Lesotho

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

1 (2000)

Internet country code

.ls

Internet users

5,000 (2002)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios

NA (2002)

Telephone system

general assessment: rudimentary system domestic: consists of a few landlines, a small microwave radio relay system, and a minor radiotelephone communication system; a cellular mobile telephone system is growing international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Telephones - main lines in use

22,200 (2000)

Telephones - mobile cellular

21,600 (2000)

Television broadcast stations

1 (2000)

Televisions

NA

Agriculture - products

corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock

Budget

revenues: $76 million expenditures: $80 million, including capital expenditures of $15 million

Currency

loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR)

Currency code

LSL; ZAR

Debt - external

$715 million (2001 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

56 (1986-87 )

Economic aid - recipient

$123.7 million (1995) (1995)

Economy - overview

Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho's primary natural resource is water. Its economy is based on subsistence agriculture, livestock, remittances from miners employed in South Africa, and a rapidly growing apparel-assembly sector. The number of 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 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. Lesotho has a marked inequality in income distribution and serious unemployment/underemployment problems that will not yield to short-run solutions.

Electricity - consumption

100 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports

100 million kWh note: electricity supplied by South Africa (2000)

Electricity - production

0 kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2000)

Exchange rates

maloti per US dollar - 11.58786 (January 2002), 8.60918 (2001), 6.93983 (2000), 6.10948 (1999), 5.52828 (1998), 4.60796 (1997); note - the Lesotho loti is at par with the South African rand which is also legal tender; maloti is the plural form of loti

Exports

$250 million f.o.b. (2001 est.)

Exports - commodities

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

Exports - partners

South African Customs Union 53.9%, North America 45.6% (1999)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

GDP

purchasing power parity - $5.3 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 18% industry: 38% services: 44% (2001)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $2,450 (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

2.6% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 1% highest 10%: 43% (1986-87)

Imports

$720 million f.o.b. (2001 est.)

Imports - commodities

food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products

Imports - partners

South African Customs Union 89.5%, Asia 7% (1999)

Industrial production growth rate

15.5% (1999 est.)

Industries

food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts; construction; tourism

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

6.9% (2001 est.)

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

Population below poverty line

49% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate

45% (2000 est.)

Area

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

Geographic coordinates

29 30 S, 28 30 E

Geography - note

landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 meters above sea level

Irrigated land

10 sq km (1998 est.)

Land boundaries

total: 909 km border countries: South Africa 909 km

Land use

arable land: 10.71% permanent crops: 0% other: 89.29% (1998 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

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Robert G. LOFTIS 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 Dr. Lebohang Kenneth MOLEKO FAX: [1] (202) 234-6815 telephone: [1] (202) 797-5533 through 5536 chancery: 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

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, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), 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 (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 NA 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

National holiday

Independence Day, 4 October (1966)

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; Pakalitha MOSISILI, leader] - the governing party; Lesotho People's Congress or LPC [Kelebone MAOPE]; 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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence from the UK in 1966. King MOSHOESHOE was exiled in 1990. 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; including Army and Air Wing), Royal Lesotho Mounted Police

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$34 million (1999)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

NA%

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 526,332 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 283,203 (2002 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 39% (male 433,229; female 427,926) 15-64 years: 56.3% (male 600,476; female 642,538) 65 years and over: 4.7% (male 43,691; female 60,094) (2002 est.)

Birth rate

30.72 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate

16.81 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Ethnic groups

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

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.)

Infant mortality rate

82.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 47 years female: 47.8 years (2002 est.) male: 46.3 years

Literacy

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

Nationality

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

Net migration rate

-0.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Population

2,207,954 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 2002 est.)

Population growth rate

1.33% (2002 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 (2002 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.01 children born/woman (2002 est.)

Disputes - international

none

Airports

28 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 24 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 20 (2002)

Highways

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

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)

Waterways

none