Lesotho (/ləˈsuːtuː/ (About this soundlisten), Sotho pronunciation: [lɪˈsʊːtʰʊ]), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho (Sotho: 'Muso oa Lesotho), is an enclaved country within the border of South Africa. Along with the Vatican City and San Marino, it is one of only three independent states completely surrounded by the territory of another country, and the only one outside the Italian peninsula or that is not a microstate. Lesotho is just over 30,000 km2 (11,583 sq mi) and has a population of around 2 million. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. The official language is Sesotho.

Lesotho was previously the British Crown Colony of Basutoland, but it declared independence from the United Kingdom on 4 October 1966. It is now a fully sovereign state and is a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, the African Union, and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The name Lesotho roughly translates to "the land of the people who speak Sesotho".

"Lesōthō Fatše La Bo-Ntat'a Rōna" (English: "Lesotho, Land of Our Fathers") is the national anthem of Lesotho.
The lyrics were written by François Coillard, a French missionary, and the music is taken from an 1820 hymnal composed by Ferdinand-Samuel Laur.
It has been used as the national anthem since the 1960s. The original composition the national anthem was based on had four verses though only the first and last ones ended up being adopted.

The original lyrics to "Lesōthō Fatše La Bo Ntat'a Rōna" were written by François Coillard, a French missionary, set to the tune of the 1820 hymnal "Freiheit" (English: "Freedom") by Ferdinand-Samuel Laur.
The first and last verses of the composition were adopted by Lesotho's first independent government as a national anthem. It was used as the national anthem from 1967 onward.



Lesotho fatshe la bo-ntata rona;
Hara mafatshe ohle le letle ke lona;
Ke moo re hlahileng,
Ke moo re holileng,
Rea le rata,

Molimo aku boloke Lesotho
U felise lintoa le matsoenyeho;
Oho fatse lena;
La bo-ntata rona;
Le be le khotso.

Translation:

Lesotho, land of our Fathers,
Among the lands it is the most beautiful.
It is where we were born,
It is where we grew up--
We love it.

God, please protect Lesotho.
Spare it conflict, and tribulation--
Oh, this land,
Land of our Fathers,
May it have the peace.