Lesotho

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

• 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

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified:

Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping

0-14 years:

40% (male 424,355; female 422,892)

15-64 years:

56% (male 573,285; female 610,636)

65 years and over:

4% (male 40,604; female 57,178) (1999 est.)

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:

0.71 male(s)/female

total population:

0.95 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

noun:

Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)

adjective:

Basotho

conventional long form:

Kingdom of Lesotho

conventional short form:

Lesotho

former:

Basutoland

• 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

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 Pakalitha MOSISILI (since NA May 1998)

cabinet:

Cabinet

elections:

• none;
• 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

• bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (33 members--22 principal chiefs and 11 other members appointed by the ruling party) and the Assembly (80 seats; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms);
• note--number of seats in the Assembly rose from 65 to 80 in the May 1998 election

elections:

last held 23 May 1998 (next to be held in late 1999 or early 2000)

election results:

percent of vote by party--LCD 61%; seats by party--LCD 79, BCP 1

note: results contested; LCD, with only 61% of the vote, won 79 out of 80 parliamentary seats based on a historical political consensus for a "winner take all" formula

• High Court, chief justice appointed by the monarch;
• Court of Appeal;
• Magistrate's Court;
• customary or traditional court

chief of mission:

Ambassador Dr. Eunice M. BULANE

chancery:

2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission:

Ambassador Katherine H. PETERSON

embassy:

254 Kingsway, Maseru West (Consular Section)

mailing address:

P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho

• 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

lowest 10%:

0.9%

highest 10%:

43.4% (1986-87)

• food, beverages, textiles, handicrafts;
• construction;
• tourism

fossil fuel:

NA%

hydro:

NA%

nuclear:

NA%

other:

NA%

• maloti (M) per US$1--5.98380 (January 1999), 5.52828 (1998), 4.60796 (1997), 4.29935 (1996), 3.62709 (1995), 3.55080 (1994);
• note--the Basotho loti is at par with the South African rand

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)

total:

4,955 km

paved:

887 km

unpaved:

4,068 km (1996 est.)