Background: 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.

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

Land boundaries: Total 909 km, 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:

Land use
Arable land: 10%
Permanent crops: 0%
Permanent pastures: 66%
Forests and woodland: 0%
Other: 24%

Irrigated land: NA

Population:
Growth rate:

Nationality
Noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)
Adjective: Basotho

Ethnic groups:

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

Religions:

Population growth rate:

Birth rate:

Death rate:

Net migration rate:

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
Current issues Natural hazards: periodic droughts
International agreements: party to_Biodiversity, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified_Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping
International agreements note: Landlocked; surrounded by South Africa

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
All ages:

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 52.08 years (1996 est.), 62.56 years (1995 est.)
Male: 50.08 years (1996 est.), 60.74 years (1995 est.)
Female: 54.14 years (1996 est.), 64.43 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate:

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over that can read and write (1995 est.)
Total population: 71.3%
Male: 81.1%
Female: 62.3%

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

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

Independence: 4 October 1966 (from U.K.)

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

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state:King LETSIE III (since 7 February 1996); the king is the former Crown Prince David Monato BERENG Seeiso and succeeded his father King MOSHOESHOE II, who died in an automobile accident on 16 January 1996; King LETSIE III formerly occupied the throne (November 1990 to February 1995) while his father was in exile
Note: 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
Head of government: Prime Minister Ntsu MOKHEHLE (since 2 April 1993)
Cabinet: Cabinet

Legislative branch: Bicameral Parliament Senate:Consists of 33 members (the 22 principal chiefs and 11 other members appointed by the ruling party) Assembly:Members elected by popular vote; election last held NA March 1993 (next to be held NA; results_percent of vote by party NA; seats (65 total) BCP 65

Judicial branch: High Court, Court of Appeal, Magistrate's Court, customary or traditional court

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, 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

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

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 (these remittances supplement domestic income by as much as 45%). 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, improvement of a major hydropower facility will permit the sale of water to South Africa and will support the economy's continued expansion.

Real gdp growth rate: 13.5% (1994 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity_ $1,430 (1994 est.)

Agriculture products: Accounts for 10.4% of GDP (1993 est.), exceedingly primitive, mostly subsistence farming and livestock; principal crops corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley

Industries:

Industrial production growth rate: Growth rate 12.5% (1994 est.), 10%; accounts for 48.8% of GDP (1993 est.) Power supplied by South Africa

Labor force: 689,000 economically active
By occupation: 86.2% of resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture; roughly 60% of the active male wage earners work in South Africa

Unemployment rate: Substantial unemployment and underemployment

Budget
Revenues: $445 million (FY94/95), $438 million (FY93/94)
Expenditures: $400 million, including capital expenditures of $128 million (FY94/95 est.), $430 million, including capital expenditures of $155 million (FY93/94 est.)

Fiscal year: 1 April_31 March

Exports:
Commodities:
Partners:

Debt external: $512 million (1993)

Exchange rates: Maloti (M) per US$1_3.6417 (January 1996), 3.6266 (1995), 3.5490 (1994), 3.2636 (1993), 2.8497 (1992), 2.7563 (1991), 2.5863 (1990; note_the Basotho loti is at par with the South African rand

Telephone system: 12,000 telephones (1991 est.); rudimentary system
Local: NA
Intercity: consists of a few land lines, a small microwave radio relay system, and a minor radio communication system
International: 1 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth station

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $25 million, NA of GDP (1994)

Airports: 29
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 4
With paved runways under 914 m: 23