Statistical information Lesotho 1992

Lesotho in the World

Lesotho - Introduction 1992

top of page

Background: Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence from the UK in 1966. The country has been ruled by the military since 1970.

Lesotho - Geography 1992

top of page

Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area
Total: 30,350 km²
Land: 30,350 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than Maryland

Land boundaries: 909 km; South Africa 909 km

Coastline: none - landlocked

Maritime claims: none - landlocked
Disputes: none

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

Terrain: mostly highland with some plateaus, hills, and mountains

Elevation

Natural resources: some diamonds and other minerals, water, agricultural and grazing land

Land use

Land use: arable land: 10%; permanent crops: 0%; meadows and pastures 66%; forest and woodland 0%; other 24%

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography

Lesotho - People 1992

top of page

Population: 1,848,925 (July 1992), growth rate 2.6% (1992)

Nationality:

noun - Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural); adjective -
Basotho

Ethnic groups: Sotho 99.7%; Europeans 1,600, Asians 800

Languages: Sesotho (southern Sotho) and English (official; also Zulu and Xhosa

Religions: Christian 80%, rest indigenous beliefs

Demographic profile

Age structure

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 35 births/1000 population (1992)

Death rate: 10 deaths/1000 population (1992)

Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1000 population (1992)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: population pressure forcing settlement in marginal areas results in overgrazing, severe soil erosion, soil exhaustion; desertification
Current issues note: landlocked; surrounded by South Africa; Highlands Water Project will control, store, and redirect water to South Africa

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 74 deaths/1000 live births (1992)

Life expectancy at birth: 60 years male, 63 years female (1992)

Total fertility rate: 4.7 children born/woman (1992)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: 59% (male 44%, female 68%) age 15 and over can read and write (1966)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment

Lesotho - Government 1992

top of page

Country name
Conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho

Government type: constitutional monarchy

Capital: Maseru

Administrative divisions:

10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe,
Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohale's Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing,
Thaba-Tseka

Dependent areas

Independence: 4 October 1966 (from UK; formerly Basutoland)

National holiday: Independence Day, 4 October (1966)

Constitution: 4 October 1966, suspended January 1970

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: universal at age 21
National Assembly: dissolved following the military coup in January 1986; military has pledged elections will take place in June 1992

Executive branch:

monarch, chairman of the Military Council, Military
Council, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch:

none - the bicameral Parliament was dissolved following the military coup in January 1986; note - a National Constituent
Assembly convened in June 1990 to rewrite the constitution and debate issues of national importance, but it has no legislative authority

Judicial branch: High Court, Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, SACU, SADCC,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation:

Ambassador Tseliso THAMAE; Chancery at 2,511
Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008; telephone (202) 797-5,534

US: Ambassador Leonard H.O. SPEARMAN, Sr.; Embassy at address NA, Maseru (mailing address is P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100 Lesotho); telephone 266 312-666; FAX (266) 310-116

Diplomatic representation

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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage

Lesotho - Economy 1992

top of page

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 laborers employed in South Africa ($153 million in 1989). The great majority of households gain their livelihoods from subsistence farming and migrant labor. Manufacturing depends largely on farm products to support the milling, canning, leather, and jute industries; other industries include textile, clothing, and light engineering. Industry's share of GDP rose from 6% in 1982 to 15% in 1989.
Political and economic instability in South Africa raises uncertainty for
Lesotho's economy, especially with respect to migrant worker remittances - typically about 40% of GDP.

GDP: exchange rate conversion - $420 million, per capita $240; real growth rate 4.0% (1990 est.)

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for 18% of GDP and employs 60-70% of all households; exceedingly primitive, mostly subsistence farming and livestock; principal crops are corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley

Industries: food, beverages, textiles, handicrafts, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:

growth rate 7.8% (1989 est.); accounts for 15% of
GDP

Labor force: 689,000 economically active; 86.2% of resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture; roughly 60% of active male labor force works in South Africa
Organized labor: there are two trade union federations; the government favors formation of a single, umbrella trade union confederation

Labor force