Pakalitha Mosisili
Prime Minister

(pronounced "PAK-a-leeth-a mo-see-SEE-lee")

"Peace and stability are essential preconditions to economic development … Our geographical position within South Africa eliminates chances for an external threat. Our enemies are therefore internal."

The Kingdom of Lesotho (pronounced "leh-SOO-too") is a landlocked enclave of 30,355 sq km (11,720 sq mi), surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is a country of rugged mountainous terrain, dissected by deep river valleys at elevations of 8,100 to 17,700 m (approximately 5,000 to 11,000 ft) above sea level.

Most Basotho, as the people of Lesotho are called, are of southern Sotho origin and speak Sesotho, a Bantu language. English is the official language, but many Basotho are also fluent in other southern African languages or Afrikaans. Europeans, Asians, and people of mixed origins constitute less than 1% of Lesotho's citizens.

Lesotho's population was estimated at 2.2 million in July 2002. Over 80% of the resident...