Geography & environment — Lesotho
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Geography & environment at a glance
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources. Key figure for Lesotho: Africa
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Location & size
- Geographic Location
Africa
- Geographic Coordinates
29 30 S, 28 30 E
- Total Area
11,720 Square Miles 30,355 Square Kilometers
- Land Area
11,720 Square Miles 30,355 Square Kilometers
- Land Boundaries
565 Miles 909 Kilometers
- Border Countries
South Africa 909 km
Physical geography
- Terrain
mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains
- Highest Point
3,482 Meters
- Highest Point Location
Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m
- Lowest Point
1,400 Meters
- Lowest Point Location
junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m
- Natural Resources
water, agricultural and grazing land, some diamonds and other minerals
- Irrigated Land
10 Square Miles 26 Square Kilometers
Climate & time
- Time Zone
UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Climate
- Climate
The climate is temperate year round. Rainfall, occurring mostly from October to April, ranges from 24 inches a year over most of the lowlands to over 40 inches a year in the mountains. A windy season during August and September occasionally brings dust storms. Average daytime temperatures are in the high 80°F in summer and can reach 100°F in Maseru. In winter, daytime temperatures average in the mid 60°F and at night sometimes drop to the teens in Maseru. Nighttime temperatures are regularly below freezing in June, July and August. Temperatures in the mountains are even more extreme with snowfalls common in winter. The humidity year round is quite low.
- Terrain
mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains
- Location
Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa
- Total Area
11,720 Square Miles 30,355 Square Kilometers
- Border Countries
South Africa 909 km
Environment
- Environment - Current Issues
- population pressure forcing settlement in marginal areas results in overgrazing, severe soil erosion, and soil exhaustion
- desertification
- Highlands Water Project controls, stores, and redirects water to South Africa
- Environment - International Agreements
- party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed,
- but not ratified: none of the selected agreements