Lesotho

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Location: Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa

Geographic coordinates: 29 30 S, 28 30 E

Map references: Africa

Area:
total: 30,350 sq km
land: 30,350 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area—comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries:
total: 909 km
border countries: South Africa 909 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers

Terrain: mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m
highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m

Natural resources: water, agricultural and grazing land, some diamonds and other minerals

Land use:
arable land: 11%
permanent crops: NA%
permanent pastures: 66%
forests and woodland: NA%
other: 23% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 30 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: periodic droughts

Environment—current issues: population pressure forcing settlement in marginal areas results in overgrazing, severe soil erosion, and soil exhaustion; desertification; Highlands Water Project controls, stores, and redirects water to South Africa

Environment—international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping

Geography—note: landlocked; surrounded by South Africa

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Population: 2,128,950 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 40% (male 424,355; female 422,892)
15-64 years: 56% (male 573,285; female 610,636)
65 years and over: 4% (male 40,604; female 57,178) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.8% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 31.26 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 13.23 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 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: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 77.58 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 52.99 years
male: 51.37 years
female: 54.65 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.03 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)
adjective: Basotho

Ethnic groups: Sotho 99.7%, Europeans 1,600, Asians 800

Religions: Christian 80%, rest indigenous beliefs

Languages: Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 71.3%
male: 81.1%
female: 62.3% (1995 est.)

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Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho
conventional short form: Lesotho
former: Basutoland

Data code: LT

Government type: parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Capital: Maseru

Administrative divisions: 10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohales 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: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: King LETSIE III (since 7 February 1996, succeeded to the throne following the death of his father, King MOSHOESHOE II, on 16 January 1996); note—King LETSIE III formerly occupied the throne (November 1990 to February 1995) while his father was in exile
head of government: Prime Minister Pakalitha MOSISILI (since NA May 1998)
cabinet: Cabinet
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary, but, under the terms of the constitution which came into effect after the March 1993 election, the monarch is a "living symbol of national unity" with no executive or legislative powers; under traditional law the college of chiefs has the power to determine who is next in the line of succession, who shall serve as regent in the event that the successor is not of mature age, and may even depose the monarch

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (33 members—22 principal chiefs and 11 other members appointed by the ruling party) and the Assembly (80 seats; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms); note—number of seats in the Assembly rose from 65 to 80 in the May 1998 election
elections: last held 23 May 1998 (next to be held in late 1999 or early 2000)
election results: percent of vote by party—LCD 61%; seats by party—LCD 79, BCP 1
note: results contested; LCD, with only 61% of the vote, won 79 out of 80 parliamentary seats based on a historical political consensus for a "winner take all" formula

Judicial branch: High Court, chief justice appointed by the monarch; Court of Appeal; Magistrate's Court; customary or traditional court

Political parties and leaders:
ruling party: Lesotho Congress for Democracy or LCD [Dr. Pakalitha MOSISILI, leader; Shakhane MOKHEHLE, secretary general]
opposition party: Basotho National Party or BNP [leader NA]; Basotholand Congress Party or BCP [Molapo QHOBELA]; Lesotho Labor Party/United Democratic Party Alliance or LLP/UDP [Charles MOFELI and Mamolefi RANTHIMO]; Marematlou Freedom Party or MFP [Vincent MALEBO]; National Progressive Party or NPP [Chief Peete Nkoebe PEETE]; Sefate Democratic Union or SDU [Bofihla NKUEBE]; Lesotho Congress for Democracy or LCD [leader NA]

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, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the 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

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Katherine H. PETERSON
embassy: 254 Kingsway, Maseru West (Consular Section)
mailing address: P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho
telephone: [266] 312666
FAX: [266] 310116

Flag description: 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

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Economy—overview: Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho's only important natural resource is water. Its economy is based on subsistence agriculture, livestock, and remittances from miners employed in South Africa. The number of such mine workers has declined steadily over the past several years. In 1996 their remittances added about 33% to GDP compared with the addition of roughly 67% in 1990. A small manufacturing base depends largely on farm products which support the milling, canning, leather, and jute industries. Agricultural products are exported primarily to South Africa. Proceeds from membership in a common customs union with South Africa form the majority of government revenue. Although drought has decreased agricultural activity over the past few years, completion of a major hydropower facility in January 1998 now permits the sale of water to South Africa, generating royalties that will be an important source of income for Lesotho. The pace of parastatal privatization has increased in recent years. Civil disorder in September 1998 destroyed 80% of the commercial infrastructure in Maseru and two other major towns. Most firms were not covered by insurance, and the rebuilding of small and medium business will be a significant challenge in terms of both economic growth and employment levels.

GDP: purchasing power parity—$5.1 billion (1997 est.)

GDP—real growth rate: 10% (1997 est.)

GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity—$2,400 (1997 est.)

GDP—composition by sector:
agriculture: 14%
industry: 42%
services: 44% (1996 est.)

Population below poverty line: 49.2% (1993 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 0.9%
highest 10%: 43.4% (1986-87)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8% (1997 est.)

Labor force: 689,000 economically active

Labor force—by occupation: 86% of resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture; roughly 35% of the active male wage earners work in South Africa

Unemployment rate: substantial unemployment and underemployment effecting more than half of the labor force (1996 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $507 million
expenditures: $487 million, including capital expenditures of $170 million (FY96/97 est.)

Industries: food, beverages, textiles, handicrafts; construction; tourism

Industrial production growth rate: 19.7% (1995)

Electricity—production: 0 kWh (1995)
note: electricity supplied by South Africa

Electricity—production by source:
fossil fuel: NA%
hydro: NA%
nuclear: NA%
other: NA%

Electricity—consumption: 335 million kWh (1996)

Electricity—exports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity—imports: 335 million kWh (1996)

Agriculture—products: corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock

Exports: $200 million (f.o.b., 1997 est.)

Exports—commodities: manufactures 65% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair 7%, food and live animals 7% (1996)

Exports—partners: South African Customs Union 66%, North America 26%, EU 4% (1996)

Imports: $880 million (f.o.b., 1997 est.)

Imports—commodities: food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products (1995)

Imports—partners: South African Customs Union 90%, Asia 6%, EU 2% (1995)

Debt—external: $660 million (1997 est.)

Economic aid—recipient: $123.7 million (1995)

Currency: 1 loti (L) = 100 lisente
note: maloti (M) is the plural form of loti

Exchange rates: maloti (M) per US$1—5.98380 (January 1999), 5.52828 (1998), 4.60796 (1997), 4.29935 (1996), 3.62709 (1995), 3.55080 (1994); note—the Basotho loti is at par with the South African rand

Fiscal year: 1 April—31 March

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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: NA

Televisions: 11,000 (1992 est.)

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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 (1995)

Highways:
total: 4,955 km
paved: 887 km
unpaved: 4,068 km (1996 est.)

Ports and harbors: none

Airports: 29 (1998 est.)

Airports—with paved runways:
total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (1998 est.)

Airports—with unpaved runways:
total: 25
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 21 (1998 est.)

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Military branches: Lesotho Defense Force (LDF; includes Army and Air Wing), Royal Lesotho Mounted Police (RLMP)

Military manpower—availability:
males age 15-49: 504,442 (1999 est.)

Military manpower—fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 271,925 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures—dollar figure: $NA

Military expenditures—percent of GDP: NA%

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Disputes—international: none