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Lesotho
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 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 dispute how the electoral law was applied to award proportional seats in the Assembly.
Location :
Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa
Geographic Coordinates Center :
29 30 S, 28 30 E (Latitude, Longtitude)
Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :
| West | 27.03 |
| North | -28.57 |
| East | 29.47 |
| South | -30.67 |
Map references :
Africa
Area :
| total | 30 355 | square km |
| land | 30 355 | square km |
| water | 0 | square km |
Land boundaries :
| total | 909 | km |
| South Africa (za) | 909 | km |
Coastline :
0.00 km
Climate :
temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers
Terrain :
mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains
Elevation extremes :
| lowest point | 1 400 | metres |
| highest point | 3 482 | metres |
Natural resources :
| agricultural and grazing land | building stone |
| clay | diamonds |
| sand | water |
Land use :
| arable land | 10.87 | % |
| permanent crops | 0.13 | % |
| other | 89.00 | % |
Irrigated land :
30 square km
Total renewable water resources :
5 cubic km
Natural hazards :
| periodic droughts |
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
international agreements :
| Biodiversity | Climate Change |
| Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol | Desertification |
| Endangered Species | Hazardous Wastes |
| Law of the Sea | Marine Life Conservation |
| Ozone Layer Protection | Wetlands |
Population :
2 130 819
Indicators :
| Growth rate | 0.12 | % |
| Birth rate | 24.14 | births/1,000 population |
| Total fertility rate | 3.06 | children born/woman |
| Death rate | 22.20 | deaths/1,000 population |
| Net migration rate | -0.78 | migrant(s)/1,000 population |
Age structure :
| 0-14 years | 34.80 | % |
| 15-64 years | 60.20 | % |
| 65 years and over | 5.00 | % |
Median age :
| total | 21.40 | years |
| male | 20.90 | years |
| female | 22.00 | years |
Sex ratio :
| at birth | 1.03 | male(s)/female |
| under 15 years | 1.01 | male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 0.96 | male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.66 | male(s)/female |
| total population | 0.96 | male(s)/female |
Health :
| Infant mortality rate | 77.40 | deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth - total population | 40.38 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - male | 41.18 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - female | 39.54 | years |
| HIV-AIDS adult prevalence rate | 23.20 | % |
| HIV-AIDS people living with HIV-AIDS | 270 000 | |
| HIV-AIDS deaths | 18 000 |
Religions :
| Christian | 80.00 | % |
| indigenous beliefs | 20.00 | % |
Languages :
| Sesotho | |
| English | |
| Zulu | |
| Xhosa |
Literacy :
| total population | 84.80 | % |
| male | 74.50 | % |
| female | 94.50 | % |
Country name :
| conventional long form | Kingdom of Lesotho |
| conventional short form | Lesotho |
| local long form | Kingdom of Lesotho |
| local short form | Lesotho |
| former | Basutoland |
Country Codes :
| ISO 3166 | LS |
| ISO Numeric | 426 |
| ISO3 | LSO |
| FIPS | LT |
| ccTLD | ls |
| English | Lesotho |
Administrative divisions :
10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohale's Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka
Capital :
| name | Maseru |
| geographic coordinates | 29 19 S, 27 29 E |
| time difference | 2.00 |
International organization participation :
| ACP | AU |
| AfDB | C |
| FAO | G-77 |
| IAEA | IBRD |
| ICAO | ICCt |
| ICRM | IDA |
| IFAD | IFC |
| IFRCS | ILO |
| IMF | IOC |
| IPU | ISO (subscriber) |
| ITU | Interpol |
| MIGA | NAM |
| OPCW | SACU |
| SADC | UN |
| UNCTAD | UNESCO |
| UNHCR | UNIDO |
| UNWTO | UPU |
| WCO | WFTU |
| WHO | WIPO |
| WMO | WTO |
Independence :
1966-10-04
National holiday :
Independence Day
1966-10-04
Executive branch :
| King LETSIE III | Prime Minister Pakalitha MOSISILI |
GDP - Gross Domestic product :
| PPP - Purchasing Power Parity | 3 311 000 000 | $ |
| Official Exchange Rate | 1 624 000 000 | |
| RGR - Real Growth rate | -0.90 | % |
| PPP - per capita | 1 500 | $ |
GDP Composition by sector :
| agriculture | 15.90 | % |
| industry | 45.40 | % |
| services | 38.70 | % |
Labor force - by occupation :
| agriculture | 86.00 | % |
| services | 14.00 | % |
Other Indicators :
| Unemployment rate | 45.00 | % |
| Population below poverty line | 49.00 | % |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 63.20 | |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 8.50 | % |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 39.60 | % of GDP |
| Current account balance | 1 000 000 | $ |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 738 000 000 | $ |
| Debt external | 581 000 000 | $ |
| Military expenditures | 2.60 | % of GDP |
Household income or consumption by percentage share :
| lowest 10% | 1.00 | % |
| highest 10% | 39.40 | % |
Budget :
| revenues | 563 400 000 | $ |
| expenditures | 675 400 000 | $ |
Agriculture - products :
| barley | corn |
| livestock | pulses |
| sorghum | wheat |
Industries :
| apparel assembly | beverages |
| construction | food |
| handicrafts | textiles |
| tourism |
Energy :
| Electricity Production | 502 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Consumption | 516 900 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Imports | 50 000 000 | kWh |
| Oil Consumption | 2 000 | bbl/day |
| Oil Imports | 1 553 | bbl/day |
Value :
872 000 000 $
Partners :
| United States (us) | 58.90 | % |
| Belgium (be) | 37.00 | % |
| Madagascar (mg) | 1.20 | % |
Commodities :
| food and live animals | footwear |
| manufactures | road vehicles) |
| wool and mohair |
Value :
1 827 000 000 $
Partners :
| China (cn) | 26.30 | % |
| Tawian | 20.10 | % |
| Hong Kong (hk) | 16.40 | % |
| South Korea | 14.10 | % |
| India (in) | 9.20 | % |
Commodities :
| building materials | food |
| machinery | medicines |
| petroleum products | vehicles |
Currency-code :
LSL
Currency-name :
loti
Communications :
| Telephons Main lines in use | 65 200 | |
| Telephons Mobile, Cellular | 581 000 | |
| FM Radio broadcast stations | 3 | |
| Television broadcast stations | 1 | |
| Internet Country code (ccTLD) | ls | |
| Internet Hosts | 127 | |
| Internet Users | 73 300 |
Transportation :
| Airports with paved runways | 3 | |
| Roadways - total | 7 091 | km |
| Roadways - paved | 1 404 | km |
| Roadways - unpaved | 5 687 | km |
Flag
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