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