Lesotho is the only independent country completely surrounded by the territory of South Africa.
Lesotho is a mountainous kingdom in southern Africa, and its entire international boundary is with South Africa. The country was formerly known as Basutoland and became independent from the United Kingdom in 1966. Its official name is the Kingdom of Lesotho.
The country’s high elevation gives it the nickname “Kingdom in the Sky.” Much of Lesotho lies above 1,800 metres, and its highest point is Thabana Ntlenyana, which rises to 3,482 metres. The Maloti Mountains dominate the eastern part of the country.
Eswatini, formerly Swaziland, is also near South Africa but borders Mozambique as well. Botswana and Namibia share borders with South Africa but are not enclaves. Lesotho’s unusual geography makes it one of only three sovereign enclaved countries in the world.