October 4: Independence Day in Lesotho
Prayer Idea
Pray for the people and government of Lesotho.
Map by Peter Hermes Furian / Shutterstock.com.
History Note
Lesotho is a small, mountainous country that is completely surrounded by South Africa. It is the only country with an elevation everywhere of 1,000 meters (3,281 feet) or higher.
Moshoeshoe I (c. 1786-1870) began forming a kingdom in 1824 known as Sotho. Boer settlers encroached on Sotho territory in the mid-19th century. Moshoeshoe looked to the British for assistance, and the United Kingdom annexed the Sotho kingdom in 1868.
Descendants of Moshoeshoe continued to serve as chiefs under the British. As mining grew in importance in South Africa, many workers from Sotho went to work in the mines. About 20,000 Sotho people served in the British military during World War II.
The Sotho people gradually gained more control of their political affairs and finally obtained full independence on October 4, 1966. Today Lesotho is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy. It has a population of 2 million people. About 96% belong to a Christian denomination.
The mokorotlo is a cone-shaped straw hat that is a traditional part of Lesotho culture. It is featured on the country’s flag and on license plates. This souvenir shop in the capital of Maseru is also built to resemble the hat. Photo by Kabelo Ramatseliso / Shutterstock.com.
Learn More
In this video, tourists highlight some of the people and places of Lesotho.
Please Note: There are some alcoholic drinks shown briefly.
Find more resources at Homeschool History.
