kingdom · Central and Southern Africa

Kingdom of Lesotho

1966 CE – present · capital Maseru

The independent mountain kingdom of the Basotho, entirely surrounded by South Africa, since 1966.

Origins

Basutoland became independent on 4 October 1966 as the Kingdom of Lesotho, a constitutional monarchy within the Commonwealth with Moshoeshoe II, a descendant of Moshoeshoe I of the Basotho Kingdom, as king and Leabua Jonathan of the Basotho National Party as prime minister.

Rule and society

Jonathan annulled the 1970 election he was losing and ruled by decree until a military coup in 1986. Moshoeshoe II was exiled in 1990 and replaced by his son Letsie III, then briefly restored before his death in 1996. The economy relies on mine wages from South Africa, textiles and the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, which sells water to Gauteng.

To the present

A disputed election in 1998 led to rioting and intervention by South African and Botswana troops under SADC. Since 2002 Lesotho has held regular elections under a mixed electoral system, with Letsie III as king.

Lineage

Basutoland 1868 CE – 1966 CEKingdom of Lesotho

More states of Central and Southern Africa →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kingdom of Lesotho. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-lesotho
MLA
“Kingdom of Lesotho.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-lesotho. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Kingdom of Lesotho.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-lesotho.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kingdom of Lesotho’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-lesotho (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻