Lesotho

Kingdom of Lesotho

parliamentary constitutional monarchyIndependence 4 October 1966 (from UK)

Lesotho as the 2000 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 104 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalMaseru

Position29 30 S, 28 30 E

Area30,355 sq km

LocationSouthern Africa, an enclave of South Africa

Populationas each edition published it

2.14 million July 2000 est. · 1.75m in 1990

Population growth% a year

1.65% 2000 est. · 2.52% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 19.8 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

50.79 years 2000 est. · 61.73 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

4.15 children per woman 2000 est. · 4.9 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

82.97 deaths per 1,000 live births 2000 est. · 80 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$2,240 1998 est. · $340 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

-10% 1998 est. · 5.3% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

Background

Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence from the UK in 1966. Constitutional government was restored in 1993 after 23 years of military rule.

Geography

Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa

18 fields

Land useshare of 30,355 sq km

arable land 11%permanent crops 0%permanent pastures 66%forests and woodland 0%other 23% (1993 est.)irrigated 30 sq km (1993 est.)

Area

30,355sq km

land: 30,355 sq kmwater: 0 sq kmslightly smaller than Maryland

Coastline

0km

(landlocked)Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Highest point

3,482m

Thabana Ntlenyanalowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m

Land boundaries

909km

border countries: South Africa 909 km

Location

Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa

Climate

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

Terrain

mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains

Natural resources

water, agricultural and grazing land, some diamonds and other minerals

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, Desertification, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified:: Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping

People

15 fields

Population

2,143,141

growth rate: 1.65% (2000 est.)

Note

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 2000 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2000 est.)

Birth

31.74Death

14.59Net migration

-0.64

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2000 est.)50.79

49.78 · 51.84

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (1995 est.)71.3%

81.1% · 62.3%

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Age structure

0-14 years:: 40% (male 426,556; female 421,563)
15-64 years:: 56% (male 575,580; female 619,280)
65 years and over:: 4% (male 42,274; female 57,888) (2000 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 0.73 male(s)/female
total population:: 0.95 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Infant mortality rate

82.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.15 children born/woman (2000 est.)

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

Government

Parliamentary constitutional monarchy; King LETSIE III (since 7 February 1996); Prime Minister Pakalitha MOSISILI (since 23 May 1998)

18 fields

Legislature, 80 seats, elected 23 May 1998one dot, one seat

LCD 79BNP 1

Country name

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

Data code

Government type

parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Capital

Maseru

Administrative divisions

10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohales 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:: 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 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

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 (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 2000; date to be determined by Interim Political Authority)
election results:: percent of vote by party - LCD 61%; seats by party - LCD 79, BNP 1

note: results contested; opposition parties claimed the election was fraudulent and staged a coup; Southern African Development Community (SADC) forces intervened in September 1998 and restored order;

the Interim Political Authority (IPA) was set up in December 1998 to create a new electoral system and conduct new elections within 18 months

Judicial branch

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

Political parties and leaders

Basotho National Party or BNP [Maj. Gen. Justine Metsing LEKHANYA]; Basotholand Congress Party or BCP [Molapo QHOBELA, leader (currently suspended), Ntsukunyane MPHANYA, secretary general]; Lesotho Congress for Democracy or LCD [Dr. Pakalitha MOSISILI, leader; Shakhane MOKHEHLE, secretary general] - the governing party;

United Democratic Party or UDP [Charles MOFELI]; Marematlou Freedom Party or MFP and Setlamo Alliance [Vincent MALEBO]; National Progressive Party or NPP [Chief Peete Nkoebe PEETE]; Sefate Democratic Party or SDP [Bofihla NKUEBE]

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Lebohang Kenneth MOLEKO
chancery:: 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:: [1] (202) 797-5533 through 5536
FAX:: [1] (202) 234-6815

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Katherine H. PETERSON
embassy:: 254 Kingsway, Maseru West (Consular Section)
mailing address:: P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho
telephone:: [266] 312666
FAX:: [266] 310116

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's only important natural resource is water.

31 fields

Real growth rate

-10%

(1998 est.)industrial production growth: 19.7% (1995)

Inflation, consumer prices

(1998 est.)

Population below poverty line

49.2%

(1993 est.)

Labor force

689,000economically active

GDP - composition by sector(1997 est.)

agriculture 14%industry 42%services 44% (1997 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$507 millionExpenditures

$487 million

expenditures including capital expenditures of $170 million (FY96/97 est.)

Electricity

Electricity consumption

209 million (1998)Electricity imports

209 million (1998)

Economy - overview

Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho's only important natural resource is water. Its economy is based on subsistence agriculture, livestock, and remittances from miners employed in South Africa. The number of such mine workers has declined steadily over the past several years.

In 1996 their remittances added about 33% to GDP compared with the addition of roughly 67% in 1990. A small manufacturing base depends largely on farm products which support the milling, canning, leather, and jute industries. Agricultural products are exported primarily to South Africa.

Proceeds from membership in a common customs union with South Africa form the majority of government revenue. Although drought has decreased agricultural activity over the past few years, completion of a major hydropower facility in January 1998 now permits the sale of water to South Africa, generating royalties that will be an important source of income for Lesotho.

The pace of parastatal privatization has increased in recent years. Civil disorder in September 1998 destroyed 80% of the commercial infrastructure in Maseru and two other major towns. Most firms were not covered by insurance, and the rebuilding of small and medium business has been a significant challenge in terms of both economic growth and employment levels. Output dropped 10% in 1998 and recovered slowly in 1999.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $4.7 billion (1998 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $2,240 (1998 est.)

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 rate

substantial unemployment and underemployment affecting more than half of the labor force (1999 est.)

Industries

food, beverages, textiles, handicrafts;
construction;
tourism

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel:: 0%
hydro:: 0%
nuclear:: 0%
other:: 0% (1998)

Agriculture - products

corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock

Exports

$235 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Exports - commodities

manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (1998)

Exports - partners

South African Customs Union 65%, North America 34% (1998)

Imports

$700 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Imports - commodities

food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products (1995)

Imports - partners

South African Customs Union 90%, Asia 7% (1997)

Debt - external

$675 million (1998 est.)

Economic aid - recipient

$123.7 million (1995)

Currency

1 loti (L) = 100 lisente; note - maloti (M) is the plural form of loti

Exchange rates

maloti (M) per US$1 - 6.12439 (January 2000), 6.10948 (1999), 5.52828 (1998), 4.60796 (1997), 4.29935 (1996), 3.62709 (1995);
note - the Basotho loti is at par with the South African rand

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

Communications

8 fields

Mobile cellular

(1995)

Internet users

(1999)

Fixed lines

18,000

(1995)

Telephone 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)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios

104,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations

1 (2000)

Televisions

54,000 (1997)

Transportation

6 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right

over 3,047 m

914 to 1,523 m

under 914 m

Paved 4Unpaved 25

Networkskm

Highways

4,955Railways

2.6

Highways: paved: 887 km · unpaved: 4,068 km (1996 est.) · Railways: ; note - owned by, operated by, and included in the statistics of South Africa · narrow gauge: 2.6 km 1.067-m gauge (1995)