from
CIA World Factbook 2006
Lesotho
Introduction
Background: Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon
independence from the UK in 1966. The Basuto National
Party ruled for the first two decades. King MOSHOESHOE
was exiled in 1990, but returned to Lesotho in 1992 and
reinstated in 1995. Constitutional government was
restored in 1993 after 7 years of military rule. In
1998, violent protests and a military mutiny following
a contentious election prompted a brief but bloody
intervention by South African and Botswanan military
forces under the aegis of the Southern African
Development Community. Constitutional reforms have
since restored political stability; peaceful
parliamentary elections were held in 2002.
Geography
Location: Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa
Geographic 29 30 S, 28 30 E
coordinates:
Map Africa
references:
Area: total: 30,355 sq km
land: 30,355 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - slightly smaller than Maryland
comparative:
Land total: 909 km
boundaries: border countries: South Africa 909 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime none (landlocked)
claims:
Climate: temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers
Terrain: mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains
Elevation lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng
extremes: Rivers 1,400 m
highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m
Natural water, agricultural and grazing land, diamonds, sand,
resources: clay, building stone
Land use: arable land: 10.87%
permanent crops: 0.13%
other: 89% (2005)
Irrigated 30 sq km (2003)
land:
Natural periodic droughts
hazards:
Environment - population pressure forcing settlement in marginal
current areas results in overgrazing, severe soil erosion, and
issues: soil exhaustion; desertification; Highlands Water
Project controls, stores, and redirects water to South
Africa
Environment - party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
international Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
agreements: Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation,
Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa;
note: mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800
meters above sea level
People
Population: 2,022,331
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 2006
est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 36.8% (male 374,102/female 369,527)
15-64 years: 58.3% (male 572,957/female 606,846)
65 years and over: 4.9% (male 39,461/female 59,438)
(2006 est.)
Median age: total: 20.3 years
male: 19.7 years
female: 21 years (2006 est.)
Population -0.46% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 24.75 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 28.71 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration -0.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
rate:
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant total: 87.24 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 92.04 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 82.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 34.4 years
expectancy at male: 35.55 years
birth: female: 33.21 years (2006 est.)
Total 3.28 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 28.9% (2003 est.)
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 320,000 (2003 est.)
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - 29,000 (2003 est.)
deaths:
Nationality: noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)
adjective: Basotho
Ethnic groups: Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%,
Religions: Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%
Languages: Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu,
Xhosa
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 84.8%
male: 74.5%
female: 94.5% (2003 est.)
Government
Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho
conventional short form: Lesotho
local long form: Kingdom of Lesotho
local short form: Lesotho
former: Basutoland
Government parliamentary constitutional monarchy
type:
Capital: name: Maseru
geographic coordinates: 29 28 S, 27 30 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC
during Standard Time)
Administrative 10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng,
divisions: Maseru, Mohale's Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek,
Quthing, Thaba-Tseka
Independence: 4 October 1966 (from UK)
National Independence Day, 4 October (1966)
holiday:
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; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction,
with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive chief of state: King LETSIE III (since 7 February
branch: 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 depose the
monarch, determine who is next in the line of
succession, or who shall serve as regent in the event
that the successor is not of mature age
Legislative bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (33 members
branch: - 22 principal chiefs and 11 other members appointed by
the ruling party) and the Assembly (120 seats, 80 by
direct popular vote and 40 by proportional vote;
members elected by popular vote for five-year terms);
note - number of seats in the Assembly rose from 80 to
120 in the May 2002 election
elections: last held 25 May 2002 (next to be held by
May 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - LCD 54%,
BNP 21%, LPC 7%, other 18%; seats by party - LCD 76,
BNP 21, LPC 5, other 18
Judicial High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch
branch: acting on the advice of the Prime Minister); Court of
Appeal; Magistrate's Court; customary or traditional
court
Political Basotholand African Congress or BAC [Khauhelo
parties and RALITAPOLE]; Basotholand Congress Party or BCP
leaders: [Ntsukunyane MPHANYA]; Basotho National Party or BNP
[Maj. Gen. Justine Metsing LEKHANYA]; Kopanang Basotho
Party or KPB [MOSALA]; Lesotho Congress for Democracy
or LCD [Pakalitha MOSISILI] (the governing party);
Lesotho Education Party or LEP [Thabo PITSO]; Lesotho
People's Congress or LPC [Kelebone MAOPE]; Lesotho
Workers Party of LWP [Macaefa BILLY]; Marematlou
Freedom Party or MFP [Vincent MALEBO]; National
Independent Party or NIP [Anthony MANYELI]; National
Progressive Party or NPP [Chief Peete Nkoebe PEETE];
Popular Front for Democracy or PFD [Lekhetho RAKUOANE];
Sefate Democratic Union or SDU [Bofihla NKUEBE]; Social
Democratic Party of SDP [Masitise SELESO]; United
Democratic Party or UDP [C.D. MOFELI]; United Party or
UP [Makara SEKAUTU]
Political NA
pressure
groups and
leaders:
International ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM,
organization IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO
participation: (subscriber), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador Molelekeng E. RAPOLAKI
representation chancery: 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC
in the US: 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 797-5533 through 5536
FAX: [1] (202) 234-6815
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador June Carter PERRY
representation embassy: 254 Kingsway, Maseru West (Consular Section)
from the US: mailing address: P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho
telephone: [266] 22 312666
FAX: [266] 22 310116
Flag three horizontal stripes of blue (top), white, and
description: green in the proportions of 3:4:3; the colors represent
rain, peace, and prosperity respectively; centered in
the white stripe is a black Basotho hat representing
the indigenous people; the flag was unfurled in October
2006 to celebrate 40 years of independence
Economy
Economy - Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho relies on
overview: remittances from miners employed in South Africa and
customs duties from the Southern Africa Customs Union
for the majority of government revenue. However, the
government has recently strengthened its tax system to
reduce dependency on customs duties. Completion of a
major hydropower facility in January 1998 now permits
the sale of water to South Africa, also generating
royalties for Lesotho. As the number of mineworkers has
declined steadily over the past several years, a small
manufacturing base has developed based on farm products
that support the milling, canning, leather, and jute
industries, as well as a rapidly expanding
apparel-assembly sector. The latter has grown
significantly, mainly due to Lesotho qualifying for the
trade benefits contained in the Africa Growth and
Opportunity Act. The economy is still primarily based
on subsistence agriculture, especially livestock,
although drought has decreased agricultural activity.
The extreme inequality in the distribution of income
remains a major drawback. Lesotho has signed an Interim
Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility with the IMF.
GDP $5.008 billion (2005 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official $1.362 billion (2005 est.)
exchange
rate):
GDP - real 1.2% (2005 est.)
growth rate:
GDP - per $2,500 (2005 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: 16.3%
composition by industry: 44.3%
sector: services: 39.4% (2005 est.)
Labor force: 838,000 (2000)
Labor force - agriculture: 86% of resident population engaged in
by occupation: subsistence agriculture; roughly 35% of the active male
wage earners work in South Africa
industry and services: 14%
Unemployment 45% (2002)
rate:
Population 49% (1999)
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: 0.9%
income or highest 10%: 43.4%
consumption by
percentage
share:
Distribution 63.2 (1995)
of family
income - Gini
index:
Inflation rate 4.7% (2005 est.)
(consumer
prices):
Investment 29.9% of GDP (2005 est.)
(gross fixed):
Budget: revenues: $738.5 million
expenditures: $792.1 million; including capital
expenditures of NA (2005 est.)
Agriculture - corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock
products:
Industries: food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly,
handicrafts, construction, tourism
Industrial 15.5% (1999)
production
growth rate:
Electricity - 350 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South
production: Africa (2003)
Electricity - 363.5 million kWh (2003)
consumption:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
exports:
Electricity - 38 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South
imports: Africa (2003)
Oil - 0 bbl/day (2003 est.)
production:
Oil - 1,400 bbl/day (2003)
consumption:
Oil - exports: NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: NA bbl/day
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
production:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
consumption:
Current $-92 million (2005 est.)
account
balance:
Exports: $602.8 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles),
commodities: wool and mohair, food and live animals (2000)
Exports - Hong Kong 43.6%, China 35.4%, Germany 8.4% (2005)
partners:
Imports: $1.166 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - food; building materials, vehicles, machinery,
commodities: medicines, petroleum products (2000)
Imports - US 84%, Belgium 12.8%, Canada 2.4% (2005)
partners:
Reserves of $573 million (2005 est.)
foreign
exchange and
gold:
Debt - $735 million (2002)
external:
Economic aid - ODA, $4.4 million
donor:
Economic aid - $41.5 million (2000)
recipient:
Currency loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR)
(code):
Currency code: LSL; ZAR
Exchange maloti per US dollar - 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004),
rates: 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002), 8.6092 (2001)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Communications
Telephones - 48,000 (2005)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 245,100 (2005)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: rudimentary system
system: domestic: consists of a modest but growing number of
landlines, a small microwave radio relay system, and a
minor radiotelephone communication system; a cellular
mobile telephone system is growing
international: country code - 266; satellite earth
station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: NA (2002)
Television 1 (2000)
broadcast
stations:
Televisions: NA
Internet .ls
country code:
Internet 168 (2006)
hosts:
Internet 1 (2000)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 43,000 (2005)
users:
Transportation
Airports: 28 (2006)
Airports - total: 3
with paved over 3,047 m: 1
runways: 914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - total: 25
with unpaved 914 to 1,523 m: 4
runways: under 914 m: 21 (2006)
Roadways: total: 5,940 km
paved: 1,087 km
unpaved: 4,853 km (1999)
Military
Military Lesotho Defense Force (LDF): Army and Air Wing
branches:
Military 18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)
service age
and
obligation:
Manpower males age 18-49: 428,982
available for females age 18-49: 440,102 (2005 est.)
military
service:
Manpower fit males age 18-49: 180,797
for military females age 18-49: 160,681 (2005 est.)
service:
Military $41.1 million (2005 est.)
expenditures -
dollar figure:
Military 2.1% (2005 est.)
expenditures -
percent of
GDP:
Military - the Lesotho Government in 1999 began an open debate on
note: the future structure, size, and role of the armed
forces, especially considering the Lesotho Defense
Force's (LDF) history of intervening in political
affairs
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - none
international: