FIVE things about Lesotho – the country ‘nobody has ever heard of’

US President Donald Trump said that “nobody has ever heard of” the African country of Lesotho – a comment that shocked the world.

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As reported by The South African website, Trump on Tuesday mocked Lesotho as a country “nobody has ever heard of” as he defended his sweeping cuts in aid.

Trump highlighted the landlocked African constitutional monarchy during an address to Congress as he gave a long list of past US aid projects.

“Eight million dollars to promote LGBTQI+ in the African nation of Lesotho,” Trump said, struggling with the pronunciation.

“Which nobody has ever heard of,” Trump added, as Republican lawmakers laughed and Vice President JD Vance and Speaker Mike Johnson grinned behind him.

Lesotho has one of the highest rates in the world of HIV/AIDS, which the United States has sought to address by providing medication and other social support, including raising awareness among sexual minorities who face stigma.

The United States has committed more than $630 million since 2006 to anti-HIV/AIDS efforts in Lesotho, according to the US embassy there.

Here are FIVE things you should know about Lesotho:

‘The Kingdom in the Sky’

The Kingdom of Lesotho is made up mostly of highlands, where many villages can only be reached on horseback, by foot or light aircraft.

It is known as the “Kingdom in the Sky” and is the only independent state in the world that lies entirely above 1 000m in elevation, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica. Its lowest point is at 1 400m.

It is known to have one of the world’s most intimidating airstrips to land on – the Matekane Airstrip has a short runway and with long drops at both ends.

The Business Insider website describes flying from the airport as “essentially the same as when a bird is pushed out of the nest in order to learn to fly”.

Completely surrounded by South Africa

Lesotho is completely encircled by South Africa, but separated by the forbidding mountain ranges.

Not much of its land is available for farming, with its population vulnerable to food shortages and relying on income from jobs in South Africa.

Over the decades thousands of workers have been forced by the lack of job opportunities at home to find work in South Africa.

The people of Lesotho, who number more than two million, share some cultural and language similarities with South Africans.

Their language, Sesotho, is also one of South Africa’s 12 official languages.

In fact, more people speak it in South Africa – 4.6 million – than in Lesotho

Lesotho’s biggest resource is ‘white gold’

Resources are scarce in Lesotho – a consequence of the harsh environment of the highland plateau and limited agricultural space in the lowlands.

Its biggest resource is water – known locally as white gold – which is exported to South Africa.

Diamonds are another major export.

Prince Harry has long-standing personal charity interests in Lesotho

Like the United Kingdom, Lesotho is a constitutional monarchy. This means that although it has a royal family, an elected prime minister runs the country.

Lesotho’s Prince Seeiso – the younger brother of current King Letsie III – is close friends with the UK’s Prince Harry.

The pair have set up a charity in Lesotho – Sentebale, which means “forget me not”.

The organisation works with local communities in the country at grassroots level, helping young people affected by HIV/Aids.

Prince Harry first went to Lesotho as a 19-year-old and has returned to the country many times since then.

It exports jeans to the US

Jeans have long been associated with the American West but nowadays, many of the pairs worn in the US have come from halfway across the world, in Lesotho.

Lesotho’s garment factories have made jeans for iconic American brands such as Levi’s and Wrangler in recent years. As a result, Lesotho has become known as the “denim capital of Africa”.

And it is not just jeans – Lesotho is one of sub-Saharan Africa’s largest exporters of clothing in general to the US.

Last year, Lesotho exported $237 million worth of clothes and textiles to the US through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa), which allows eligible African countries to send some goods to the US without paying taxes.

It is ranked second by value of goods exported under the deal.

Many of Lesotho’s clothing and textile factories are owned by Chinese and Taiwanese migrants.

Have you ever visited Lesotho?

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