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Lesotho Facts
| Political Climate |
The Kingdom of Lesotho is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy. It?s governed by King Letsie III (1996) and the Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili (1998)
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| Geography |
| 11,718 sq mi (30,350 sq km) |
Languages
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| The languages of Lesotho are English and Sesotho (both official). Also Zulu and Xhosa are spoken. |
Currency
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| The Loti, denoted by LSL, is the official currency of the Kingdom of Lesotho in Africa. The Loti (plural "maloti") is subdivided into 100 lisente (singular "sente"). The LSL is pegged to the South African Rand on a 1:1 basis and both currencies are considered legal tender within Lesotho. Coins in circulation include 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 200 and 500 lisente. Banknotes in circulation include 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 maloti. |
Banks
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| The Banks are usually open from 9:30am to 3:30pm |
People & Population
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The population is about 2,128,180
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Climate & Best time to Travel
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Weather conditions in Lesotho vary greatly depending on the altitude. Summer is the hot, rainy season from October to April, with the hottest days in January and February, and the most rain falling March to May and October to November. Days are sunny with afternoon electric thunderstorms, and temperatures range from around 86ºF (30°C) in the lowlands with cooler temperatures as the altitude increases, averaging about 64°F (18°C) in the mountains.
Snow falls mainly in winter from May to September, but can occur in the mountains at any time of year. Winter can be bitterly cold, particularly in the highlands, but days are usually clear and sunny. Temperatures can fall to 20°F (-7°C) in the lowlands and 0°F (-18°C) in the highlands. At any time of year the weather can change very rapidly in the highlands from warm sunshine to mist, rain and freezing temperatures. The best time to visit this country is between October to March. At this time the weather remains very pleasant.
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Entry Requirements
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| A passport is required, but no visa for U.S. citizens is needed for visits of 180 days or less. Vaccination for yellow fever is a common requirement and travelers should carry their international vaccination cards with them. For more information concerning entry requirements, travelers may contact the Embassy of the Kingdom of Lesotho, 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008, telephone (202) 797-5533. Visit the Embassy of Lesotho?s web site at http://www.lesothoemb-usa.gov.ls/ for the most current visa information. |
Health
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| All travelers should visit either their personal physician or a travel health clinic 4-8 weeks before departure. |
Communications
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Telephones: main lines in use: 22,200 (2000); mobile cellular: 21,600 (2000). Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998). Radios: n.a. (2002). Television broadcast stations: 1 (2000). Televisions: n.a. Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000). Internet users: 5,000 (2002).
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Electricity
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220-240 Volts (U.S./Canada are 110-120 Volts) and the Primary Socket Type is South African
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