Get to know country Lesotho which nickname 'Sky Kingdom'
Getting to know the country of Lesotho which is nicknamed the Kingdom of Heaven /Photo: Pexels/ Elina Emeleeva
Beauties, have you ever heard of the country of Lesotho? This small country in the southern part of the African continent only has a population of around 2 million people. However, there is some attraction in it.
This country, which is a constitutional monarchy, only has an area of around 30,355 square km. Uniquely, this country is one of the most isolated countries in the world because its entire territory is surrounded by the Republic of South Africa.
Quoting WorldAtlas, more than 80 percent of the area is in mountains with a height above 1,800 meters. The lowest point is at an altitude of 4,593 feet or the equivalent of 1,400 meters. With these characteristics, Lesotho earned the nickname "Kingdom of the Sky".
Former British Colonies
Maletsunyane Waterfall in Lesotho /Photo: Pexels/Tara Dutt
In ancient times, England colonized most of the world. It turns out that the first fact about the country of Lesotho is that this country is a former British colony and is now a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations. Quoting the official website, www.gov.ls, Basutoland was the initial name of this country before independence. Until October 4, 1966, this country became independent from Britain and became the country of Lesotho as it is known today.
Some British remains are still visible. One of them, English is the official language of this country. In fact, the people of Lesotho speak many languages, all of which belong to the Nigerian-Congolese language family. Quoting Britannica, the Sesotho language, which is part of the Bantu languages, is an official language apart from English. Other residents also speak Zulu and Xhosa.
Highest Skiing and Pub on the African Continent
Skiing and Snowboarding in Lesotho /Photo: Reuters/Sumaya Hisham via CNN Indonesia
You can find snow here, especially in the Maluti Mountains. The mountains are at an altitude of 3,000 meters (9,842 feet) and there is a famous ski resort for skiing and snowboarding which is always busy with visitors every year.
This country also has the highest pub on the African continent. The name is Sani Mountain Lodge which is located on the Sani Pass, a border between Lesotho and South Africa which has a height of 2,874 meters. Visitors feel like they are enjoying a glass of drink above the clouds.
Diamond Discovery and Dinosaur Tracks in Lesotho
Atmosphere in Lesotho /Photo: Pixabay
Not only tourism, one of this country's economic sectors comes from mining, namely diamond mining. Many expensive, rare and large diamonds have been found that have shocked the world.
One of the most famous discoveries was the discovery of the fifth largest diamond in the world called "The Lesotho Legend" in 2018. Quoting CNBC, the 910 carat diamond was successfully sold for a fantastic price of 40 million USD or around IDR 641.8 billion.
Lesotho is also well known among researchers, especially paleontologists and archaeologists. Quoting WorldAtlas, the world's largest dinosaur footprints have been found in this country. The discoveries made by explorers were in the form of treasures consisting of bones, shells and fossils from prehistoric times.
In fact, the dinosaur type Leosthosaurus was discovered in the country now ruled by King Letsie III. Leosthosaurus was an omnivorous dinosaur that was about 6.6 feet long or the equivalent of almost 2 meters.
The name of the dinosaur was determined by a paleontologist from the United States named Peter Galton. He named it based on the place where the fossil was found. So, those are some facts about the country of Lesotho that you need to know. Do you want to visit this Celestial Kingdom, Beauties?
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