Lesotho
Kingdom of Lesotho
modified constitutional monarchyIndependence 4 October 1966 (from UK)
Lesotho as the 1997 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 94 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Geography
Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa
18 fieldsLand useshare of 30,350 sq km
Environment - 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
Environment - 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
People
15 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1997 est.)
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 41% (male 408,723; female 406,849) 15-64 years : 55% (male 533,327; female 566,684)
- 65 years and over:
- 4% (male 37,990; female 54,241) (July 1997 est.)
Sex ratio
- 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
- total population:
- 0.95 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Government
Modified constitutional monarchy; Prime Minister Ntsu MOKHEHLE (since 2 April 1993)
20 fieldsLegislature, 65 seats, elected 27 March 1993one dot, one seat
Country name
- conventional long form:
- Kingdom of Lesotho
- conventional short form:
- Lesotho
- former:
- Basutoland
Administrative divisions
10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohale's Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka
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
Executive branch
- chief of state :
- King LETSIE III (since 7 February 1996, succeeded to the throne following the death of his father, King MOSHOESHOE II, on 16 January 1996);
- note - King LETSIE III formerly occupied the throne (November 1990 to February 1995) while his father was in exile
- head of government:
- Prime Minister Ntsu MOKHEHLE (since 2 April 1993)
- cabinet:
- Cabinet
- elections:
- none;
- 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;
- following legislative elections, the leader of the party that wins the most seats usually becomes prime minister
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 (65 seats; members elected for a five-year term by popular vote)
- elections:
- last held 27 March 1993 (next to be held by March 1998)
- election results:
- percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - BCP 65
Political parties and leaders
- Basotho National Party or BNP [Evaristus SEKHONYANA];
- Basotholand Congress Party or BCP [Ntsu MOKHEHLE];
- Marematlou Freedom Party or MFP [Vincent MALEBO];
- United Democratic Party or UDP [Charles MOFELI]
International organization participation
ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFCTU, 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
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Dr. Eunice M. BULANE
- chancery:
- 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
- telephone :
- [1] (202) 797-5533 through 5536
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Bismarck MYRICK
- embassy:
- 254 Kingsway, Maseru West (Consular Section)
- mailing address:
- P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho
- telephone:
- [266] 312666
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
Economy
Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho has no | important natural resources other than water.
22 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(1994 est.)
Economy - overview
Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho has no important natural resources other than water. Its economy is based on agriculture, light manufacturing, and remittances from miners employed in South Africa. The number of such mine workers has declined steadily over the past five years;
in 1996 their remittances added about 33% to GDP compared with the addition of roughly 67% in 1990. 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, completion of a major hydropower facility will permit the sale of water to South Africa and will support the economy's continued expansion. The pace of the privatization of state-owned firms increased toward the end of 1994.
Unemployment rate
substantial unemployment and underemployment effecting more than half of the labor force (1996 est.)
Exports
- total value:
- $218 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
- commodities:
- clothing, furniture, footwear, machinery and equipment, wool (1993)
- partners:
- South African Customs Union 46%, North America 34%, EU 18% (1993)
Imports
- total value:
- $1.1 billion (c.i.f., 1996 est.)
- commodities:
- corn, clothing, building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products (1993)
- partners:
- South African Customs Union 83%, Asia 12%, EU 3% (1993)
Exchange rates
- maloti (M) per US$1 - 4.6410 (January 1997), 4.2706 (1996), 3.6266 (1995), 3.5490 (1994), 3.2636 (1993), 2.8497 (1992);
- note - the Basotho loti is at par with the South African rand
Communications
6 fieldsTelephone 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)
Transportation
6 fieldsRailways
- 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)
Military
Lesotho Defense Force (LDF; includes Army and Air | Wing), Lesotho Mounted Police
5 fieldsTransnational Issues
1 fieldIntroduction
1 fieldCurrent issues
Years of civil strife have destroyed much of Liberia's economic infrastructure, made civil administration nearly impossible, and brought economic activity virtually to a halt. The deterioration of economic conditions has been greatly exacerbated by the flight of most business people with their expertise and capital.
Civil order ended in 1990 when President Samuel Kenyon DOE was killed by rebel forces. In April 1996, when forces loyal to faction leaders Charles Ghankay TAYLOR and Alhaji KROMAH attacked rival ethnic Krahn factions, the fighting further damaged Monrovia's dilapidated infrastructure.
Fighting waned in late May 1996, allowing West African peacekeepers to regain control of Monrovia. The Abuja II peace accord was signed in August 1996 replacing the Chairman of the ruling Council of State, Wilton SANKAWULO, with Ruth PERRY. National elections were scheduled for 30 May 1997, but long-term prospects for peace will remain poor unless the warring factions can overcome their greed, mutual suspicions and ethnic hatreds.
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Lesotho.” The World Factbook 1997. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/lesotho/1997.