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Small Business (BC),
Vancouver, Canada |
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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. |
|
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: |
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 for
five-year terms)
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] |
|
Political pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
|
International organization participation: |
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77,
IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC,
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
chancery: 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 797-5533 through 5536
FAX: [1]
(202) 234-6815 |
|
Diplomatic representation from the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Robert NOLAN
embassy: 254 Kingsway, Maseru West
(Consular Section)
mailing address: P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100,
Lesotho
telephone: [266] 22 312666
FAX: [266] 22
310116 |
|
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. |
|
GDP (purchasing power parity): |
$3.088 billion (2007 est.)
|
|
GDP (official exchange rate): |
$1.588 billion (2007 est.)
|
|
GDP - real growth rate: |
4.8% (2007 est.) |
|
GDP - per capita (PPP): |
$1,500 (2007 est.) |
|
GDP - composition by sector: |
agriculture: 15.2%
industry: 45%
services: 39.7% (2007 est.) |
|
Labor force: |
838,000 (2000 est.) |
|
Labor force - by occupation: |
agriculture: 86% of
resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture, roughly 35% of the
active male wage earners work in South Africa
industry and
services: 14% (2002 est.) |
|
Unemployment rate: |
45% (2002) |
|
Population below poverty line: |
49% (1999) |
|
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) |
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices): |
12% (2007 est.) |
|
Investment (gross fixed): |
48.5% of GDP (2007 est.) |
|
Budget: |
revenues: $951.4 million
expenditures: $855.4 million (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.) |
|
Electricity - production: |
350 million kWh, note -
electricity supplied by South Africa (2005) |
|
Electricity - consumption: |
338.5 million kWh (2005) |
|
Electricity - exports: |
0 kWh (2005) |
|
Electricity - imports: |
13 million kWh, note -
electricity supplied by South Africa (2005) |
|
Oil - production: |
0 bbl/day (2005 est.) |
|
Oil - consumption: |
1,400 bbl/day (2005) |
|
Oil - exports: |
0 bbl/day (2004) |
|
Oil - imports: |
1,400 bbl/day (2004) |
|
Oil - proved reserves: |
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - production: |
0 cu m (2005 est.) |
|
Natural gas - consumption: |
0 cu m (2005 est.) |
|
Natural gas - exports: |
0 cu m (2005 est.) |
|
Natural gas - imports: |
0 cu m (2005) |
|
Natural gas - proved reserves: |
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
|
|
Current account balance: |
-$28 million (2007 est.) |
|
Exports: |
$905 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)
|
|
Exports - commodities: |
manufactures 75% (clothing,
footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (2000)
|
|
Exports - partners: |
US 81.9%, Belgium 15%, Canada
1.9% (2006) |
|
Imports: |
$1.584 billion f.o.b. (2007
est.) |
|
Imports - commodities: |
food, building materials,
vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products |
|
Imports - partners: |
Hong Kong 33.4%, China 31.2%,
Germany 7.7%, India 7.3% (2006) |
|
Economic aid - recipient: |
$68.82 million (2005) |
|
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: |
$889 million (31 December 2007
est.) |
|
Debt - external: |
$693 million (31 December 2007
est.) |
|
Currency (code): |
loti (LSL), South African rand
(ZAR) |
|
Currency code: |
LSL, ZAR |
|
Exchange rates: |
maloti per US dollar - 7.25
(2007), 6.85 (2006), 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003) |
|
Fiscal year: |
1 April - 31 March
|
|
Telephones - main lines in use: |
48,000 (2005) |
|
Telephones - mobile cellular: |
249,800 (2005) |
|
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 15 per 100 persons, rural services are scant
international: country code - 266, satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
|
Radio broadcast stations: |
AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)
|
|
Radios: |
NA (2002) |
|
Television broadcast stations: |
1 (2000) |
|
Televisions: |
NA |
|
Internet country code: |
.ls |
|
Internet hosts: |
66 (2007) |
|
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): |
1 (2000) |
|
Internet users: |
51,500 (2005) |
|
Airports: |
28 (2007) |
|
Airports - with paved runways: |
total: 3
over
3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1
(2007) |
|
Airports - with unpaved runways: |
total: 25
914 to
1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 21 (2007) |
|
Roadways: |
total: 5,940 km
paved: 1,087 km
unpaved: 4,853 km (1999)
|
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Disputes - international: |
none |
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