Map of Lesotho | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence from the UK in 1966. The Basuto National Party ruled the country during its first two decades. King MOSHOESHOE was exiled in 1990 but returned to Lesotho in 1992 and was reinstated in 1995 and subsequently succeeded by his son King LETSIE III in 1996. 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 Batswana 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 disputed how the electoral law was applied to award proportional seats in the Assembly. In May 2012 competitive elections involving 18 parties saw Prime Minister Motsoahae Thomas THABANE form a coalition government - the first in the country's history - that ousted the 14-year incumbent Pakalitha MOSISILI who peacefully transferred power the following month.


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Location: Southern Africa an enclave of South Africa

Geographic coordinates: 29 30 S 28 30 E

Map reference

Area
Rank: 142
Land: 30,355 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries
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 highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m

Natural resources: water agricultural and grazing land diamonds sand clay building stone

Land use
Permanent crops: 0.13%
Other: 89.72% (2011)

Irrigated land: 26.37 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 3.02 km³ (2011)

Natural hazards: periodic droughts

Geography
Note: landlocked completely surrounded by South Africa; mountainous more than 80% of the country is 1800 m above sea level


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Population: 1,936,181 (July 2013 est.)
Rank: 149
Growth rate: 0.34% (2013 est.)
Growth rate rank: 164
Below poverty line: 49% (1999)

Nationality
Adjective: Basotho

Ethnic groups: Sotho 99.7% Europeans Asians and other 0.3%

Languages: Sesotho (official) (southern Sotho) English (official) Zulu Xhosa

Religions: Christian 80% indigenous beliefs 20%

Demographic profile

Age structure
15-24 years: 20.2% (male 185,931/female 205,643)
25-54 years: 36.3% (male 344,120/female 359,370)
55-64 years: 4.9% (male 50,781/female 44,399)
65 years and over: 5.4% (male 52,241/female 51,889) (2013 est.)

Dependency ratios
Youth dependency ratio: 61.2 %
Elderly dependency ratio: 7.1 %
Potential support ratio: 14.1 (2013)

Median age
Male: 23.3 years
Female: 23.4 years (2013 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.34% (2013 est.)
Rank: 164

Birth rate: 26.31 births/1000 population (2013 est.)
Rank: 51

Death rate: 15.02 deaths/1000 population (2013 est.)
Rank: 3

Net migration rate: -7.89 migrant(s)/1000 population (2013 est.)
Rank: 203

Population distribution

Urbanization
Rate of urbanization: 3.57% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: MASERU (capital) 220,000 (2009)

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
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 0.9 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 1.14 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.99 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2013 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 21.2

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 38
Male: 55.96 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 47.78 deaths/1000 live births (2013 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 212
Male: 52.2 years
Female: 52.39 years (2013 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.83 children born/woman (2013 est.)
Rank: 69

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 47% (2009/10)

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 0.05 physicians/1000 population (2003)

Hospital bed density: 1.3 beds/1000 population (2006)

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 23.6% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 3
People living with hivaids: 290,000 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 20
Deaths: 14,000 (2009 est.)
Deaths rank: 22

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 14.6% (2008)
Rank: 120

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 13.5% (2010)
Rank: 56

Education expenditures: 13% of GDP (2008)
Rank: 1

Literacy
Total population: 89.6%
Male: 83.3%
Female: 95.6% (2010 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Male: 10 years
Female: 10 years (2006)

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional short form: Lesotho
Local long form: Kingdom of Lesotho
Local short form: Lesotho
Former: Basutoland

Government type: parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Capital
Geographic coordinates: 29 19 S 27 29 E
Time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time)

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 the UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 4 October (1966)

Constitution: previous 1959 1967; latest adopted 2 April 1993 (effectively restoring the 1967 version); amended 2001 (2013)

Legal system: mixed legal system of English common law and Roman-Dutch law; judicial review of legislative acts in High Court and Court of Appeal

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Head of government: Prime Minister Motsoahae Thomas THABANE (since 8 June 2012)
Cabinet: Cabinet
Elections: according to the constitution the leader of the majority party or coalition of parties in the Assembly automatically becomes prime minister; the monarchy is hereditary but under the terms of the constitution that 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 depose the monarch determine who is next in the line of succession or who shall serve as regent in the event that the successor is not of mature age

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 (120 seats 80 by popular vote and 40 by proportional vote; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
Elections: last held on 26 May 2012 (next to be held in 2017)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - DC 48 ABC 30 LCD 26 BNP 5 PFD 3 NIP 2 other 6

Judicial branch
Judge selection and term of office: Court of Appeal president and High Court chief justice appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister; puisne judges appointed by the monarch on advice of the Judicial Service Commission an independent body of judicial officers and officials designated by the monarch; judges of both courts can serve until age 75
Subordinate courts: Magistrate Courts; customary or traditional courts; Courts Martial

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: ACP AfDB AU C CD FAO G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO (correspondent) ITU MIGA NAM OPCW SACU SADC UN UNAMID UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chancery: 2,511 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 797-5,533
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 234-6,815
From the us embassy: 254 Kingsway Road Maseru West (Consular Section)
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 333 Maseru 100 Lesotho
From the us telephone: [266] 22 312,666
From the us FAX: [266] 22 310,116

Flag description: three horizontal stripes of blue (top) white and green in the proportions of 3:4:3; the colors represent rain peace and prosperity respectively; centered in the white stripe is a black Basotho hat representing the indigenous people; the flag was unfurled in October 2006 to celebrate 40 years of independence

National symbols: Basotho hat

National anthem
Lyrics and music: Francois COILLARD/Ferdinand-Samuel LAUR

National heritage


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Economy overview: Small mountainous and completely landlocked by South Africa Lesotho is a least developed country in which about three-fourths of the people live in rural areas and engage in subsistence agriculture. Lesotho produces less than 20% of the nation's demand for food. Rain-fed agriculture is vulnerable to weather and climate variability; an estimated 725,500 people will require food assistance in 2012/13. The distribution of income in Lesotho remains inequitable. Lesotho relies on South Africa for much of its economic activity. Lesotho imports 90% of the goods it consumes from South Africa including most agricultural inputs. Households depend heavily on remittances from family members working in South Africa in mines on farms and as domestic workers though mining employment has declined substantially since the 1990s. Government revenue depends heavily on transfers from South Africa. Customs duties from the Southern Africa Customs Union accounted for 44% of government revenue in 2012. The South African Government also pays royalties for water transferred to South Africa from a dam and reservoir system in Lesotho. However the government continues to strengthen its tax system to reduce dependency on customs duties and other transfers. Access to credit remains a problem for the private sector. The government maintains a large presence in the economy - public expenditures accounted for 55% of GDP in 2010 and the government remains Lesotho's largest employer. Lesotho's largest private employer is the textile and garment industry - approximately 36,000 Basotho mainly women work in factories producing garments for export to South Africa and the US. Diamond mining in Lesotho has grown in recent years and may contribute 8.5% to GDP by 2015 according to current forecasts. Lesotho's $362.5 million Millennium Challenge Account Compact which focused on strengthening the healthcare system developing the private sector and providing access to improved water supplies and sanitation facilities will end in September 2013. Despite the 2008/09 global economic crisis the economy has recovered strongly with growth averaging nearly 5% per year since 2010.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 176

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 78

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 191

Gross national saving:
Rank: 136

Gdp composition by end use
Government consumption: 38.1%
Investment in fixed capital: 31.8%
Investment in inventories: 0.8%
Exports of goods and services: 46.5%
Imports of goods and services: -108.1%: (2012 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Industry: 34.6%
Services: 58% (2012 est.)

Agriculture products: corn wheat pulses sorghum barley; livestock

Industries: food beverages textiles apparel assembly handicrafts construction tourism

Industrial production growth rate: 9.3% (2012 est.)
Rank: 19

Labor force: 855,600 (2012 est.)
Rank: 149
By occupation industry and services: 14%

Unemployment rate: 45% (2002 est.)
Rank: 173

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 49% (1999)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Highest 10: 39.4% (2003)

Distribution of family income gini index: 56 (1986-87)
Rank: 1

Budget
Expenditures: $1.536 billion (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit: 5% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 12

Taxes and other revenues: 68.3% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 3

Public debt: NA

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices: 5% (2011 est.)
Rank: 163

Central bank discount rate: 10% (31 December 2010 est.)
Rank: 24

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 10.43% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 85

Stock of narrow money: $346.5 million (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 162

Stock of broad money: $820.4 million (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 171

Stock of domestic credit: $15,600 (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 180

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance: $-460.4 million (2011 est.)
Rank: 107

Exports: $1.175 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 158
Commodities: manufactures (clothing footwear) wool and mohair food and live animals electricity water diamonds

Imports: $2.155 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 159
Commodities: food; building materials vehicles machinery medicines petroleum products

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $832.6 million (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 142

Debt external: $791.9 million (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 166

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $200.3 million (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 103

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 200 million kWh (2010 est.)
Production rank: 183
Consumption: 307 million kWh (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 174
Exports: 0 kWh (2012 est.)
Exports rank: 95
Imports: 247 million kWh (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 83
Installed generating capacity: 76,000 kW (2010 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 178
Generation sources fossil fuels: 0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 209
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 126
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 100% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 1
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 194

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 186
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 145
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 210
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2013 es)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 154

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products production rank: 197
Products consumption: 1777 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 191
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products exports rank: 191
Products imports: 3,711 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products imports rank: 164

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Production rank: 156
Consumption: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 164
Exports: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 136
Imports: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 88
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2013 es)
Proven reserves rank: 161

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 445,600 Mt (2011 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 181

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 43,100 (2012)
Main lines in use rank: 168
Mobile cellular: 1.312 million (2012)
Mobile cellular rank: 153

Telephone system
Domestic: privatized in 2001 Telecom Lesotho was tasked with providing an additional 50,000 fixed-line connections within five years a target not met; mobile-cellular service dominates the market and is expanding with a subscribership roughly 65 per 100 persons in 2011; rural services are scant
International: country code - 266; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2011)

Broadcast media: 1 state-owned TV station and 2 state-owned radio stations; government controls most private broadcast media; satellite TV subscription service available; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters obtainable (2008)

Internet
Country code: .ls
Hosts: 11,030 (2012)
Hosts rank: 131
Users: 76,800 (2009)
Users rank: 168

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 1.9% of GDP (2012)
Rank: 70

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18-24 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; women serve as commissioned officers (2012)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 24 (2013)
Rank: 132
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2013)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 5
With unpaved runways: 16 (2013)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Rank: 150
Paved: 1069 km
Unpaved: 4,871 km (2011)

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: South Africa has placed military units to assist police operations along the border of Lesotho Zimbabwe and Mozambique to control smuggling poaching and illegal migration

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs