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Source: AFP
US President Donald Trump successful March ridiculed Lesotho arsenic a spot "nobody has ever heard of" and past this week deed the tiny African kingdom with the highest of his reciprocal commercialized tariffs for immoderate azygous nation.
Here are immoderate things to cognize astir the state sometimes called the Switzerland of Africa due to the fact that of its mountainous landscape.
'Kingdom successful the sky'
Completely surrounded by South Africa, Lesotho is the largest of lone 3 enclaved states successful the world, acold bigger than San Marino and the Vatican City, some of which are wrong Italy.
At 30,355 quadrate kilometres (11,720 quadrate miles), it is astir the aforesaid size arsenic Belgium.
Its colonisation is astir 2.3 million, compared to Belgium's astir 12 million.
Lesotho is known for the quality of its mountainous terrain and styles itself the "Kingdom successful the Sky".
More than 80 percent of the state sits 1,800 metres (5,900 feet) supra oversea level and it is location to confederate Africa's lone skis resort.
The highest highest is Mount Thabana Ntlenyana, with an altitude of astatine 3,482 metres.
A law monarchy, it is ruled by 61-year-old King Letsie III, who has nary ceremonial power. The authorities is led by a premier minister.
Textile system
With a yearly gross home merchandise of conscionable implicit $2 billion, Lesotho is mostly babelike connected South Africa -- it biggest trading spouse -- from which it imports astir of its food, selling h2o successful return.
The economy is heavy reliant connected textile exports bound for the United States done the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) commercialized woody which provides duty-free entree to the US marketplace for immoderate African products.
Its accepted Basotho blankets are a nationalist awesome and renowned for their vibrant patterns and woollen warmth. They are often loaded with meaning, from celebrating beingness and nationality, to fertility and royalty, peace, emotion and courage.
Lesotho ranks among the world's poorest countries contempt immense mineral reserves.
British excavation institution Gem Diamonds said successful 2018 it had discovered a 910-carat chromatic successful 1 of its respective Lesotho diamond mines.
The state besides pioneered the increasing of cannabis for aesculapian usage successful Africa.
Unemployment has remained stubbornly high, hitting astir 25 percent successful 2023, according to the World Bank.
Royal enactment
A foundation co-founded by Prince Harry successful Lesotho to assistance radical surviving with HIV ran into turbulence this period aft a bitter boardroom enactment led King Charles III's younger lad to measurement down arsenic patron.
Its Zimbabwe-born chairperson, Sophie Chandauka, publically accused the prince of "bullying" and being progressive successful a "cover up", accusations the erstwhile royal has dismissed arsenic lies.
Harry founded the foundation successful 2006 with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, earlier it expanded to Botswana.
The name, Sentebale, is simply a tribute to his mother, Princess Diana, who died successful a Paris car clang successful 1997 erstwhile helium was conscionable 12.
HIV pandemic
At slightest 1 successful 4 adults successful Lesotho is infected with HIV, successful 1 of the highest rates successful the world.
More than 230,000 radical were receiving anti-retroviral attraction successful 2021, according to the World Health Organization.
In 2020, the state achieved the UN's "90-90-90" extremity of 90 percent of radical with the microorganism being diagnosed, connected attraction and achieving viral suppression.
The state besides has the second-highest incidence of TB successful the world, estimated astatine 724 cases per 100,000 people.
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Source: AFP
