1995 Edition

Area

total area: 30,350 sq km land area: 30,350 sq km comparative area: slightly larger than Maryland

Climate

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

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

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

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Land boundaries

total 909 km, South Africa 909 km

Land use

arable land: 10% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 66% forest and woodland: 0% other: 24%

Location

Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

none; landlocked

Natural resources

water, agricultural and grazing land, some diamonds and other minerals

Note

landlocked; surrounded by South Africa

Terrain

mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains

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.)

Birth rate

33.39 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate

8.96 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Sotho 99.7%, Europeans 1,600, Asians 800

Infant mortality rate

67.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

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

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 62.56 years male: 60.74 years female: 64.43 years (1995 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1966) total population: 59% male: 44% female: 68%

Nationality

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

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Population

1,992,960 (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate

2.44% (1995 est.)

Religions

Christian 80%, rest indigenous beliefs

Total fertility rate

4.41 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Administrative divisions

10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohale's Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka

Capital

Maseru

Constitution

2 April 1993

Digraph

LT

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: (vacant); Charge d'Affaires ad interim Mokhali A. LITHEBE (since 2 July 1994) chancery: 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 797-5533 through 5536

Executive branch

chief of state: King MOSHOESHOE II (since February 1995) head of government: Prime Minister Ntsu MOKHEHLE (since 2 April 1993) cabinet: Cabinet

FAX

[1] (202) 234-6815

[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

Independence

4 October 1966 (from UK)

Judicial branch

High Court, Court of Appeal, Magistrate's Court, customary or traditional court

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

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

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

Names

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

National holiday

Independence Day, 4 October (1966)

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

Suffrage

21 years of age; universal

Type

constitutional monarchy

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

Agriculture

accounts for 50% of GDP (1993 est.); exceedingly primitive, mostly subsistence farming and livestock; principal crops corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley

Budget

revenues: $438 million expenditures: $430 million, including capital expenditures of $155 million (FY93/94 est.)

Currency

1 loti (L) = 100 lisente

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

Electricity

power supplied by South Africa

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

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)

External debt

$512 million (1993)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

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)

Industrial production

growth rate 10%; accounts for 17% of GDP (1993 est.)

Industries

food, beverages, textiles, handicrafts, tourism

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

13.9% (1993)

National product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $2.6 billion (1994 est.)

National product per capita

$1,340 (1994 est.)

National product real growth rate

6% (1994 est.)

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.

Unemployment rate

substantial unemployment and underemployment

Radio

broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 0 radios: NA

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

Television

broadcast stations: 1 televisions: NA

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

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

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

Branches

Lesotho Defense Force (LDF; includes Army and Air Wing), Lesotho Mounted Police

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $25 million, NA% of GDP (1994) ________________________________________________________________________ LIBERIA

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 453,844; males fit for military service 244,767 (1995 est.)