World Facts Index
 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 was reinstated in 1995.
Constitutional government was restored in 1993 after seven 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.
Subsequent constitutional reforms restored relative political stability.
Peaceful parliamentary elections were held in 2002, but the National Assembly
elections of February 2007 were hotly contested and aggrieved parties continue
to periodically demonstrate their distrust of the results.
Geography of Lesotho
|
Location:
|
Southern Africa, an enclave
of South Africa |
|
Coordinates:
|
29 30 S, 28 30 E |
|
Area:
|
total: 30,355 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 30,355 sq km |
|
Area comparative:
|
slightly smaller than
Maryland |
|
Land boundaries:
|
total: 909 km
border countries: South Africa 909 km |
|
Coastline:
|
0 km (landlocked) |
|
Climate:
|
temperate; cool to cold,
dry winters; hot, wet summers |
|
Terrain:
|
mostly highland with
plateaus, hills, and mountains |
|
Elevation extremes:
|
lowest point:
junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m
highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m |
|
Natural resources:
|
water, agricultural and
grazing land, some diamonds and other minerals |
|
Natural hazards:
|
periodic droughts |
|
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 |
|
Geography - note:
|
landlocked, completely
surrounded by South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is
1,800 meters above sea level
|
Population of Lesotho
|
Population:
|
2,128,180 (July 2008 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) |
|
Median age:
|
20.3 years |
|
Growth rate:
|
-0.46% |
|
Infant mortality:
|
87.24 deaths/1,000 live births |
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total population: 34.4 years
male: 35.55 years
female: 33.21 years |
|
Fertility rate:
|
3.28 children born/woman |
|
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
former: Basutoland |
|
Government type:
|
parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
|
Capital:
|
Maseru |
|
Administrative divisions:
|
10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe,
Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohale's Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka |
|
Independence:
|
4 October 1966 (from UK) |
|
National holiday:
|
Independence Day, 4 October (1966) |
|
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; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
|
Suffrage:
|
18 years of age; universal |
|
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: 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 that 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 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 |
|
Judicial branch:
|
High Court (chief justice appointed by the
monarch); Court of Appeal; Magistrate's Court; customary or traditional court |
Economy
Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho relies on 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 permitted
the sale of water to South Africa and generated royalties for Lesotho. Lesotho
produces about 90% of its own electrical power needs. 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. In July 2007, Lesotho signed a Millennium Challenge Account
Compact with the US worth $362.5 million.
|
GDP:
|
$3.063 billion (2007 est.) |
|
GDP growth rate:
|
0.8% |
|
GDP per capita:
|
$2,500 |
|
GDP composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 16.3%
industry: 44.3%
services: 39.4% |
|
Inflation rate:
|
4.7% |
|
Labor force:
|
838,000 |
|
Labor force - by occupation:
|
86% of resident population engaged in
subsistence agriculture; roughly 35% of the active male wage earners work in South Africa |
|
Unemployment:
|
45% |
|
Industries:
|
food, beverages, textiles, apparel
assembly, handicrafts; construction; tourism |
|
Agriculture:
|
corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley;
livestock |
|
Exports:
|
manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road
vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (2000) |
|
Export partners:
|
Hong Kong 43%, China 23.4%, India 5.5%, South Korea 5.1%,
Germany 4.4% |
|
Imports:
|
food; building materials, vehicles,
machinery, medicines, petroleum products |
|
Import partners:
|
US 97%, Canada 2.1%, UK 0.3% |
|
Currency:
|
loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR) |
SOURCES: The CIA World Factbook, U.S. Department of State, Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress
Copyright 2004 - 2008 worldfacts.us |