1982 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1982 (Wikisource)
Geography
Area
30,303 km2; 15% cultivable; largely mountainous
Land boundaries
805 km
People and Society
Ethnic divisions
99.7% Sotho, 1,600 Europeans, 800 Asians
Labor force
87.4% of resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture; 150,000 to 250,000 spend from six months to many years as wage earners in South Africa
Language
all Africans speak Sesotho vernacular; English is second language for literates
Literacy
40%
Nationality
noun—Mosotho (sing.), Basotho (pl.); adjective—Basotho
Organized labor
negligible
Population
1,395,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 2.2%
Religion
70% or more Christian, rest animist
Government
Branches
executive, divided between a largely ceremonial King and a Prime Minister who leads Cabinet of at least seven members; Prime Minister dismissed bicameral legislature in early 1970 and subsequently ruled by decree until 1973 when he appointed Interim National Assembly to act as legislative branch; judicial—63 Lesotho courts administer customary law for Africans, High Court and subordinate courts have criminal jurisdiction over all residents, Court of Appeal at Maseru has appellate jurisdiction
Capital
Maseru
Communists
negligible, Communist Party of Lesotho banned in early 1970
Elections
elections held in January 1970; nullified allegedly because of election irregularities; subsequent elections promised at unspecified date Political parties and leaders: National Party (BNP), Chief Leabua Jonathan; Basutoland Congress Party (BCP), Ntsu Molchehle
Government leaders
King MOSHOESHOE II; Prime Minister Chief Leabua JONATHAN
Legal system
based on English common law and Roman-Dutch law; constitution came into effect 1966; judicial review of legislative acts in High Court and Court of Appeal; legal education at National University of Lesotho; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Member of
Commonwealth, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO
National holiday
4 October
Official name
Kingdom of Lesotho
Political subdivisions
10 administrative districts
Suffrage
universal for adults
Type
constitutional monarchy under King Moshoeshoe II; independent member of Commonwealth since 1966
Voting strength
in 1965 elections for National Assembly, BNP won 32 seats; BCP, 22 seats; minor parties, 4 seats
Economy
Agriculture
exceedingly primitive, mostly subsistence farming and livestock; principal crops are corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley
Budget
(FY80) revenues, $137.6 million; current expenditures, $98.2 million; development budget, $84,2 million
Electric power
approximately 35 million kWh imported from South Africa (1981)
Exports
labor to South Africa (remittances $110 million est. in 1979); $33.7 million (f.o.b., 1979/80), wool, mohair, wheat, cattle, diamonds, peas, beans, corn, hides, skins
Fiscal year
1 April-31 March
GNP
$473.6 million (1979/80), $312 per capita; real growth rate, 5% (1980)
Imports
$288.0 million (c.i.f., 1979/80); mainly corn, building materials, clothing, vehicles, machinery, petroleum, oil, and lubricants
Major industries
none
Major trade partner
South Africa
Monetary conversion rate
Lesotho uses the South African rand; 1 SA rand=US$ 1.15 (1981)
Communications
Airfields
27 total, 27 usable; 1 with permanent surface runways; 3 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
no major transport aircraft
Highways
approx 4,033 km total; 320 km paved; 1,585 km crushed stone, gravel, or stabilized soil; 946 km improved, 2,128 km unimproved earth
Railroads
16 km; owned, operated, and included in the statistics of the Republic of South Africa
Telecommunications
system a modest one consisting of a few land lines, a small radio-relay system, and minor radio-communication stations; 4,500 telephones (0.3 per 100 popl.); 2 AM stations and 1 FM station; 1 TV station planned
Military and Security
Military manpower
males 15–49, 313,000; 167,000 fit for military service