Basutoland

[buh-soo-too-land, -toh-]

Basutoland: see Lesotho.

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Lesotho

officially Kingdom of Lesotho formerly Basutoland

Country, southern Africa, an enclave lying within the Republic of South Africa. Area: 11,720 sq mi (30,355 sq km). Population (2007 est.): 2,008,000. Capital: Maseru. Almost all of the population are Sotho, a Bantu-speaking people. Languages: Sotho, English (both official), Zulu. Religions: Christianity (official; Roman Catholic, other Christians, Protestant); also traditional beliefs. Currency: loti. About two-thirds of the total area is mountainous; the highest point is Mount Ntlenyana (11,424 ft [3,482 m]). The Maloti Mountains in the central northwest are the source of two of South Africa's largest rivers, the Tugela and the Orange, and home to the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, a large-scale development that diverts water and generates power. Mineral resources are scant. Agriculture employs nearly two-fifths of the workforce; the chief farm products are corn, sorghum, and wheat. Livestock provides exports (cattle, wool, mohair). Industries focus mainly on light manufacturing (textiles and apparel, furniture, jewelry). Lesotho is a constitutional monarchy with two legislative houses; its chief of state is the king, and the head of government is the prime minister. Bantu-speaking farmers began to settle the area in the 16th century, and a number of chiefdoms arose. The most powerful of them organized the Basotho in 1824 and obtained British protection in 1843 as tension between the Basotho and the South African Boers increased. It became a British territory in 1868 and was annexed to the Cape Colony in 1871. The colony's effort to disarm the Basotho resulted in revolt in 1880, and four years later it separated from the colony and became a British High Commission Territory. It became independent in 1966. A new constitution, effective in 1993, ended seven years of military rule. At the beginning of the 21st century, Lesotho suffered from a deteriorating economy and one of the world's highest rates of HIV/AIDS infection.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.

Basutoland

Basutoland or officially the Territory of Basutoland, was a British crown colony established in 1884 after the Cape Colony's inability to control the territory. It was divided into seven administrative disricts; Berea, Leribe, Maseru, Mohales Hock, Mafeteng, Qacha's Nek and Quthing.

The colony was contemporary sometimes referred to as "The Switzerland of South Africa", because of its beautiful nature with mountains and waterfalls.

Population

Considering the extensive area of uninhabitable mountain land it contained, the Territory supported a large population. The inhabitants increased from 128,206 in 1875, to 348,848 in 1904. The females outnumbered the males by about 20,000, which was, however, about the number of adult males away from the country at any given period. The majority lived in the district between the Maluti mountains and the Caledon river. The great bulk of the people were Basuto, but there were some thousands of Barolong. The white inhabitants in 1904 numbered 895. The seat of government was Maseru, on the left bank of the Caledon, with a population of about 1000 including some 100 Europeans. There were numerous mission stations throughout Basutoland, to several of which Biblical names have been given, such as Shiloh, Hermon, Cana, Bethesda, Berea.