 steps away. There can be several routes of the same length; this list shows one. The section above shows how many countries are reachable in total.
- South Africa: 1 step (Lesotho → South Africa)
- Botswana: 2 steps (Lesotho → South Africa → Botswana)
- Eswatini: 2 steps (Lesotho → South Africa → Eswatini)
Mozambique: 2 steps (Lesotho → South Africa → Mozambique)- Namibia: 2 steps (Lesotho → South Africa → Namibia)
Zimbabwe: 2 steps (Lesotho → South Africa → Zimbabwe)
Angola: 3 steps (Lesotho → South Africa → Namibia → Angola)
Malawi: 3 steps (Lesotho → South Africa → Mozambique → Malawi)
Tanzania: 3 steps (Lesotho → South Africa → Mozambique → Tanzania)
Zambia: 3 steps (Lesotho → South Africa → Botswana → Zambia)
World Heritage in Lesotho
UNESCO lists 1 World Heritage property in Lesotho. The first, inscribed in 2000, was Maloti-Drakensberg Park.
- Maloti-Drakensberg Park (mixed, inscribed 2000, shared with other countries)
Source: UNESCO World Heritage List (XML feed); checked 2026-10-19. Names as listed by UNESCO; descriptions on this page are our own.
Lesotho — frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Lesotho?
Maseru.
Which countries border Lesotho?
On land, South Africa, according to Natural Earth's boundary data. The Travle map uses the same neighbours.
What currency and language does Lesotho use?
The currency is the Rand (ZAR) and Loti (LSL). Unicode CLDR gives Southern Sotho and English official status.
How far can you travel from Lesotho in Travle?
Following land borders only, 125 countries are reachable. The farthest need 18 steps: Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste.
How many people live in Lesotho?
The World Bank counts 2,363,325 people for 2025.
How big is Lesotho?
30,360 km² of surface area (2024), according to the World Bank.
What is the dialling code and internet domain of Lesotho?
The international dialling code is +266 and the country-code domain is .ls.
What time zone does Lesotho use?
UTC+02:00 all year (2026).
Keep exploring
- Spin the country wheel to get a random country.
- Play Travle and try to cross the map border by border.
- Browse all countries of the world, countries by population, capitals, country codes or try the flag quiz.