Kirk Wysocki, age 13, of Albuquerque, N.M., for his question:
WHERE IS LESOTHO?
Lesotho is a country located in the southern part of Africa. It is called the Switzerland of southern Africa because of its beautiful mountain scenery. The small country, which is about the same size as the state of Maryland, is completely surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is inland about 200 miles from the Indian Ocean.
Lesotho was at one time called the British colony of Basutoland. It became independent in 1966 as the Kingdom of Lesotho.
A prime minister and a cabinet actually direct the government but the country also has a king called the Paramount Chief of Lesotho. The prime minister is the leader of the majority party in the 93 member National assembly. The king appoints 71 of the assemblymen on the advice of the prime minister. The other 22 members are local chiefs.
Population of Lesotho is just over one million and most of the people are black Africans called Basotho or Basuto. They are strong, independent people who raise livestock and food crops. The wealth of a family is usually measured by the number of cattle it owns, and cattle are often used instead of money.
Most Basotho live in villages of less than 250 persons. Family groups build their huts around a cattle kraal or pen. The huts have mud or sod walls with thatched roofs.
The Basotho often paint designs in bright colors on the doors and walls of their huts.
The women do most of the heavy work on the farms and in the homes. They hoe and weed the gardens, harvest the crops and even build the houses. The men plow the land and look after the cattle, sheep and goats.
Most of Lesotho is mountainous. The only plains lie on the west, and this is where most of the people live. Maseru, the nation's capital with a population of about 20,000, is in the west.
Lesotho is a poor country with no manufacturing industries and no minerals.
There are few jobs in Lesotho. At any one time, about half of ail the men are working under six or nine month contracts in the mines and industries of South Africa. These workers receive part of their pay while they are in South Africa and the balance in Lesotho when their contracts end. The money Basotho men earn in South Africa is important to the economy of Lesotho.
Most of Lesotho has a mild, moist climate because most of the country lies more than 5,000 feet above sea level. The rainfall varies from year to year and place to place. Annual rainfall averages 28 inches and most of it falls between October and April.
Temperatures in the western plains range from 90 degrees Fahrenheit in summer to 20 degrees Fahrenheit in winter. In the highlands, temperatures often fall below freezing in the winter.
Most of the country's 1,200 miles of roads lie in the western plains. In the highlands, the Basotho travel on hardy ponies and horses along winding trails.