The Kingdom of Lesotho is one of the most unusual countries in the world. It is a sovereign nation completely surrounded by just one other country: South Africa.
This makes Lesotho a true enclave, which is the geographical term for a state that exists entirely within the borders of another. Thus, Lesotho is the only African country inside another country.
Lesotho is famous for its incredible height, earning it the nickname "The Kingdom in the Sky." It is the only country on Earth where the entire territory sits at an altitude of more than 1,400 meters above sea level. While many countries have high mountains, Lesotho is unique because even its lowest point is higher than the lowest point of any other nation.
This landlocked country covers about 30,355 square kilometers. Moreover, Lesotho is home to 2,39 million people.
Why Lesotho is Inside South Africa
The history of why Lesotho exists inside South Africa begins in the early 1800s. This was a chaotic period of war and migration known as the Lifaqane.
During this time, a wise leader named King Moshoeshoe I began gathering refugees and displaced groups to build a new nation. He realized that the high, rugged mountains of the region could act as a natural fortress against powerful enemies like the Zulu.
King Moshoeshoe I moved his followers to mountain strongholds like Thaba Bosiu, a flat-topped mountain that was easy to defend and very difficult for enemies to climb. By using the rough terrain to their advantage, the Basotho people survived many attacks.
However, in the mid-1800s, a new threat arrived. Boer settlers from the Orange Free State who wanted the fertile Basotho land for farming.
To save his kingdom from being taken over by the Boers, King Moshoeshoe I turned to diplomacy and asked the British for protection. In 1868, the territory became a British protectorate known as Basutoland, which successfully stopped the settlers from conquering the land.
Later, the people had to fight the "Gun War" in 1880 when the British Cape Colony tried to confiscate their firearms. The Basotho successfully won this resistance, proving they were too difficult to rule by force.
The British decided to rule Basutoland directly from London as a High Commission Territory because of this fierce resistance. When the Union of South Africa was formed in 1910, Basutoland was intentionally left out because the British wanted to avoid more conflict with the Basotho and maintain their own influence in the region. Eventually, the country gained full independence as Lesotho in 1966.
Lesotho and Other Global Enclaves
Apart from Lesotho, only two other nations in the world exist entirely within a single country's borders, which are Vatican City and San Marino.
Both Vatican and San Marino are located entirely inside Italy. This makes Italy becomes a country that surrounds by two independent states at once.
However, Lesotho is completely different from these two because it is not a microstate. It is significantly larger and is the only enclave country located outside of Europe.
