ARCHIVE // LS // 1996

Lesotho

1996 Edition — sovereign

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Communications
Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]
Lesotho Defense Force (LDF; includes Army and Air Wing), Lesotho Mounted Police
Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]
$NA, NA% of GDP
Manpower availability [time series]
males age 15-49: 455,218 males fit for military service: 245,774 (1996 est.)
Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]
AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 0
Radios [time series]
66,000
Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]
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 - fixed lines (Telephones) [time series]
12,000 (1991 est.)
Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]
1
Televisions [time series]
11,000 (1992 est.) Defense
Economy
Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]
corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock
Budget [time series]
revenues: $445 million expenditures: $400 million, including capital expenditures of $128 million (FY94/95 est.)
Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]
1 loti (L) = 100 lisente
Economic aid [time series]
recipient: ODA, $NA
Economic overview [time series]
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 (these remittances supplement domestic income by as much as 45%). The great majority of households gain their livelihoods from subsistence farming and migrant labor; a large portion of the adult male work force is employed in South African mines. Manufacturing depends largely on farm products which support the milling, canning, leather, and jute industries. Although drought has decreased agricultural activity over the past few years, improvement of a major hydropower facility will permit the sale of water to South Africa and will support the economy's continued expansion.
Electricity [time series]
power supplied by South Africa
Exchange rates [time series]
maloti (M) per US$1 - 3.6417 (January 1996), 3.6266 (1995), 3.5490 (1994), 3.2636 (1993), 2.8497 (1992), 2.7563 (1991); note - the Basotho loti is at par with the South African rand
Exports [time series]
$142 million (f.o.b., 1994 est.) commodities: clothing, furniture, footwear, wool partners: South Africa 39%, EC 22%, North and South America 33% (1993)
Debt - external (External debt) [time series]
$512 million (1993)
Fiscal year [time series]
1 April - 31 March
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]
purchasing power parity - $2.8 billion (1994 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP composition by sector) [time series]
agriculture: 10.4% industry: 48.8% services: 40.8% (1993)
Real GDP per capita (GDP per capita) [time series]
$1,430 (1994 est.)
Real GDP growth rate (GDP real growth rate) [time series]
13.5% (1994 est.)
Imports [time series]
$1 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.) commodities: mainly corn, building materials, clothing, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products partners: South Africa 83%, Asia 12%, EC 3% (1993)
Industrial production growth rate [time series]
12.5% (1994 est.)
Industries [time series]
food, beverages, textiles, handicrafts; construction; tourism
Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]
9.5% (January 1995)
Labor force [time series]
689,000 economically active by occupation: 86.2% of resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture; roughly 60% of the active male wage earners work in South Africa
Unemployment rate [time series]
substantial unemployment and underemployment
Geography
Area [time series]
total area: 30,350 sq km land area: 30,350 sq km comparative area: slightly larger than Maryland
Climate [time series]
temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers
Coastline [time series]
0 km (landlocked)
Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]
current issues: population pressure forcing settlement in marginal areas results in overgrazing, severe soil erosion, soil exhaustion; desertification; Highlands Water Project will control, store, and redirect water to South Africa natural hazards: periodic droughts international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping
Geographic coordinates [time series]
29 30 S, 28 30 E
Geography - note (Geographic note) [time series]
landlocked; surrounded by South Africa
Disputes - international (International disputes) [time series]
none
Irrigated land [time series]
NA sq km
Land boundaries [time series]
total: 909 km border country: South Africa 909 km
Land use [time series]
arable land: 10% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 66% forest and woodland: 0% other: 24%
Location [time series]
Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa
Map references [time series]
Africa
Maritime claims [time series]
none (landlocked)
Natural resources [time series]
water, agricultural and grazing land, some diamonds and other minerals
Terrain [time series]
mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m highest point: Mount Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m
Government
Administrative divisions [time series]
10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohale's Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka
Legislative branch (Assembly) [time series]
members elected by popular vote; election last held NA March 1993 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats (65 total) BCP 65
Capital [time series]
Maseru
Constitution [time series]
2 April 1993
Data code [time series]
LT
Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation in US) [time series]
chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Eunice M. BULANE chancery: 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 797-5533 through 5536
Executive branch [time series]
chief of state: King LETSIE III (since 7 February 1996); the king is the former Crown Prince David Monato BERENG Seeiso and succeeded his father King MOSHOESHOE II, who died in an automobile accident on 16 January 1996; King LETSIE III formerly occupied the throne (November 1990 to February 1995) while his father was in exile note: the king is a hereditary monarch, but, under the terms of the constitution which came into effect after the March 1993 election, he has no executive or legislative powers; moreover, under traditional law the king can be elected or deposed by a majority vote of the College of Chiefs head of government: Prime Minister Ntsu MOKHEHLE (since 2 April 1993) cabinet: Cabinet
Diplomatic representation in the US (FAX) [time series]
[1] (202) 234-6815
Diplomatic representation in the US (FAX) [time series]
[266] 310116
Flag [time series]
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 [time series]
4 October 1966 (from UK)
International organization participation [time series]
ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Judicial branch [time series]
High Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrate's Court; customary or traditional court
Legal system [time series]
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 [time series]
bicameral Parliament
Country name (Name of country) [time series]
conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho conventional short form: Lesotho former: Basutoland
National holiday [time series]
Independence Day, 4 October (1966)
Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]
Basotho National Party (BNP), Evaristus SEKHONYANA; Basotho 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
Legislative branch (Senate) [time series]
consists of 33 members (the 22 principal chiefs and 11 other members appointed by the ruling party)
Suffrage [time series]
21 years of age; universal
Government type (Type of government) [time series]
modified constitutional monarchy
Diplomatic representation from the US (US diplomatic representation) [time series]
chief of mission: Ambassador Bismarck MYRICK embassy: address NA, Maseru mailing address: P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho telephone: [266] 312666
People
Age structure [time series]
0-14 years: 41% (male 404,733; female 402,813) 15-64 years: 54% (male 519,493; female 553,618) 65 years and over: 5% (male 37,237; female 52,887) (July 1996 est.)
Birth rate [time series]
32.7 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate [time series]
13.74 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]
Sotho 99.7%, Europeans 1,600, Asians 800
Infant mortality rate [time series]
81.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Languages [time series]
Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa
Life expectancy at birth [time series]
total population: 52.08 years male: 50.08 years female: 54.14 years (1996 est.)
Literacy [time series]
age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.) total population: 71.3% male: 81.1% female: 62.3%
Nationality [time series]
noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural) adjective: Basotho
Net migration rate [time series]
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Population [time series]
1,970,781 (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate [time series]
1.9% (1996 est.)
Religions [time series]
Christian 80%, rest indigenous beliefs
Sex ratio [time series]
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female all ages: 0.95 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Total fertility rate [time series]
4.32 children born/woman (1996 est.)
Transportation
Airports [time series]
total: 29 with paved runways over 3 047 m: 1 with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 1 with paved runways under 914 m: 23 with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 4 (1995 est.)
Roadways (Highways) [time series]
total: 5,324 km paved: 799 km unpaved: 4,525 km (1993 est.)
Ports [time series]
none
Railways [time series]
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