|
Lesotho
Physical. Lesotho is an enclave of South Africa. It covers an area
slightly smaller than Maryland. The climate is arid to semiarid, with cold
winters and hot summers. The terrain is mostly highland with plateaus, hills and
mountains. Natural resources include water, agricultural and grazing land,
diamonds, sand, clay and building stone. The stress of population growth has led
to overpopulation of marginal areas, which, in turn, has led to overgrazing,
soil erosion and exhaustion, and desertification.
People. More than two million people live in Lesotho. The capital is
Maseru. Sesotho (southern Sotho) is spoken by much of the population while
English is an official language. Zulu and Xhosa are also spoken. Ethnically, the
country is almost entirely Sotho (99.7%). Religions practiced are 80% Christian
and 20% indigenous beliefs.
Government. The formal name for the country is the Kingdom of Lesotho
and it gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1966. The Basuto
National Party ruled for the first two decades. King Moshoeshoe was exiled from
1990-1992 (his son ruled from 1990-1995) but was reinstated in 1995. While there
was military rule from 1986-1993 and a military mutiny in 1998, constitutional
reforms have since restored political stability. Peaceful parliamentary
elections were held in 2002.
Economy. The majority of government revenue for Lesotho comes from
miners employed in South Africa (35% of male workers are employed in South
Africa) and customs duties from the Southern Africa Customs Union. A
strengthening of the tax system and the sale of water from a major hydropower
facility (completed in January 1998) now generate royalties for Lesotho.
Subsistence agriculture is the primary base of the economy, although drought has
brought problems. A small manufacturing base has developed based on farm
products that support the milling, canning, leather and jute industries, and an
apparel-assembly sector. Lesotho has signed an Interim Poverty Reduction and
Growth Facility with the IMF.
For more information, you may write to the chancery at 2511 Massachusetts
Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; check the U.S. State Department country sites; or type in the country's name on the Internet using a
broad-based World Wide Web search engine.
Lesotho statistics
Geography
Area: 30,355 sq km
Capital: Maseru (180,000 2004)
Environmental concerns: overgrazing, severe soil erosion, and soil exhaustion,
desertification; Highlands Water Project that redirects water to South Africa
Geographical features: mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains
Climate: temperate with cool to cold, dry winters and hot, wet summers
People
2,022,000 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.) Sotho (99.7%), Europeans, Asians, and other (0.3%)
Annual growth rate: -0.46% (2006 est.)
Major languages are Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa
Religions: Christian (80%), indigenous beliefs (20%)
Health and social issues
Life expectancies: male 36; female 33
Infant mortality: 87.24 deaths/1,000 live births
Population below the poverty line: 49% (1999)
1 physician to 14,306 people (2004)
HIV/AIDS Rate in Adults: 28.9% (2003 est.)
84.8% of adults are literate
Compulsory education (Ages): 7-13; free (2004)
Communication and transportation
37,200 (2004) main telephone lines in use
43,000 (2005) Internet users
5,940 km of roadways
2.6 (2004) km railroads
28 (2005) airports
23,000 motor vehicles (2004)
Government
Lesotho is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy.
The chief of state King Letsie III (since 7 February 1996 - King Letsie III
formerly occupied the throne from November 1990 to February 1995, while his
father was in exile).
The head of the government is Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili (since 23 May
1998).
Universal suffrage 18 years of age
Military
Military expenditures as a percentage of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is
2.1% (2005 est.).
Current disputes: extreme inequality of the distribution of income within the
country
Economy
Currency: loti and South African rand
Per capita GDP: $2,500 (2005 est.)
GDP: $5.124 billion (2005 est.)
GDP growth rate: 0.8% (2005 est.)
Inflation rate: 4.7% (2005 est.)
Labor force: agriculture (86%), industry and services (14%) (35% of male wage
earners work in South Africa
Resources and industry
Natural resources: water, agricultural and grazing land, diamonds, sand, clay,
building stone
Agriculture: corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock
Industry: food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts,
construction, tourism
Exports: $602.8 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports: $1.166 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Suggested web sites
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/lesotho
http://www.lesotho.gov.ls/
|
