9 issues concerning the nation Donald Trump says ‘no person has ever heard of’

US President Donald Trump has stated that “no person has ever heard of” the African nation of Lesotho – a remark that has “shocked” its authorities.

It’s a small nation in southern Africa that nearly totally consists of mountains and is totally surrounded by South Africa.

Listed below are 9 issues to know concerning the nation:

The Kingdom of Lesotho is made up largely of highlands, the place many villages can solely be reached on horseback, by foot or mild plane.

It is named the “Kingdom within the Sky” and is the one unbiased state on the planet that lies totally above 1,000m (3,281ft) in elevation, in accordance with Encyclopaedia Britannica. Its lowest level is at 1,400m.

It’s recognized to have one of many world’s most intimidating airstrips to land on – the Matekane Airstrip has a brief runway and with lengthy drops at each ends.

The Enterprise Insider web site describes flying from the airport as “primarily the identical as when a fowl is pushed out of the nest to be able to study to fly”.

Lesotho is totally encircled by South Africa, however separated by the forbidding mountain ranges.

Not a lot of its land is accessible for farming, with its inhabitants weak to meals shortages and counting on earnings from jobs in South Africa. Over the many years hundreds of staff have been compelled by the dearth of job alternatives at house to seek out work in South Africa.

The folks of Lesotho, who quantity greater than two million, share some cultural and language similarities with South Africans. Their language, Sesotho, can also be certainly one of South Africa’s 11 official languages. In actual fact, extra folks converse it in South Africa – 4.6 million – than in Lesotho.

Sources are scarce in Lesotho – a consequence of the cruel atmosphere of the highland plateau and restricted agricultural house within the lowlands.

Its largest useful resource is water – recognized domestically as white gold – which is exported to South Africa. Diamonds are one other main export.

If you consider snowboarding and snowboarding, you might think about the snowy slopes of Europe and North America.

However Lesotho has been making itself recognized on the snowsports scene. It has the best ski resort in sub-Saharan Africa, certainly one of only a handful on the continent.

Afriski is located 3,222m above sea degree, excessive up in Lesotho’s Maloti mountains and attracts guests from Africa and past.

Individuals from Lesotho are known as Basotho.

Among the cultural gadgets related to the Basotho individuals are their blankets and the Basotho conventional conical hats, generally known as the mokorotlo. The hat is a nationwide image and seems in the midst of the nation’s flag.

The blankets are made out of thick wool, with their intricate and vibrant patterns every telling a special story of the Basotho folks’s historical past. The Basotho put on them as shawls at particular occasions and provides them as presents.

Lesotho has one of many highest charges of HIV prevalence on the planet, with one in 5 adults residing with HIV, and extra infections per 100,000 folks than most different international locations, together with neighbouring Namibia, Botswana and Eswatini.

The US authorities has dedicated practically $1bn to assist the nation take care of HIV since 2006, together with for prevention, care and remedy providers, in accordance with the US State Division.

Prince Harry and his shut buddy Lesotho’s Prince Seeiso have arrange a charity within the nation – Sentebale, which implies “neglect me not”. The charity works with native communities in Lesotho at grassroots degree, serving to younger folks affected by HIV/Aids.

Prince Harry first went to Lesotho as a 19-year-old and has returned to the nation many instances since then.

Lesotho is certainly one of sub-Saharan Africa’s largest exporters of clothes to the US.

Final yr, it exported $237m (£184m) price of clothes, together with denims and textiles, to the US via the African Development and Alternative Act (Agoa), which permits eligible African international locations to ship some items to the US with out paying taxes.

It’s ranked second by worth of products exported underneath the deal.

The mountain kingdom has the world’s highest suicide charge, with 87.5 folks per 100,000 of the inhabitants taking their very own life yearly, in accordance with the UN World Well being Group.

That is practically 10 instances the worldwide common of 9 and greater than double the nation with the second highest charge, Guyana, which has about 40.

There is no such thing as a single motive for this stunning statistic – consultants level to the abuse of medicine and alcohol, the scarcity of jobs and the dearth of psychological well being counselling.