LESOTHO, FLAG OF

diagonally divided national flag of white, blue, and green with a brown emblem in the upper hoist corner. The flag has a width-to-length ratio of 9 to 14. The British protectorate of Basutoland was established in 1868 to preserve the mountain kingdom of Basotho from being absorbed by South Africa. The Basotho (Southern Sotho) therefore flew the Union Jack and had little need for a national flag of their own. Decades later a national flag was designed for hoisting on Independence Day, October 4, 1966, when the nation became known as the Kingdom of Lesotho. The prime minister, Chief Leabua Jonathan, wanted to use the flag of his own ruling Basotho National Party, which had four equal horizontal stripes from top to bottom of blue, white, red, and green. Other parties objected, and instead the national flag displayed green, red, and blue vertically with a white silhouette version of a typical Sotho straw hat. The military overthrew the government of Jonathan in 1986, and the current flag was hoisted on January 20, 1987. Divided diagonally, it contains a white triangle for peace on which, represented in brown, are design elements from the Basotho coat of arms. The animal-skin shield in silhouette is supplemented by a staff with ostrich feathers and by traditional weapons, the assegai and knobkerrie. These recall the battles of the past that had preserved Basotho independence. The green triangle at the fly end of the flag is for prosperity, and the blue stripe between the other colours symbolizes rain. The new flag was designed by a Basotho soldier with technical advice provided by Frederick Brownell, the state herald of South Africa. Whitney Smith History This discussion focuses on Lesotho since the 19th century. For a more detailed treatment of earlier periods and of the country in its regional context, see southern Africa, history of. The territory now known as Lesotho was occupied as early as the Neolithic Period by Khoisan-speaking hunter-gatherers. From about the 16th century, African farmersthe ancestors of the present populationmoved across the grasslands of southern Africa and settled in the fertile valleys of the Caledon River, where they came to dominate the hunters of the region. These stockkeeping agriculturalists belonged to the large Sotho group and were divided into numerous clans that formed the nucleus of chiefdoms, whose members occupied villages. The Sotho kingdom (182469) The violent upheavals of the early 19th century among the chiefdoms of southern Africa intensified in Lesotho in the 1820s. During this turbulent period, known as the lifaqane (crushing; also spelled difaqane), the members of many chiefdoms were annihilated, dispersed, or incorporated into stronger, reorganized, and larger chiefdoms positioned in strategically advantageous areas. The leaders who headed the new chiefdoms had the ability to offer greater protection; one of these was Mshweshwe of the Moketeli, a minor lineage of the Kwena (Bakwena). In 1824 he occupied Thaba Bosiu (Bosigo) (Mountain of the Night), the defensive centre from which he incorporated many other individuals, lineages, and chiefdoms into what became the kingdom of the Sotho (subsequently also called Basutoland). Mshweshwe was a man of remarkable political and diplomatic skill. By cooperating with other chiefdoms and extending the influence of his own lineage, he was able to create a Sotho identity and unity, both of which were used to repel the external forces that threatened their autonomy and independence. Mshweshwe also acknowledged the importance of acquiring the skills of farmers, settlers, hunters, and adventurers, who increasingly moved across his borders from the south. He therefore welcomed the missionaries from the Paris Evangelical Missionary Society when they arrived at Thaba Bosiu in 1833 as a source of information about the rest of the world. He placed them in strategically important parts of the kingdom, where they gave the Sotho their first experience with Christianity, literacy, and commodity production for long-distance trading. In 1834 large numbers of Boer trekkers from the Cape Colony began to settle on the western margins of the kingdom and challenged the right of the Sotho to their land. The next 30 years were characterized by conflict and outbursts of warfare between the Sotho and Boers. Ultimately, the Sotho lost most of their territory west of the Caledon River, from which the Boers formed the Orange Free State. The British, to whom Mshweshwe appealed for intervention, also participated in these outbreaks but were unable to resolve the dispute over where the boundary should be drawn. Devastating wars in the late 1860s prompted Mshweshwe to again appeal to the British for assistance, as he feared the dispersal and possible extinction of his people. Sir Philip Wodehouse, governor and high commissioner of the Cape Colony, concerned with the region's stability and British interests in southern Africa, annexed the kingdom to the British crown. Basutoland remained a British protectorate until Mshweshwe's death in 1870; he was buried on Thaba Bosigo. The next year the colony was annexed to the Cape Colony without the consent of Basutoland. The former independent African mountain kingdom lost much of its most productive land to the Boers and its political autonomy to the British. Nonetheless, the Sotho still retained some of their land and also their social and cultural independence. The economy Lesotho is a poor country, and its few natural resources are insufficient for even the present population. However, unexploited uranium deposits found near Teyateyaneng, about 30 miles (50 km) northeast of Maseru, could introduce a significant boost to Lesotho's economy. Its economy could not be sustained at all without the benefits it derives from South Africa, with which Lesotho forms part of a customs union and shares an integrated communications system. It has also depended heavily on South Africa for employment for much of the working population, although opportunities for Sotho there became far more restrictive in the mid-1990s. About one-third of the male working population is unemployed. The government is the country's largest employer outside of agriculture, with a large share of the government's annual budget consisting of payments to its public employees. In the 1990s more than half of government revenue was derived from the customs union with South Africa, although the government has sought to reduce this dependency by improving its collection of income and sales taxes. Lesotho has several trade unions and associations. Agriculture Only one-tenth of the country is arable, but the agricultural sector employs the majority of the rural population. Agriculture was frequently a major and most often the largest contributor to the gross domestic product, but drought, especially in the 1990s, has drastically reduced its contribution to about one-tenth of the GDP. The most important crops are corn (maize), sorghum, wheat, beans, and peas. Cattle products have been exported, and wool and mohair are produced and exported. Foodstuffs must be imported, as droughts have largely destroyed summer harvests and livestock. Agricultural development projects are funded by a wide range of agencies, including the Lesotho Agricultural Development Bank and the World Bank. None, however, have been able to reverse the steady decline in agricultural production since the mid-1960s. The land Relief Two-thirds of Lesotho consists of mountains. The highest peak, Mount Ntlenyana, is 11,424 feet (3,482 metres) above sea level. The Drakensberg range forms the eastern boundary with KwaZulu-Natal. The Maloti spurs, running north and south, join the main range in the north, forming a plateau from 9,000 to 10,500 feet (2,700 to 3,200 metres) in elevation. This plateau is the source of South Africa's two largest riversthe eastward-flowing Tugela and the westward-flowing Orangeas well as tributaries of the Caledon (Mohokare). The foothills, with elevations averaging between 6,000 and 7,000 feet (1,800 and 2,100 metres), descend in undulating slopes to the west, where the lowlands bordering Free State rise to elevations of 5,000 to 6,000 feet (1,500 to 1,800 metres). The mountain soils are of basaltic origin and are shallow but rich. The soils of the lowlands derive mainly from the underlying sandstone. Extensive erosion has severely damaged soils throughout the country. Climate Precipitation, brought by the prevailing winds, occurs mostly between October and April and is variable; the annual average is about 28 inches (710 mm), with amounts decreasing from east to west. Hail is a frequent summer hazard. Although droughts are rare, their periodic occurrence is devastating. Temperatures in the lowlands reach as high as 90 F (32 C) in the summer and plunge to 20 F (-7 C) in the winter. In the highlands the temperature range is much wider, and readings below 0 F (-18 C) are not unusual. Frost occurs widely in the winter, when the Maloti Mountains are usually snowcapped. The people Ethnic groups The Sotho speak Sotho, a Bantu language of the Niger-Congo language family; they were originally united by a common loyalty to the royal house of Mshweshwe (Moshoeshoe), of the Moketeli branch of the Kwena lineage. Internally, divisions among different chiefdomsand within the royal lineage itselfhave had political significance, but externally the sense of Sotho nationhood and cultural unity remains strong. Both Sotho and English are official languages in the country; Zulu is spoken by a small but significant minority of Zulu. In addition, there are a few thousand nationals of Asian or mixed descent. The small European community is dominated by expatriate teachers, missionaries, aid workers, technicians, and development advisers. The country is severely overpopulated; both temporary and permanent emigration has occurred to relieve this pressure. In the mid-1990s, for example, about one-fourth of all working males were employed in South Africa. The great majority of the temporary migrant workers are men under the age of 40, but increasing numbers of young women are now seeking employmentlegally and illegallyin South Africa. Religion The majority of Sotho profess Christianity and are Roman Catholics, Lesotho Evangelicals, Presbyterians, or Anglicans. Independent churches are also present, together with Zionist sects. Traditional beliefs are still held by about one-third of the population.