Edition 2007 — Lesotho — World Factbook

Administrative divisions

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

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) (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products

corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock

Airports

28 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways

over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1
total: 3
under 914 m: 1 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 25 914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 21 (2006)

Area

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

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Maryland

Background

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 reinstated in 1995. Constitutional government was restored in 1993 after 7 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. Constitutional reforms have since restored political stability; peaceful parliamentary elections were held in 2002. Geography Lesotho

Birth rate

24.75 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Budget

expenditures: $734.7 million; including capital expenditures of NA (2006 est.)
revenues: $778.9 million

Capital

geographic coordinates: 29 28 S, 27 30 E
name: Maseru
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Climate

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

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Constitution

2 April 1993

Country name

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

Currency (code)

loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR)

Currency code

LSL; ZAR

Current account balance

$-75.44 million (2006 est.)

Death rate

28.71 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Debt - external

$735 million (2002)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador June Carter PERRY
embassy: 254 Kingsway, Maseru West (Consular Section)
mailing address: P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho
telephone: [266] 22 312666

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery: 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
chief of mission: Ambassador Molelekeng E. RAPOLAKI
telephone: [1] (202) 797-5533 through 5536

Disputes - international

none This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

Distribution of family income - Gini index

63.2 (1995)

Economic aid - donor

ODA, $4.4 million

Economic aid - recipient

$41.5 million (2000)

Economy - overview

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 now permits the sale of water to South Africa, also generating royalties for Lesotho. 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.

Electricity - consumption

244.5 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports

12 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2004)

Electricity - production

250 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2004)

Elevation extremes

highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m
lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 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, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Ethnic groups

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

Exchange rates

maloti per US dollar - 6.6 (2006), 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002)

Executive branch

cabinet: Cabinet
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
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 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
head of government: Prime Minister Pakalitha MOSISILI (since 23 May 1998)

Exports

$779.1 million f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities

manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (2000)

Exports - partners

Hong Kong 41.8%, China 33.9%, Germany 7.9% (2005)

FAX

[1] (202) 234-6815

[266] 22 310116

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March Communications Lesotho

Flag description

three horizontal stripes of blue (top), white, and green in the proportions of 3:4:3; the colors represent rain, peace, and prosperity respectively; centered in the white stripe is a black Basotho hat representing the indigenous people; the flag was unfurled in October 2006 to celebrate 40 years of independence Economy Lesotho

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 16.1%
industry: 43%
services: 40.9% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$2,600 (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

1.7% (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$1.419 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$5.195 billion (2006 est.)

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 People Lesotho

Government type

parliamentary constitutional monarchy

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

28.9% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

29,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

320,000 (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%: 43.4%
lowest 10%: 0.9%

Imports

$1.401 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities

food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products (2000)

Imports - partners

US 83.9%, Belgium 12.7%, Canada 2.4% (2005)

Independence

4 October 1966 (from UK)

Industrial production growth rate

15.5% (1999)

Industries

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

Infant mortality rate

female: 82.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
male: 92.04 deaths/1,000 live births
total: 87.24 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

5% (2006 est.)

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Internet country code

.ls

Internet hosts

168 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

1 (2000)

Internet users

43,000 (2005) Transportation Lesotho

Investment (gross fixed)

32% of GDP (2006 est.)

Irrigated land

30 sq km (2003)

Judicial branch

High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch acting on the advice of the Prime Minister); Court of Appeal; Magistrate Courts; customary or traditional court

Labor force

838,000 (2000)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 86% of resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture; roughly 35% of the active male wage earners work in South Africa
industry and services: 14%

Land boundaries

border countries: South Africa 909 km
total: 909 km

Land use

arable land: 10.87%
other: 89% (2005)
permanent crops: 0.13%

Languages

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

Legal system

based on English common law and Roman-Dutch law; judicial review of legislative acts in High Court and Court of Appeal; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

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
election results: percent of vote by party - LCD 54.9%, BNP 22.4%, LPC 5.8%, NIP 5.5% other 11.5%; seats by party - LCD 77, BNP 21, LPC 5, NIP 5, other 10
elections: last held 25 May 2002 (next to be held 17 February 2007)

Lesotho Defense Force (LDF)

Army and Air Wing

Life expectancy at birth

female: 33.21 years (2006 est.)
male: 35.55 years
total population: 34.4 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
female: 94.5% (2003 est.) Government Lesotho
male: 74.5%
total population: 84.8%

Location

Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa

Manpower available for military service

females age 18-49: 440,102 (2005 est.)
males age 18-49: 428,982

Manpower fit for military service

females age 18-49: 160,681 (2005 est.)
males age 18-49: 180,797

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Median age

female: 21 years (2006 est.)
male: 19.7 years
total: 20.3 years

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 Transnational Issues Lesotho

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$41.1 million (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

2.1% (2005 est.)

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)

National holiday

Independence Day, 4 October (1966)

Nationality

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

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural hazards

periodic droughts

Natural resources

water, agricultural and grazing land, diamonds, sand, clay, building stone

Net migration rate

-0.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Oil - consumption

1,400 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - exports

NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports

NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Political parties and leaders

All Basotho Convention or ABC [Thomas THABANE]; Basotholand African Congress or BAC [Khauhelo RALITAPOLE]; Basotho Congress Party or BCP [Ntsukunyane MPHANYA]; Basotho National Party or BNP [Maj. Gen. Justin Metsing LEKHANYA]; Kopanang Basotho Party or KPB [Pheelo MOSALA]; Lesotho Congress for Democracy or LCD [Pakalitha MOSISILI] (the governing party); Lesotho Education Party or LEP [Thabo PITSO]; Lesotho People's Congress or LPC [Kelebone MAOPE]; Lesotho Workers Party or LWP [Macaefa BILLY]; Marematlou Freedom Party or MFP [Vincent MALEBO]; National Democratic Party [J.S. Bereng]; National Independent Party or NIP [Anthony MANYELI]; National Progressive Party or NPP [Chief Peete Nkoebe PEETE]; New Lesotho Freedom Party or NLFP [Manapo MAJARA]; Popular Front for Democracy or PFD [Lekhetho RAKUOANE]; Sefate Democratic Union or SDU [Bofihla NKUEBE]; Social Democratic Party of SDP [Masitise SELESO]; United Democratic Party or UDP [C.D. MOFELI]; United Party or UP [Makara SEKAUTU]

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Population

2,022,331
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 2006 est.)

Population below poverty line

49% (1999)

Population growth rate

-0.46% (2006 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios

NA (2002)

Religions

Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$528.2 million (2006 est.)

Roadways

paved: 1,087 km
total: 5,940 km
unpaved: 4,853 km (1999) Military Lesotho

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Telephone system

domestic: consists of a modest but growing number of landlines, a small microwave radio relay system, and a minor radiotelephone communication system; a cellular mobile telephone system is growing
general assessment: rudimentary system
international: country code - 266; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Telephones - main lines in use

48,000 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular

245,100 (2005)

Television broadcast stations