Lesotho

The Kingdom of Lesotho ('Muso oa Lesotho) is a country in southern Africa. It is an enclave-nation, entirely surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. Formerly Basutoland, it is a member of the British Commonwealth. The name Le-sotho roughly translates into "the land of the people who speak Sotho".

Foreign relations

Lesotho's geographic location makes it extremely vulnerable to political and economic developments in South Africa. It is a member of many regional economic organizations including the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Southern African Customs Union (SACU). Lesotho also is active in the United Nations, the African Union, the Nonaligned Movement, the Commonwealth, and many other international organizations. In addition to the United States, South Africa, China, the United Kingdom, Libya, Ireland (Consulate General), and the European Union, all currently retain resident diplomatic missions in Lesotho. The United Nations is represented by a resident mission as well, including UNDP, UNICEF, WHO, FAO, WFP, and UNAIDS.

Related Topics:
South Africa - Southern African Development Community - Southern African Customs Union - United Nations - African Union - Nonaligned Movement - Commonwealth - UNDP - UNICEF - WHO - FAO - WFP - UNAIDS

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Lesotho has historically maintained generally close ties with the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and other Western states. Although Lesotho decided in 1990 to break relations with the People's Republic of China (P.R.C.) and reestablish relations with Taiwan, it has since restored ties with the P.R.C. Lesotho also recognized Palestine as a state, was a strong public supporter of the end of apartheid in South Africa, and granted a number of South African refugees political asylum during the apartheid era.

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