Statistical information Lesotho 1997
Lesotho in the World
Lesotho - Introduction 1997
top of pageBackground: 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.
Lesotho - Geography 1997
top of pageLocation: Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa
Geographic coordinates: 29 30 S, 28 30 E
Map reference: Africa
Area
Total: 30,350 km²
Land: 30,350 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries
Total: 909 km
Border countries: (1) South Africa 909 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers
Terrain: mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains
Elevation
Extremes lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m
Extremes highest point: Mount Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m
Natural resources: water, agricultural and grazing land, some diamonds and other minerals
Land use
Land use
Arable land: 11%
Permanent crops: NA%
Permanent pastures: 66%
Forests and woodland: NA%
Other: 23% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 30 km² (1993 est.)
Major rivers
Major watersheds area km²
Total water withdrawal
Total renewable water resources
Natural hazards: periodic droughts
Geography
Note: landlocked; surrounded by South Africa
Lesotho - People 1997
top of pagePopulation: 2,007,814 (July 1997 est.)
Growth rate: 1.83% (1997 est.)
Nationality
Noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)
Adjective: Basotho
Ethnic groups: Sotho 99.7%, Europeans 1,600, Asians 800
Languages: Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa
Religions: Christian 80%, rest indigenous beliefs
Demographic profile
Age structure
Age structure
0-14 years: 41% (male 408,723; female 406,849)
15-64 years: 55% (male 533,327; female 566,684)
65 years and over: 4% (male 37,990; female 54,241) (July 1997 est.)
Dependency ratios
Median age
Population growth rate: 1.83% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 32.19 births/1000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 13.92 deaths/1000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (1997 est.)
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; Highlands Water Project will control, store, and redirect water to South Africa
Air pollutants
Sex ratio
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: 0.7 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Mothers mean age at first birth
Maternal mortality ratio
Infant mortality rate: 80.3 deaths/1000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 51.66 years
Male: 49.48 years
Female: 53.91 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.22 children born/woman (1997 est.)
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
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 71.3%
Male: 81.1%
Female: 62.3% (1995 est.)
School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Youth unemployment
Lesotho - Government 1997
top of pageCountry name
Conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho
Conventional short form: Lesotho
Former: Basutoland
Government type: modified 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)
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
International law organization participation
Citizenship
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal
Executive branch
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 Ntsu MOKHEHLE (since 2 April 1993)
Cabinet: Cabinet
Elections: none; the king is a hereditary monarch, but, under the terms of the constitution which came into effect after the March 1993 election, he has no executive or legislative powers; moreover, under traditional law the king can be elected or deposed by a majority vote of the College of Chiefs; following legislative elections, the leader of the party that wins the most seats usually becomes prime minister
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 (65 seats; members elected for a five-year term by popular vote)
Elections: last held 27 March 1993 (next to be held by March 1998)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - BCP 65
Judicial branch: High Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrate's Court; customary or traditional court
Political parties and leaders
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFCTU, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Eunice M. BULANE
In the us chancery: 2,511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 797-5,533 through 5,536
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 234-6,815
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Bismarck MYRICK
From the us embassy: 254 Kingsway, Maseru West (Consular Section)
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho
From the us telephone: [266] 312,666
From the us FAX: [266] 310,116
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 1997
top of pageEconomy 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 miners employed in South Africa. The number of such mine workers has declined steadily over the past five years; in 1996 their remittances added about 33% to GDP compared with the addition of roughly 67% in 1990. The great majority of households gain their livelihoods from subsistence farming and migrant labor; a large portion of the adult male work force is employed in South African mines. Manufacturing depends largely on farm products which support the milling, canning, leather, and jute industries. Although drought has decreased agricultural activity over the past few years, completion of a major hydropower facility will permit the sale of water to South Africa and will support the economy's continued expansion. The pace of the privatization of state-owned firms increased toward the end of 1994.
Real gdp purchasing power parity
Real gdp growth rate: 10% (1996 est.)
Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,860 (1996 est.)
Gross national saving
Gdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end use
Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 14%
Industry: 46%
Services: 40% (1994 est.)
Agriculture products: corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock
Industries: food, beverages, textiles, handicrafts; construction; tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 12.5% (1994 est.)
Labor force
Total: 689,000 economically active
By occupation: 86% of resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture; roughly 35% of the active male wage earners work in South Africa
Labor force
Unemployment rate: substantial unemployment and underemployment effecting more than half of the labor force (1996 est.)
Youth unemployment
Population below poverty line
Gini index
Household income or consumption by percentage share
Distribution of family income gini index
Budget
Revenues: $445 million
Expenditures: $400 million, including capital expenditures of $128 million (FY94/95 est.)
Taxes and other revenues
Public debt
Revenue
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Inflation rate consumer prices
Central bank discount rate
Commercial bank prime lending rate
Stock of narrow money
Stock of broad money
Stock of domestic credit
Market value of publicly traded shares
Current account balance
Exports
Total value: $218 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
Commodities: clothing, furniture, footwear, machinery and equipment, wool (1993)
Partners: South African Customs Union 46%, North America 34%, EU 18% (1993)
Imports
Total value: $1.1 billion (c.i.f., 1996 est.)
Commodities: corn, clothing, building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products (1993)
Partners: South African Customs Union 83%, Asia 12%, EU 3% (1993)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
Debt external: $512 million (1993)
Stock of direct foreign investment at home
Stock of direct foreign investment abroad
Exchange rates: maloti (M) per US$1 - 4.6410 (January 1997), 4.2706 (1996), 3.6266 (1995), 3.5490 (1994), 3.2636 (1993), 2.8497 (1992; note - the Basotho loti is at par with the South African rand
Lesotho - Energy 1997
top of pageElectricity
Capacity: 13,400 kW (1993)
Capacity note: 98% of electricity supplied by South Africa
Production: NA kWh
Production note: 98% of electricity supplied by South Africa
Consumption per capita: NA kWh
Coal
Petroleum
Crude oil
Refined petroleum
Natural gas
Carbon dioxide emissions
Energy consumption per capita
Lesotho - Communication 1997
top of pageTelephones: 12,000 (1991 est.)
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)
Broadcast media
Internet
Broadband fixed subscriptions
Lesotho - Military 1997
top of pageMilitary expenditures
Dollar figure: $NA
Percent of gdp: NA%
Military and security forces
Military service age and obligation
Space program
Terrorist groups
Lesotho - Transportation 1997
top of pageNational air transport system
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
Airports: 29 (1996 est.)
With paved runways total: 25
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 23 (1996 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 4
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 4 (1996 est.)
Heliports
Pipelines
Railways
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)
Roadways
Waterways
Merchant marine
Ports and terminals
Lesotho - Transnational issues 1997
top of pageDisputes international: none
Refugees and internally displaced persons
Illicit drugs
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