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LESOTHO
OFFICIAL NAME
Kingdom of Lesotho
CAPITAL CITY
Maseru, population 110,000
Geography
Location:
Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa
Geographic coordinates:
29 30 S, 28 30 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total area:
30,350 sq km
land area:
30,350 sq km
comparative area:
slightly larger than Maryland
Land boundaries:
total:
909 km
border country:
South Africa 909 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
International disputes:
none
Climate:
temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers
Terrain:
mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains
lowest point:
junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m
highest point:
Mount Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m
Natural resources:
water, agricultural and grazing land, some diamonds and other minerals
Land use:
arable land:
10%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
66%
forest and woodland:
0%
other:
24%
Irrigated land:
NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
population pressure forcing settlement in marginal areas results in overgrazing, severe soil erosion, soil exhaustion; desertification; Highlands Water Project will control, store, and redirect water to South Africa
natural hazards:
periodic droughts
international agreements:
party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping
Geographic note:
landlocked; surrounded by South Africa
People
Population:
1,970,781 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years:
41% (male 404,733; female 402,813)
15-64 years:
54% (male 519,493; female 553,618)
65 years and over:
5% (male 37,237; female 52,887) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.9% (1996 est.)
Birth rate:
32.7 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate:
13.74 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.7 male(s)/female
all ages:
0.95 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
81.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
52.08 years
male:
50.08 years
female:
54.14 years (1996 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.32 children born/woman (1996 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)
adjective:
Basotho
Ethnic divisions:
Sotho 99.7%, Europeans 1,600, Asians 800
Religions:
Christian 80%, rest indigenous beliefs
Languages:
Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)
total population:
71.3%
male:
81.1%
female:
62.3%
Government
Name of country:
conventional long form:
Kingdom of Lesotho
conventional short form:
Lesotho
former:
Basutoland
Data code:
LT
Type of government:
modified constitutional monarchy
Capital:
Maseru
Administrative divisions:
10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohale's Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka
Independence:
4 October 1966 (from UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 4 October (1966)
Constitution:
2 April 1993
Legal system:
based on English common law and Roman-Dutch law; judicial review of legislative acts in High Court and Court of Appeal; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
21 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
King LETSIE III (since 7 February 1996); the king is the former Crown Prince David Monato BERENG Seeiso and succeeded his father King MOSHOESHOE II, who died in an automobile accident on 16 January 1996; King LETSIE III formerly occupied the throne (November 1990 to February 1995) while his father was in exile
note:
the king is a hereditary monarch, but, under the terms of the constitution which came into effect after the March 1993 election, he has no executive or legislative powers; moreover, under traditional law the king can be elected or deposed by a majority vote of the College of Chiefs
head of government:
Prime Minister Ntsu MOKHEHLE (since 2 April 1993)
cabinet:
Cabinet
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament
Senate:
consists of 33 members (the 22 principal chiefs and 11 other members appointed by the ruling party)
Assembly:
members elected by popular vote; election last held NA March 1993 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats (65 total) BCP 65
Judicial branch:
High Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrate's Court; customary or traditional court
Political parties and leaders:
Basotho National Party (BNP), Evaristus SEKHONYANA; Basotho Congress Party (BCP), Ntsu MOKHEHLE; National Independent Party (NIP), A. C. MANYELI; Marematlou Freedom Party (MFP), Vincent MALEBO; United Democratic Party, Charles MOFELI; Communist Party of Lesotho (CPL), Jacob M. KENA
International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Dr. Eunice M. BULANE
chancery:
2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
[1] (202) 797-5533 through 5536
FAX:
[1] (202) 234-6815
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Bismarck MYRICK
embassy:
address NA, Maseru
mailing address:
P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho
telephone:
[266] 312666
FAX:
[266] 310116
Economy
Economic overview:
Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho has no important natural resources other than water. Its economy is based on agriculture, light manufacturing, and remittances from laborers employed in South Africa (these remittances supplement domestic income by as much as 45%). The great majority of households gain their livelihoods from subsistence farming and migrant labor; a large portion of the adult male work force is employed in South African mines. Manufacturing depends largely on farm products which support the milling, canning, leather, and jute industries. Although drought has decreased agricultural activity over the past few years, improvement of a major hydropower facility will permit the sale of water to South Africa and will support the economy's continued expansion.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $2.8 billion (1994 est.)
GDP real growth rate:
13.5% (1994 est.)
GDP per capita:
$1,430 (1994 est.)
GDP composition by sector:
agriculture:
10.4%
industry:
48.8%
services:
40.8% (1993)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
9.5% (January 1995)
Labor force:
689,000 economically active
by occupation:
86.2% of resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture; roughly 60% of the active male wage earners work in South Africa
Unemployment rate:
substantial unemployment and underemployment
Budget:
revenues:
$445 million
expenditures:
$400 million, including capital expenditures of $128 million (FY94/95 est.)
Industries:
food, beverages, textiles, handicrafts; construction; tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
12.5% (1994 est.)
Electricity:
power supplied by South Africa
Agriculture:
corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock
Exports:
$142 million (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities:
clothing, furniture, footwear, wool
partners:
South Africa 39%, EC 22%, North and South America 33% (1993)
Imports:
$1 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.)
commodities:
mainly corn, building materials, clothing, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products
partners:
South Africa 83%, Asia 12%, EC 3% (1993)
External debt:
$512 million (1993)
Economic aid:
recipient:
ODA, $NA
Currency:
1 loti (L) = 100 lisente
Exchange rates:
maloti (M) per US$1 - 3.6417 (January 1996), 3.6266 (1995), 3.5490 (1994), 3.2636 (1993), 2.8497 (1992), 2.7563 (1991); note - the Basotho loti is at par with the South African rand
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March
Transportation
Railways:
total:
2.6 km; note - owned by, operated by, and included in the statistics of South Africa
narrow gauge:
2.6 km 1.067-m gauge
Highways:
total:
5,324 km
paved:
799 km
unpaved:
4,525 km (1993 est.)
Ports:
none
Airports:
total:
29
with paved runways over 3 047 m:
1
with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m:
1
with paved runways under 914 m:
23
with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m:
4 (1995 est.)
Communications
Telephones:
12,000 (1991 est.)
Telephone system:
rudimentary system
domestic:
consists of a few landlines, a small microwave radio relay system, and a minor radiotelephone communication system
international:
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 0
Radios:
66,000
Television broadcast stations:
1
Televisions:
11,000 (1992 est.)
Defense
Branches:
Lesotho Defense Force (LDF; includes Army and Air Wing), Lesotho Mounted Police
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49:
455,218
males fit for military service:
245,774 (1996 est.)
Defense expenditures:
$NA, NA% of GDP
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