Basutoland edit
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Territory of Basutoland
British colony

1884–1966
Anthem
God Save the Queen
Capital Maseru
Language(s) English
Government Constitutional monarchy
Monarch
 - 1884-1901 Victoria
 - 1952-1966 Elizabeth II
Commissioner
 - 1884-1894 Marshal James Clarke
 - 1961-1965 Alexander Falconer Giles
History
 - Established 1884
 - Disestablished 4 October 1966

Basutoland or officially the Territory of Basutoland, was a British crown colony established in 1884 after the Cape Colony's inability to control the territory. It was divided into seven administrative districts; Berea, Leribe, Maseru, Mohales Hock, Mafeteng, Qacha's Nek and Quthing.

Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence from the United Kingdom on October 4, 1966.

Contents

Population

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

Parade of Basotho Women

Considering the extensive area of uninhabitable mountain land it contained, the Territory supported a large population. The inhabitants increased from 128,206 in 1875, to 348,848 in 1904. Women outnumbered men by about 20,000, which was, however, about the number of adult men away from the country at any given period. The majority lived in the district between the Maluti mountains and the Caledon river. The great bulk of the people were Basuto, but there were some thousands of Barolong. The white inhabitants in 1904 numbered 895. The seat of government was Maseru, on the left bank of the Caledon, with a population of about 1000 including some 100 Europeans. There were numerous mission stations throughout Basutoland, to several of which Biblical names have been given, such as Shiloh, Hermon, Cana, Bethesda, and Berea.

List of British Resident Commissioners

External links

References