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The Kingdom of Lesotho, a small nation approximately the size of Maryland (11,700 sq. mi.) with a population of two million, is completely surrounded by South Africa.  Its capital and major city, Maseru, has a population of 174,000.

The United States was one of the first four countries to establish an embassy in Maseru after Lesotho gained its independence from Great Britain in 1966. Since that time, Lesotho and the United States have consistently maintained warm bilateral 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's economy is based on water and electricity sold to South Africa, manufacturing, earnings from SACU, agriculture, livestock, and to some extent earnings of laborers employed in South Africa. Lesotho also exports diamonds, wool, and mohair. Lesotho is economically integrated with South Africa. The majority of households subsist on farming or migrant labor, primarily miners in South Africa for 3 to 9 months. The western lowlands form the main agricultural zone. Almost 50 percent of the population earns some income through crop cultivation or animal husbandry, with over half the country's income coming from the agricultural sector. However, Lesotho has taken advantage of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) to become the largest exporter of garments to the U.S. from sub-Saharan Africa.

For more information on this or other trade and investment matters please contact us at:

Sara Devlin, Economic/Commercial Assistant, E-mail: devlinse@N0SPAM.state.gov

Ms. Manthako Mpei, Economic/Commercial Assistant, email: MpehiMA@N0SPAM.state.gov , 254 Kingsway Road, Maseru, Lesotho, P.O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho Tel: +(266) 22 312 666 Ext 134, Fax: +(266) 22 310 116 http://lesotho.usembassy.gov

Support can also be provided by the U.S. Commercial Service South Africa. Please contact Senior Commercial Officer (SCO) Craig Allen via e-mail at Craig.Allen@N0SPAM.mail.doc.gov or telephone at +27 11 778 4813 for additional information or other opportunities in Southern Africa