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 Match 140   DB Rec# - 7,592  Dataset-WOFACT

Title         :Lesotho 
Text          : 
                                     Lesotho 
 
                                    Geography 
 
Location: 
    Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa 
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, 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 
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, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, 
    Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Climate Change, Desertification, 
    Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping 
Note: 
    landlocked; surrounded by South Africa 
 
                                     People 
 
Population: 
    1,992,960 (July 1995 est.) 
Age structure: 
  0-14 years: 
    41% (female 407,213; male 416,709) 
  15-64 years: 
    54% (female 558,106; male 520,961) 
  65 years and over: 
    5% (female 51,809; male 38,162) (July 1995 est.) 
Population growth rate: 
    2.44% (1995 est.) 
Birth rate: 
    33.39 births/1,000 population (1995 est.) 
Death rate: 
    8.96 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.) 
Net migration rate: 
    0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.) 
Infant mortality rate: 
    67.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.) 
Life expectancy at birth: 
  total population: 
    62.56 years 
  male: 
    60.74 years 
  female: 
    64.43 years (1995 est.) 
Total fertility rate: 
    4.41 children born/woman (1995 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 (1966) 
  total population: 
    59% 
  male: 
    44% 
  female: 


    68% 
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 
 
                                   Government 
 
Names: 
  conventional long form: 
    Kingdom of Lesotho 
  conventional short form: 
    Lesotho 
  former: 
    Basutoland 
Digraph: 
    LT 
Type: 
    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 MOSHOESHOE II (since February 1995) 
  head of government: 
    Prime Minister Ntsu MOKHEHLE (since 2 April 1993) 
  cabinet: 
    Cabinet 
Legislative branch: 
    bicameral Parliament consisting of the Assembly or lower house whose members
 
    are chosen by popular election and the Senate or upper house whose members 
    consist of the 22 principal chiefs and 11 other members appointed by the 
    ruling party; election last held in March 1993 (first since 1971); all 65 
    seats in the Assembly were won by the BCP 
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 


Member of: 
    ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, 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, WTO 
Diplomatic representation in US: 
  chief of mission: 
    (vacant); Charge d'Affaires ad interim Mokhali A. LITHEBE (since 2 July 
    1994) 
 
                                   Government 
  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 Myrick BISMARCK 
  embassy: 
    address NA, Maseru 
  mailing address: 
    P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho 
  telephone: 
    [266] 312666 
  FAX: 
    [266] 310116 
Flag: 
    divided diagonally from the lower hoist side corner; the upper half is white
 
    bearing the brown silhouette of a large shield with crossed spear and club; 
    the lower half is a diagonal blue band with a green triangle in the corner 
 
                                     Economy 
 
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 to 
    support the milling, canning, leather, and jute industries; other industries
 
    include textile, clothing, and construction. 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 allow 
    Lesotho's economy to continue its moderate growth. 
National product: 
    GDP - purchasing power parity - $2.6 billion (1994 est.) 
National product real growth rate: 
    6% (1994 est.) 
National product per capita: 
    $1,340 (1994 est.) 
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 


    13.9% (1993) 
Unemployment rate: 
    substantial unemployment and underemployment 
Budget: 
  revenues: 
    $438 million 
  expenditures: 
    $430 million, including capital expenditures of $155 million (FY93/94 est.) 
Exports: 
    $109 million (f.o.b., 1992) 
  commodities: 
    wool, mohair, wheat, cattle, peas, beans, corn, hides, skins, baskets 
  partners: 
    South Africa 42%, EC 28%, North and South America 25% (1991) 
Imports: 
    $964 million (c.i.f., 1992) 
  commodities: 
    mainly corn, building materials, clothing, vehicles, machinery, medicines, 
    petroleum 
  partners: 
    South Africa 94%, Asia 3%, EC 1% (1991) 
External debt: 
    $512 million (1993) 
Industrial production: 
    growth rate 10%; accounts for 17% of GDP (1993 est.) 
Electricity: 
    power supplied by South Africa 
Industries: 
    food, beverages, textiles, handicrafts, tourism 
Agriculture: 
    accounts for 50% of GDP (1993 est.); exceedingly primitive, mostly 
    subsistence farming and livestock; principal crops corn, wheat, pulses, 
    sorghum, barley 
Economic aid: 
  recipient: 
    US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $268 million; US (1992), $10.3 
    million; US (1993 est.), $10.1 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and 
    OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $819 million; OPEC bilateral aid 
    (1979-89), $4 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $14 million 
 
                                     Economy 
Currency: 
    1 loti (L) = 100 lisente 
Exchange rates: 
    maloti (M) per US$1 - 3.5389 (January 1995), 3.5490 (1994), 3.2636 (1993), 
    2.8497 (1992), 2.7563 (1991), 2.5863 (1990); note - the Basotho loti is at 
    par with the South African rand 
Fiscal year: 
    1 April - 31 March 
 
                                 Transportation 
 
Railroads: 
  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: 


    7,215 km 
  paved: 
    572 km 
  unpaved: 
    gravel, stabilized earth 2,337 km; improved earth 1,806 km; unimproved earth
 
    2,500 km (1988) 
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 
 
                                 Communications 
 
Telephone system: 
    5,920 telephones; rudimentary system 
  local: 
    NA 
  intercity: 
    consists of a few land lines, a small microwave radio relay system, and a 
    minor radio communication system 
  international: 
    1 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth station 
Radio: 
  broadcast stations: 
    AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 0 
  radios: 
    NA 
Television: 
  broadcast stations: 
    1 
  televisions: 
    NA 
 
                                 Defense Forces 
 
Branches: 
    Lesotho Defense Force (LDF; includes Army and Air Wing), Lesotho Mounted 
    Police 
Manpower availability: 
    males age 15-49 453,844; males fit for military service 244,767 (1995 est.) 
Defense expenditures: 
    exchange rate conversion - $25 million, NA% of GDP (1994) 

This publication is also available online from the CIA (http://www.odci.gov/cia) as 1995 World Factbook (http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/95fact/index.html).

The printed version of this item can be found under the title:
The World Factbook 1995,
SuDoc No: PREX 3.15:995

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