Sotho (/ˈsuːtuː/), also known as Sesotho (/sɪˈsuːtuː, sə-/), Southern Sotho, or Sesotho sa Borwa is a Southern Bantu language spoken in Lesotho as its national language and South Africa where it is an official language.
Like all Bantu languages, Sesotho is an agglutinative language that uses numerous affixes and derivational and inflexional rules to build complete words.
Maseru is the capital and largest city of Lesotho. It is also the capital of the Maseru District. Located on the Caledon River, Maseru lies directly on the Lesotho–South Africa border. Maseru had a population of 330,760 in the 2016 census. The city was established as a police camp and assigned as the capital after the country became a British protectorate in 1869. When the country achieved independence in 1966, Maseru retained its status as capital. The name of the city is a Sesotho word meaning "red sandstones".
Thabana Ntlenyana (tah-BAH-nə in-TLAY-nyə-nə) is the highest mountain in southern Africa. It stands 3,482 metres (11,424 ft) tall within the Maloti Mountains that crest Lesotho. The peak's name means "beautiful little mountain" in the Sesotho language, from thaba (mountain), the diminutive -na, and ntlenyana (beautiful). Thabana Ntlenyana is ranked 11th in the world by topographic isolation.
Mokhotlong is a constituency, city and seat of Mokhotlong District in the mountainous northeastern part of Lesotho. It is the first major city with an airport along the road from South Africa across the Sani Pass, near the Maloti (Drakensberg in South Africa) Mountains. The name of the city is named in Sesotho, the language of the people of Lesotho, meaning "Place of the Bald Ibis." Thabana Ntlenyana, the highest point in southern Africa, is found in Mokhotlong.
Quthing, also known as Moyeni (Sesotho for "place of wind"), is a constituency and the capital city or camptown of Quthing District in Lesotho. Quthing was established in 1877, abandoned in the Gun War of 1880, and then rebuilt at its present site – the southernmost town in Lesotho. It has a population of 27,314 (2016 census).
Quthing is divided into Lower Moyeni and Upper Moyeni. Lower Moyeni is largely used for commercial and residential purposes. Upper Moyeni is mainly for administrative purposes and residences for government officials.
The loti (plural: maloti) is the currency of the Kingdom of Lesotho. It is subdivided into 100 sente (pl. lisente). It is pegged to the South African rand on a 1:1 basis through the Common Monetary Area, and both are accepted as legal tender within Lesotho. The loti was first issued in 1966, albeit as a non-circulating currency. In 1980, Lesotho issued its first coins denominated in both loti and lisente (dated 1979) to replace the South African rand, but the rand remains legal tender.
The name derives from the Sesotho loti, "mountain," while sente is from English "cent".