1996 Edition

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

Location

29 30 S, 28 30 E -- Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa Flag ----

Area

comparative area

slightly larger than Maryland

land area

30,350 sq km

total area

30,350 sq km

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

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

natural hazards

periodic droughts

Geographic coordinates

29 30 S, 28 30 E

Geographic note

landlocked; surrounded by South Africa

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Land boundaries

border country

South Africa 909 km

total

909 km

Land use

arable land

10%

forest and woodland

0%

meadows and pastures

66%

other

24%

permanent crops

0%

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

Terrain

mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains

highest point

Mount Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m

lowest point

junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m

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.)

Birth rate

32.7 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate

13.74 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Sotho 99.7%, Europeans 1,600, Asians 800

Infant mortality rate

81.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

female

54.14 years (1996 est.)

male

50.08 years

total population

52.08 years

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)

female

62.3%

male

81.1%

total population

71.3%

Nationality

adjective

Basotho

noun

Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Population

1,970,781 (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate

1.9% (1996 est.)

Religions

Christian 80%, rest indigenous beliefs

Sex ratio

all ages

0.95 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

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

Total fertility rate

4.32 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Administrative divisions

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

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

Capital

Maseru

Constitution

2 April 1993

Data code

LT

Diplomatic representation in US

chancery

2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Dr. Eunice M. BULANE

telephone

[1] (202) 797-5533 through 5536

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet

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

head of government

Prime Minister Ntsu MOKHEHLE (since 2 April 1993)

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

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)

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

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

Name of country

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

Senate

consists of 33 members (the 22 principal chiefs and 11 other members appointed by the ruling party)

Suffrage

21 years of age; universal

Type of government

modified constitutional monarchy

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

Agriculture

corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock

Budget

expenditures

$400 million, including capital expenditures of $128 million (FY94/95 est.)

revenues

$445 million

Currency

1 loti (L) = 100 lisente

Economic aid

recipient

ODA, $NA

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.

Electricity

power supplied by South Africa

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

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)

External debt

$512 million (1993)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

GDP

purchasing power parity - $2.8 billion (1994 est.)

GDP composition by sector

agriculture

10.4%

industry

48.8%

services

40.8% (1993)

GDP per capita

$1,430 (1994 est.)

GDP real growth rate

13.5% (1994 est.)

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)

Industrial production growth rate

12.5% (1994 est.)

Industries

food, beverages, textiles, handicrafts; construction; tourism

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

Branches

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

Defense expenditures

$NA, NA% of GDP

Manpower availability

males age 15-49

455,218

males fit for military service

245,774 (1996 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 0

Radios

66,000

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)

Telephones

12,000 (1991 est.)

Television broadcast stations

1

Televisions

11,000 (1992 est.) Defense

Airports

total

29

with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m

1

with paved runways over 3 047 m

1

with paved runways under 914 m

23

with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m

4 (1995 est.)

Highways

paved

799 km

total

5,324 km

unpaved

4,525 km (1993 est.)

Ports

none

Railways

narrow gauge

2.6 km 1.067-m gauge

total

2.6 km; note - owned by, operated by, and included in the statistics of South Africa