Lesotho

Airports

total: 28 usable: 28 with permanent-surface runways: 3 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 2

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)

Railroads

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

Telecommunications

rudimentary system consisting of a few landlines, a small microwave system, and minor radio communications stations; 5,920 telephones; broadcast stations - 3 AM, 2 FM, 1 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

Branches

Royal Lesotho Defense Force (RLDF; including Army, Air Wing), Royal Lesotho Mounted Police

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $55 million, 13% of GDP (1990 est.)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 438,096; fit for military service 236,324

Agriculture

accounts for 15% of GDP (1991 est.) and employs 60-70% of all households; 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 (1994 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 - 3.4096 (January 1994), 3.2636 (1993), 2.8497 (1992), 2.7563 (1991), 2.5863 (1990), 2.6166 (1989); 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

$428 million (1991)

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 5% (1991 est.); accounts for 13% of GDP

Industries

food, beverages, textiles, handicrafts, tourism

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

17% (FY93)

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $2.8 billion (1993 est.)

National product per capita

$1,500 (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate

2.4% (FY 93)

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 (recently equal to about 45% of GDP). The great majority of households gain their livelihoods from subsistence farming and migrant labor; a large portion of the adult male workforce 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 (in particular, a major water improvement project which will permit the sale of water to South Africa). Industry's share of GDP rose from 6% in 1982 to 13% in 1991.

Unemployment rate

at least 55% among adult males (1991 est.)

Area

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

Birth rate

34 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Climate

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

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Death rate

9.19 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Environment

current issues: population pressure forcing settlement in marginal areas results in overgrazing, severe soil erosion, soil exhaustion; desertification natural hazards: subject to periods of drought international agreements: party to - Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping

Ethnic divisions

Sotho 99.7%, Europeans 1,600, Asians 800

Infant mortality rate

69.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Labor force

689,000 economically active by occupation: 86.2% of resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture; roughly 60% of active male labor force works in South Africa

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%

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 62.14 years male: 60.32 years female: 64.01 years (1994 est.)

Literacy

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

Location

Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa

Map references

Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims

none; landlocked

Nationality

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

Natural resources

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

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Note

landlocked; surrounded by South Africa; Highlands Water Project will control, store, and redirect water to South Africa

Population

1,944,493 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate

2.48% (1994 est.)

Religions

Christian 80%, rest indigenous beliefs

Terrain

mostly highland with some plateaus, hills, and mountains

Total fertility rate

4.5 children born/woman (1994 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: Ambassador Teboho KITLELI chancery: 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 797-5533 through 5536

Executive branch

chief of state: King LETSIE III (since 12 November 1990) head of government: Prime Minister Ntsu MOKHEHLE (since 2 April 1993 ) cabinet: Cabinet

FAX

(202) 234-6815

FAX

[266] 310-116

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

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 10 other members appointed by the ruling party; election 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, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, 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; Basutholand 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: (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Karl HOFMANN embassy: address NA, Maseru mailing address: P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho telephone: [266] 312-666