2001 Edition

Administrative divisions

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 39.28% (male 430,147; female 424,994) 15-64 years: 56.03% (male 588,440; female 631,404) 65 years and over: 4.69% (male 43,033; female 59,044) (2001 est.)

Agriculture - products

corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock

Airports

29 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 25 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 21 (2000 est.) Lesotho Military

Area

total: 30,355 sq km land: 30,355 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Maryland

Background

Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence from the UK in 1966. Constitutional government was restored in 1993 after 23 years of military rule. Lesotho Geography

Birth rate

31.24 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Budget

revenues: $76 million expenditures: $80 million, including capital expenditures of $15 million (FY99/00 est.)

Capital

Maseru

Climate

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

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Constitution

2 April 1993

Country name

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

Currency

loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR)

Currency code

LSL; ZAR

Death rate

15.7 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Debt - external

$720 million (2000 est.)

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

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Lebohang Kenneth MOLEKO chancery: 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 797-5533 through 5536

Disputes - international

none

Economic aid - recipient

$123.7 million (1995)

Economy - overview

Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho's primary natural resource is water. Its economy is based on subsistence agriculture, livestock, and remittances from miners employed in South Africa. The number of such mineworkers has declined steadily over the past several years. A small manufacturing base depends largely on farm products that 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 for Lesotho. The pace of substantial privatization has increased in recent years. In December 1999, the government embarked on a nine-month IMF staff-monitored program aimed at structural adjustment and stabilization of macroeconomic fundamentals. The government is in the process of applying for a three-year successor program with the IMF under its Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility.

Electricity - consumption

55 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports

55 million kWh note: electricity supplied by South Africa (1999)

Electricity - production

0 kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (1999)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 0% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999)

Elevation extremes

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

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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping

Ethnic groups

Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%,

Exchange rates

maloti per US dollar - 7.78307 (January 2001), 6.93983 (2000), 6.10948 (1999), 5.52828 (1998), 4.60796 (1997), 4.29935 (1996); note - the Lesotho loti is at par with the South African rand which is also legal tender; maloti is the plural form of loti

Executive branch

chief of state: King LETSIE III (since 7 February 1996); note - King LETSIE III formerly occupied the throne from November 1990 to February 1995, while his father was in exile head of government: Prime Minister Pakalitha MOSISILI (since 23 May 1998) cabinet: Cabinet elections: none; according to the constitution, the leader of the majority party in the assembly automatically becomes prime minister; 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

Exports

$175 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Exports - commodities

manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (1998)

Exports - partners

South African Customs Union 65%, North America 34% (1998)

FAX

[1] (202) 234-6815

[266] 310116

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March Lesotho Communications

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 Lesotho Economy

GDP

purchasing power parity - $5.1 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 18% industry: 38% services: 44% (1999)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $2,400 (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

2.5% (2000 est.)

Geographic coordinates

29 30 S, 28 30 E

Geography - note

landlocked; surrounded by South Africa Lesotho People

Government type

parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Highways

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

23.57% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

16,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

240,000 (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 0.9% highest 10%: 43.4% (1986-87)

Imports

$700 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Imports - commodities

food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products (1995)

Imports - partners

South African Customs Union 90%, Asia 7% (1998)

Independence

4 October 1966 (from UK)

Industrial production growth rate

15.5% (1999 est.)

Industries

food, beverages, textiles, handicrafts; construction; tourism

Infant mortality rate

82.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

6% (2000 est.)

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Internet country code

.ls

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

1 (2000)

Internet users

1,000 (2000) Lesotho Transportation

Irrigated land

30 sq km (1993 est.)

Judicial branch

High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch); Court of Appeal; Magistrate's Court; customary or traditional court

Labor force

700,000 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

Land boundaries

total: 909 km border countries: South Africa 909 km

Land use

arable land: 11% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 66% forests and woodland: 0% other: 23% (1993 est.)

Languages

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

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 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; on 28 February 2001, the Senate approved expansion of the Assembly by a further 50 seats in the next election, which may be held as early as January 2002 elections: last held 23 May 1998 (next to be held NA March 2001) election results: percent of vote by party - LCD 60.7%, BNP 24.5%, other 14.8%; seats by party - LCD 79, BNP 1 note: results contested; opposition parties claimed the election was fraudulent and staged a coup; Southern African Development Community (SADC) forces intervened in September 1998 and restored order; the Interim Political Authority (IPA) was set up in December 1998 to create a new electoral system and conduct new elections.

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 48.84 years male: 47.97 years female: 49.74 years (2001 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 83% male: 72% female: 93% (1999 est.) Lesotho Government

Location

Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Military - note

The Lesotho Government in 1999 began an open debate on the future structure, size, and role of the armed forces, especially considering the Lesotho Defense Force's (LDF) history of intervening in political affairs. Lesotho Transnational Issues

Military branches

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

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$34 million (1999)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

NA%

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 515,464 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 277,369 (2001 est.)

National holiday

Independence Day, 4 October (1966)

Nationality

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

Natural hazards

periodic droughts

Natural resources

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

Net migration rate

-0.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Political parties and leaders

Basotho Congress Party or BCP [Tseliso MAKHAKHE]; Basotho National Party or BNP [Maj. Gen. Justine Metsing LEKHANYA]; Lesotho Congress for Democracy or LCD [Phebe MOTEBANO, chairwoman; Dr. Pakalitha MOSISILI, leader] - the governing party; United Democratic Party or UDP [Charles MOFELI]; Marematlou Freedom Party or MFP and Setlamo Alliance [Vincent MALEBO]; Progressive National Party or PNP [Chief Peete Nkoebe PEETE]; Sefate Democratic Party or SDP [Bofihla NKUEBE]

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Population

2,177,062 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2001 est.)

Population below poverty line

49.2% (1999 est.)

Population growth rate

1.49% (2001 est.)

Ports and harbors

none

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios

104,000 (1997)

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)

Religions

Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Telephone system

general assessment: 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 - main lines in use

20,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular

1,262 (1996)

Television broadcast stations

1 (2000)

Televisions

54,000 (1997)

Terrain

mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains

Total fertility rate

4.08 children born/woman (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate

45% (2000 est.)

Waterways

none