JOHANNESBURG - Lesotho was taken aback by US President Donald Trump's mockery of the southern African nation.
Trump took a swipe at the country during his Congressional address on Tuesday.
He singled out a past US aid project of $8-million to promote LGBTQI+ in the African nation.
"Which nobody has ever heard of," he added.
Here are some fun facts about this "Mountain Kingdom" that will put it squarely on the US president's map.
Qiloane Mountain
Legend has it that the Qiloane Mountain directly inspired the mokorotlo, the traditional Basotho hat.
It is one of the most iconic symbols of Basotho culture, instantly recognised by its cone-shaped design with a small twisted point at the top.
The origins are unclear but the hat was likely adopted in the early 20th century.
Some people believe wearing the Mkorotlo indoors or after sunset brings bad luck.
This proud symbol is also used on Lesotho's flag and even number plates.
Lesotho Promise
This 603-carat diamond, unearthed on 22 August 2006, ranks among the world’s largest.
The diamond was sold at an auction in 2006 for $12.4-million.
A total of 26 stones were fashioned from the gem.
Kingdom in the Sky
Lesotho is also one of the highest countries in the world, with more than 80 percent of the country sitting 1,800 metres above sea level.
The sandstone plateau served as a refuge for Sotho pastoralists from the onslaught of European settlers and Zulu warriors from neighbouring South Africa in the early 19th century.
Lesotho styles itself the "Kingdom in the Sky".
Its highest peak is Mount Thabana Ntlenyana, at 3,482 metres in altitude.
Water Tower
Lesotho imports much of its food from South Africa, but South Africa counts on its neighbour for its abundant reserves of water.
The Katse Dam reservoir in the centre of the kingdom, built in the 1990s, helps provide electricity and supplies the cities of Pretoria and Johannesburg, to such an extent that Lesotho is nicknamed South Africa's "water tower".
Katse holds 1,950 million cubic meters of water.
Medical cannabis pioneer
Lesotho pioneered the growing of cannabis for medical use on the continent more than two decades ago.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime estimates 70 percent of marijuana consumed in South Africa is grown in Lesotho, making cannabis the country's third source of revenue.
In order to meet legal standards, most traces of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) -- the main psychoactive constituent responsible for marijuana's intoxicating effects -- are removed from the seeds.
The remaining medical version is primarily made of the non-psychoactive substance, cannabidiol (CBD), and can only be 0.03 percent THC.
Dinosaur claim to fame
Lesotho is a fossil hotspot.
In 2023, scientists named Kayentatherium wellesi after tracks found here from 200 million years ago.
They are thought to be tiny mammals that roamed with dinosaurs.
Fossils of the Euskelosaurus have also been found in Lesotho.
Snow in Africa
At 3,000 metres in the Maluti Mountains, Afriski -- which opened in 2002 -- has weathered a series of challenges, including the Covid shutdown, to keep running.
Surrounded by the brown mountains of a country that is in drought at the lower altitudes, the resort's three small slopes are covered in snow during the winter.
- Additional reporting AFP