234 lines
19 KiB
Plaintext
234 lines
19 KiB
Plaintext
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LESOTHO
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 30,350 km2; land area: 30,350 km2
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Comparative area: slightly larger than Maryland
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Land boundary: 909 km with South Africa
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Coastline: none--landlocked
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Maritime claims: none--landlocked
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Climate: temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers
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Terrain: mostly highland with some plateaus, hills, and mountains
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Natural resources: some diamonds and other minerals, water,
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agricultural and grazing land
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Land use: arable land 10%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and
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pastures 66%; forest and woodland 0%; other 24%
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Environment: population pressure forcing settlement in marginal
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areas results in overgrazing, severe soil erosion, soil exhaustion;
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desertification
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Note: landlocked; surrounded by South Africa; Highlands Water
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Project will control, store, and redirect water to South Africa
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PEOPLE
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Population: 1,801,174 (July 1991), growth rate 2.6% (1991)
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Birth rate: 36 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 78 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 59 years male, 63 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 4.8 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Mosotho (sing.), Basotho (pl.);
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adjective--Basotho
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Ethnic divisions: Sotho 99.7%; Europeans 1,600, Asians 800
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Religion: Christian 80%, rest indigenous beliefs
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Language: Sesotho (southern Sotho) and English (official); also
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Zulu and Xhosa
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Literacy: 59% (male 44%, female 68%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1966)
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Labor force: 689,000 economically active; 86.2% of resident
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population engaged in subsistence agriculture; roughly 60% of active
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male labor force works in South Africa
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Organized labor: there are two trade union federations; the
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government favors formation of a single, umbrella trade union
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confederation
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Kingdom of Lesotho
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Type: constitutional monarchy
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Capital: Maseru
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Administrative divisions: 10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe,
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Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohales Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qachas Nek, Quthing,
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Thaba-Tseka
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Independence: 4 October 1966 (from UK; formerly Basutoland)
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Constitution: 4 October 1966, suspended January 1970
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Legal system: based on English common law and Roman-Dutch law;
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judicial review of legislative acts in High Court and Court of Appeal;
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has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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National holiday: Independence Day, 4 October (1966)
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Executive branch: monarch, chairman of the Military Council,
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Military Council, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
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Legislative branch: none--the bicameral Parliament was dissolved
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following the military coup in January 1986; note--a National Constituent
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Assembly convened in June 1990 to rewrite the constitution and debate
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issues of national importance, but it has no legislative authority
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Judicial branch: High Court, Court of Appeal
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Leaders:
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Chief of State--King LETSIE III (since 12 November 1990 following
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dismissal of his father, exiled King MOSHOESHOE II, by Maj. Gen.
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LEKHANYA);
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Head of Government--Chairman of the Military Council Col.
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Elias Phisoana RAMAEMA (since 30 April 1991)
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Political parties and leaders:
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Basotho National Party (BNP), Matete MAJARA (interim leader);
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Basutoland Congress Party (BCP), Ntsu MOKHEHLE;
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National Independent Party (NIP), A. C. MANYELI;
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Marematlou Freedom Party (MFP), S. H. MAPHELEBA;
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United Democratic Party, Charles MOFELI;
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Communist Party of Lesotho (CPL), Jacob KENYA
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Suffrage: universal at age 21
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Elections:
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National Assembly--dissolved following the military coup in
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January 1986; military has pledged elections will take place in June 1992
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Communists: small Lesotho Communist Party
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Member of: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO,
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ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS,
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NAM, OAU, SACU, SADCC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL,
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WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador W. T. VAN TONDER; Chancery at
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2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202)
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797-5 534;
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US--Ambassador Leonard H.O. SPEARMAN, Jr.; Embassy at address NA,
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Maseru (mailing address is P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100); telephone 266
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312666
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Flag: divided diagonally from the lower hoist side corner; the
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upper half is white bearing the brown silhouette of a large shield with
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crossed spear and club; the lower half is a diagonal blue band with a
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green triangle in the corner
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ECONOMY
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Overview: Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho has no
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important natural resources other than water. Its economy is based on
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agriculture, light manufacturing, and remittances from laborers employed
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in South Africa ($153 million in 1989). The great majority of households
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gain their livelihoods from subsistence farming and migrant labor.
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Manufacturing depends largely on farm products to support the milling,
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canning, leather, and jute industries; other industries include textile,
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clothing, and light engineering. Industry's share of GDP rose from
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6% in 1982 to 15% in 1989. Political and economic instability in South
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Africa raise uncertainties for Lesotho's economy, especially with respect
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to migrant worker remittances--over one-third of GDP.
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GDP: $420 million, per capita $240; real growth rate 4.0% (1990
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est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 15% (1990 est.)
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Unemployment rate: 23% (1988)
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Budget: revenues $280 million; expenditures $288 million, including
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capital expenditures of $NA (FY92 est.)
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Exports: $66 million (f.o.b., 1989);
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commodities--wool, mohair, wheat, cattle, peas, beans, corn, hides,
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skins, baskets;
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partners--South Africa 53%, EC 30%, North and South America 13%
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(1989)
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Imports: $499 million (f.o.b., 1989);
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commodities--mainly corn, building materials, clothing, vehicles,
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machinery, medicines, petroleum, oil, and lubricants;
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partners--South Africa 95%, EC 2% (1989)
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External debt: $370 million (December 1990 est.)
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Industrial production: growth rate 7.8% (1989 est.); accounts
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for 15% of GDP
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Electricity: power supplied by South Africa
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Industries: food, beverages, textiles, handicrafts, tourism
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Agriculture: accounts for 18% of GDP and employs 60-70% of
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all households; exceedingly primitive, mostly subsistence farming and
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livestock; principal crops are corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley
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Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $268
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million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
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(1970-88), $754 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $4 million;
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Communist countries (1970-89), $14 million
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Currency: loti (plural--maloti); 1 loti (L) = 100 lisente
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Exchange rates: maloti (M) per US$1--2.5625 (January 1991),
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2.5863 (1990), 2.6166 (1989), 2.2611 (1988), 2.0350 (1987), 2.2685
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(1986), 2.1911 (1985); note--the Basotho loti is at par with the South
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African rand
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Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Railroads: 1.6 km; owned, operated, and included in the statistics
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of South Africa
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Highways: 5,167 km total; 508 km paved; 1,585 km crushed stone,
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gravel, or stabilized soil; 946 km improved earth, 2,128 km unimproved
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earth
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Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 28 total, 28 usable; 3 with permanent surface runways;
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none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
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2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: rudimentary system consisting of a few land
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lines, a small radio relay system, and minor radiocommunication stations;
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5,920 telephones; stations--2 AM, 2 FM, 1 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT
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earth station
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Royal Lesotho Defense Force (RLDF; includes Army, Air
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Wing), Royal Lesotho Mounted Police
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 394,829; 212,967 fit for
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military service
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Defense expenditures: $55 million, 8.6% of GDP (1990 est.)
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