Lesotho (Africa Rising)

Lesotho, officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a country in southern Africa. It is a small mountainous country completely surrounded by South Africa, but has a high income economy and much of it is part of one large metropolitan area, Greater Maseru. Lesotho's economy is based on it being a center for finance and banking in Africa and lenient tax laws. The kingdom has one of the richest per capita GDP in Africa, after Zaire and the East African Federation. Due to its economic strength, Lesotho is regarded as a middle power in international affairs.

Geography
The country is mountainous and most of it is located above sea level. Since the 2030s, expansion of the capital city of Maseru took place and connected it with nearby cities, turning the entirety of the Maseru District into an urban zone. Other large settlements also expanded and increasingly connected, turning much of the country into one urban area. The largest of these is the Greater Maseru City. The next largest city is the Mokhotlong Thaba-Tseka urban area, on the other side of the country. The Kingdom of Lesotho is divided into 10 districts officially, but these mostly just exist on paper and do not coincide with the urban growth. Elections are based on 142 local community constituencies, which are based on urban and rural areas. Some of the most mountainous parts of the kingdom remain rural and largely uninhabited.

Military
The former Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) was dissolved in 2025 by King Letsie III due to the army's long history of intervening in politics. Security is the responsibility of the Lesotho Mounted Police Service, a national gendarmerie which had about 4,000 personnel as of 2050. The Mounted Police are responsible for maintaining public order, traffic policing, and customs and border control. There is also a National Security Service that functions as an intelligence and counter-terrorism agency.