Lesotho

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

1 (1999)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios

104,000 (1997)

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 - main lines in use

18,000 (1995)

Telephones - mobile cellular

0 (1995)

Television broadcast stations

1 (2000)

Televisions

54,000 (1997)

Agriculture - products

corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock

Budget

revenues: $507 million expenditures: $487 million, including capital expenditures of $170 million (FY96/97 est.)

Currency

1 loti (L) = 100 lisente; note - maloti (M) is the plural form of loti

Debt - external

$675 million (1998 est.)

Economic aid - recipient

$123.7 million (1995)

Economy - overview

Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho's only important natural resource is water. Its economy is based on subsistence agriculture, livestock, and remittances from miners employed in South Africa. The number of such mine workers has declined steadily over the past several years. In 1996 their remittances added about 33% to GDP compared with the addition of roughly 67% in 1990. A small manufacturing base depends largely on farm products which 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 that will be an important source of income for Lesotho. The pace of parastatal privatization has increased in recent years. Civil disorder in September 1998 destroyed 80% of the commercial infrastructure in Maseru and two other major towns. Most firms were not covered by insurance, and the rebuilding of small and medium business has been a significant challenge in terms of both economic growth and employment levels. Output dropped 10% in 1998 and recovered slowly in 1999.

Electricity - consumption

209 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports

209 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - production

0 kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 0% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1998)

Exchange rates

maloti (M) per US$1 - 6.12439 (January 2000), 6.10948 (1999), 5.52828 (1998), 4.60796 (1997), 4.29935 (1996), 3.62709 (1995); note - the Basotho loti is at par with the South African rand

Exports

$235 million (f.o.b., 1998 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)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

GDP

purchasing power parity - $4.7 billion (1998 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 14% industry: 42% services: 44% (1997 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $2,240 (1998 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

-10% (1998 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

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

Imports

$700 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Imports - commodities

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

Imports - partners

South African Customs Union 90%, Asia 7% (1997)

Industrial production growth rate

19.7% (1995)

Industries

food, beverages, textiles, handicrafts; construction; tourism

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

8% (1998 est.)

Labor force

689,000 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

Population below poverty line

49.2% (1993 est.)

Unemployment rate

substantial unemployment and underemployment affecting more than half of the labor force (1999 est.)

Area

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

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Maryland

Climate

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

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

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, Desertification, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping

Geographic coordinates

29 30 S, 28 30 E

Geography - note

landlocked; surrounded by South Africa

Irrigated land

30 sq km (1993 est.)

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.)

Location

Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

periodic droughts

Natural resources

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

Terrain

mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains

Administrative divisions

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

Capital

Maseru

Constitution

2 April 1993

Country name

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

Data code

LT

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 FAX: [266] 310116

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 FAX: [1] (202) 234-6815

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

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

Government type

parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Independence

4 October 1966 (from UK)

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, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Judicial branch

High Court, chief justice appointed by the monarch; 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 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 elections: last held 23 May 1998 (next to be held in 2000; date to be determined by Interim Political Authority) election results: percent of vote by party - LCD 61%; 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 within 18 months

National holiday

Independence Day, 4 October (1966)

Political parties and leaders

Basotho National Party or BNP [Maj. Gen. Justine Metsing LEKHANYA]; Basotholand Congress Party or BCP [Molapo QHOBELA, leader (currently suspended), Ntsukunyane MPHANYA, secretary general]; Lesotho Congress for Democracy or LCD [Dr. Pakalitha MOSISILI, leader; Shakhane MOKHEHLE, secretary general] - the governing party; United Democratic Party or UDP [Charles MOFELI]; Marematlou Freedom Party or MFP and Setlamo Alliance [Vincent MALEBO]; National Progressive Party or NPP [Chief Peete Nkoebe PEETE]; Sefate Democratic Party or SDP [Bofihla NKUEBE]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

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.

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.

Military branches

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

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

NA%

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 503,751 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 271,098 (2000 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 40% (male 426,556; female 421,563) 15-64 years: 56% (male 575,580; female 619,280) 65 years and over: 4% (male 42,274; female 57,888) (2000 est.)

Birth rate

31.74 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate

14.59 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Ethnic groups

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

Infant mortality rate

82.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 50.79 years male: 49.78 years female: 51.84 years (2000 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 71.3% male: 81.1% female: 62.3% (1995 est.)

Nationality

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

Net migration rate

-0.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Population

2,143,141 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 2000 est.)

Population growth rate

1.65% (2000 est.)

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 (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.15 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Disputes - international

none [Country Listing] [ The World Factbook Home]

Airports

29 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (1999 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 25 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 21 (1999 est.)

Highways

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

Ports and harbors

none

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)