Yearbook 2016

Lesotho. According to countryaah, the current population of Lesotho is 2,142,260. Lesotho celebrated on October 4 the 50th anniversary of its independence. The party mood was clouded a month later by a bitter factional battle within Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili’s party, the Democratic Congress (DC). A group wanted to jump off the fragile coalition that has ruled since 2015 and collaborate with former Prime Minister Tom Thabanes Allbasothian Convention (ABC). A threatening vote of confidence was averted when the President ended the parliamentary year earlier than usual.

Lesotho Population 2016

Pope Francis appointed the country’s first cardinal in October. But 87-year-old Koto Sabastian Khoarai, because of his age, is not allowed to be part of the Cardinal College, which is conducting an election.

HUMAN AND ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY

In 1998, official estimates attributed to the country a population of 2,062,000 residents. The population growth rate is very high (2.6% in the 1990-98 period); consequently – given the scarce economic possibilities – there is a strong emigration towards the South African Republic, where 60% of the total workforce of the Lesotho is engaged in mining and agricultural activities (against 45% in 1987).

  • Abbreviation Finder: Check to see how the 3-letter abbreviation of LSO stands for the nation of Lesotho in geography.

As in the past, the distribution of the population is very irregular: the most densely populated areas are the western ones, in practice the only arable land of the country, where 70% of the residents are concentrated with densities reaching up to 200 residents / km² (the national average is 68 residents / km²). 74% of the population lives in rural areas; the only important center is the capital, Maseru.

Climate

According to thereligionfaqs, due to its location in the southern hemisphere, the seasons in Lesotho are opposite to those in the northern hemisphere. The climate is moderately warm due to the high altitude of the entire country. In winter, between June and August, it can get very cold and snow can fall at high altitudes to the east. During the day, however, it is also sunny in winter, and throughout the year the country has an average of around 300 sunny days.

In the summer months between November and March it is mostly hot in Lesotho. There are thunderstorms about 100 days a year, mostly in summer. Due to the altitude, temperatures can fluctuate very strongly during the day (between −15 ° C at night in winter and up to over 30 ° C during the day in summer).

The average annual temperature in the capital Maseru is 15 ° C. In the high mountains of the Drakensberg, snowfall is possible all year round. About 85% of the annual precipitation – the national average about 600 to 800 mm – falls during the summer, which is why the landscape is mostly parched in the dry winter months.