Background: Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence from the UK in 1966. The Basuto National Party ruled for the first two decades. King MOSHOESHOE was exiled in 1990 but returned to Lesotho in 1992 and was reinstated in 1995. 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 Botswanan 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 continue to periodically demonstrate their distrust of the results.

Geographic coordinates: 29 30 S 28 30 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 30,355 km²
Land: 30,355 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: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m

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

Land use
Arable land: 10.87%
Permanent crops: 0.13%
Other: 89% (2005)

Irrigated land: 30 km² (2003)

Total renewable water resources: 5.2 km³ (1987)

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

Population
Note: 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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)
Growth rate: 0.129% (2008 est.)

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

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

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

Religions: Christian 80% indigenous beliefs 20%

Age structure
0-14 years: 35.3% (male 377,784/female 372,840)
15-64 years: 59.8% (male 621,687/female 649,981)
65 years and over: 5% (male 42,348/female 63,540) (2008 est.)

Median age
Total: 21.2 years
Male: 20.6 years
Female: 21.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.129% (2008 est.)

Birth rate: 24.41 births/1000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 22.33 deaths/1000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.78 migrant(s)/1000 population (2008 est.)

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 party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.01 male/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male/female
Total population: 0.96 male/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 78.59 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 83.01 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 74.03 deaths/1000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 40.17 years
Male: 40.97 years
Female: 39.34 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.13 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 28.9% (2003 est.)
People living with hivaids: 320,000 (2003 est.)
Deaths: 29,000 (2003 est.)

Education expenditures: 13% of GDP (2006)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 84.8%
Male: 74.5%
Female: 94.5% (2003 est.)

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

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

Government type: parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Capital
Name: Maseru
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

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; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: King LETSIE III (since 7 February 1996); note - King LETSIE III formerly occupied the throne from November 1990 to February 1995 while his father was in exile
Head of government: Prime Minister Pakalitha MOSISILI (since 23 May 1998)
Cabinet: Cabinet
Elections: according to the constitution, the leader of the majority party in the Assembly automatically becomes prime minister; the monarch 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
Elections: last held 17 February 2007 (next to be held in 2012)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - LCD 61, NIP 21, ABC 17, LWP 10, ACP 4, BNP 3, other 4

Judicial branch: High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch acting on the advice of the Prime Minister); Court of Appeal; Magistrate Courts; customary or traditional court

Political parties and leaders: Alliance of Congress Parties or ACP; All Basotho Convention or ABC [Thomas THABANE]; Basotholand African Congress or BAC [Khauhelo RALITAPOLE]; Basotho Congress Party or BCP [Ntsukunyane MPHANYA]; Basotho National Party or BNP [Maj. Gen. Justin Metsing LEKHANYA]; Kopanang Basotho Party or KPB [Pheelo MOSALA]; Lesotho Congress for Democracy or LCD (the governing party) [Pakalitha MOSISILI]; Lesotho Education Party or LEP [Thabo PITSO]; Lesotho Workers Party or LWP [Macaefa BILLY]; Marematlou Freedom Party or MFP [Vincent MALEBO]; National Independent Party or NIP [Anthony MANYELI]; New Lesotho Freedom Party or NLFP [Manapo MAJARA]; Popular Front for Democracy or PFD [Lekhetho RAKUOANE]; Sefate Democratic Union or SDU [Bofihla NKUEBE]; Social Democratic Party of SDP [Masitise SELESO]

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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Mabasia MOHOBANE
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 Robert NOLAN
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] 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

Economy overview: Small landlocked and mountainous Lesotho relies on remittances from miners employed in South Africa and customs duties from the Southern Africa Customs Union for the majority of government revenue. However the government has recently strengthened its tax system to reduce dependency on customs duties. Completion of a major hydropower facility in January 1998 permitted the sale of water to South Africa and generated royalties for Lesotho. Lesotho produces about 90% of its own electrical power needs. As the number of mineworkers has declined steadily over the past several years a small manufacturing base has developed based on farm products that support the milling canning leather and jute industries as well as a rapidly expanding apparel-assembly sector. The latter has grown significantly mainly due to Lesotho qualifying for the trade benefits contained in the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act. The economy is still primarily based on subsistence agriculture especially livestock although drought has decreased agricultural activity. The extreme inequality in the distribution of income remains a major drawback. Lesotho has signed an Interim Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility with the IMF. In July 2007 Lesotho signed a Millennium Challenge Account Compact with the US worth $362.5 million.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $3.063 billion (2007 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 4.8% (2007 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $1400 (2007 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 15.2%
Industry: 45%
Services: 39.7% (2007 est.)

Agriculture products: corn wheat pulses sorghum barley; livestock

Industries: food beverages textiles apparel assembly handicrafts construction tourism

Industrial production growth rate: 12% (2007 est.)

Labor force: 838,000 (2000 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 86% of resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture; roughly 35% of the active male wage earners work in South Africa
By occupation industry and services: 14% (2002 est.)

Unemployment rate: 45% (2002)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 0.9%
Highest 10: 43.4% (2002 est.)

Distribution of family income gini index: 63.2 (1995)

Budget
Revenues: $779.9 million
Expenditures: $696.9 million (2007 est.)

Inflation rate consumer prices: 8% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate: 12.82% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 14.13% (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit: NA (31 December 2007)

Current account balance: $49 million (2007 est.)

Exports: $853 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Commodities: manufactures 75% (clothing footwear road vehicles) wool and mohair food and live animals (2000)
Partners: US 71.5% Belgium 25.6% Canada 1.2% (2007)

Imports: $1.536 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Commodities: food; building materials vehicles machinery medicines petroleum products
Partners: China 30% Hong Kong 29.6% India 10% South Korea 6.6% Germany 6.4% Pakistan 4.6% (2007)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $852 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt external: $689 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Exchange rates: maloti (LSL) per US dollar - 7.25 (2007) 6.85 (2006) 6.3593 (2005) 6.4597 (2004) 7.5648 (2003)

Electricity
Production: 200 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2006 est.)
Consumption: 226 million kWh (2006 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2007 est.)
Imports: 50 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2007 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Consumption: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2006 est.)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 53,100 (2006)
Mobile cellular: 456,000 (2007)

Telephone system
General assessment: rudimentary system consisting of a modest but growing number of landlines, a small microwave radio relay system, and a small radiotelephone communication system; mobile-cellular telephone system is expanding
Domestic: privatized in 2001, Telecom Lesotho tasked with providing an additional 50,000 fixed-line connections within five years, a target not met; mobile-cellular service is expanding with a subscribership approaching 25 per 100 persons; rural services are scant
International: country code - 266; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Internet
Country code: .ls
Hosts: 83 (2008)
Users: 70,000 (2007)

Military expenditures: 2.6% of GDP (2006)

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)

Airports: 28 (2007)
With paved runways total: 3
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2007)
With unpaved runways total: 25
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 4
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 21 (2007)

Roadways
Total: 7,091 km
Paved: 1,404 km
Unpaved: 5,687 km (2003)

Disputes international: none