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Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence from the UK in 1966. The Basuto National Party ruled the country during its first two decades. King MOSHOESHOE was exiled in 1990, but returned to Lesotho in 1992 and was reinstated in 1995 and subsequently succeeded by his son, King LETSIE III, in 1996. 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 Batswana 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 disputed how the electoral law was applied to award proportional seats in the Assembly. In May 2012, competitive elections involving 18 parties saw Prime Minister Motsoahae Thomas THABANE form a coalition government - the first in the country's history - that ousted the 14-year incumbent, Pakalitha MOSISILI, who peacefully transferred power the following month.
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Geography :: LESOTHO
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Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa
29 30 S, 28 30 E
Africa
total: 30,355 sq km
land: 30,355 sq km
water: 0 sq km
country comparison to the world:
142slightly smaller than Maryland
total: 1,106 km
border countries (1): South Africa 1,106 km
0 km (landlocked)
none (landlocked)
temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers
mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains
lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m
highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m
water, agricultural and grazing land, diamonds, sand, clay, building stone
agricultural land: 76.1%
arable land 10.1%; permanent crops 0.1%; permanent pasture 65.9%
forest: 1.5%
other: 22.4% (2011 est.)
26.37 sq km (2003)
3.02 cu km (2011)
total: 0.04 cu km/yr (46%/46%/9%)
per capita: 21.79 cu m/yr (2000)
periodic droughts
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
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
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 m above sea level
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People and Society :: LESOTHO
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noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)
adjective: Basotho
Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%,
Sesotho (official) (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa
Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%
1,947,701
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 2015 est.)
country comparison to the world:
1500-14 years: 32.67% (male 319,592/female 316,672)
15-24 years: 19.73% (male 182,697/female 201,510)
25-54 years: 37.2% (male 354,193/female 370,287)
55-64 years: 4.98% (male 51,693/female 45,234)
65 years and over: 5.43% (male 53,706/female 52,117) (2015 est.)
population pyramid:
total dependency ratio: 67.3%
youth dependency ratio: 60.3%
elderly dependency ratio: 6.9%
potential support ratio: 14.4% (2015 est.)
total: 23.8 years
male: 23.8 years
female: 23.8 years (2015 est.)
0.32% (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world:
17225.47 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world:
4914.89 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world:
1-7.36 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world:
205urban population: 27.3% of total population (2015)
rate of urbanization: 3.05% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
MASERU (capital) 267,000 (2014)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 1.14 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.03 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2015 est.)
total: 49.03 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 52.82 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 45.13 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world:
37total population: 52.86 years
male: 52.76 years
female: 52.97 years (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world:
2152.72 children born/woman (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world:
6947% (2009/10)
11.5% of GDP (2013)
country comparison to the world:
101.3 beds/1,000 population (2006)
improved:
urban: 94.6% of population
rural: 77% of population
total: 81.8% of population
unimproved:
urban: 5.4% of population
rural: 23% of population
total: 18.2% of population (2015 est.)
improved:
urban: 37.3% of population
rural: 27.6% of population
total: 30.3% of population
unimproved:
urban: 62.7% of population
rural: 72.4% of population
total: 69.7% of population (2015 est.)
23.39% (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world:
3314,600 (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world:
209,300 (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world:
2511.9% (2014)
country comparison to the world:
12013.5% (2010)
country comparison to the world:
5413% of GDP (2008)
country comparison to the world:
1definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 79.4%
male: 70.1%
female: 88.3% (2015 est.)
total: 11 years
male: 11 years
female: 12 years (2012)
total number: 103,020
percentage: 23% (2000 est.)
total: 34.4%
male: 29%
female: 41.9% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world:
18
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Government :: LESOTHO
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conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho
conventional short form: Lesotho
local long form: Kingdom of Lesotho
local short form: Lesotho
former: Basutoland
parliamentary constitutional monarchy
name: Maseru
geographic coordinates: 29 19 S, 27 29 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohale's Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka
4 October 1966 (from the UK)
Independence Day, 4 October (1966)
previous 1959, 1967; latest adopted 2 April 1993 (effectively restoring the 1967 version); amended 2001 (2013)
mixed legal system of 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; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
18 years of age; universal
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 18 March 2015)
cabinet: Cabinet
elections/appointments: the monarchy 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, to determine next in line of succession, or to serve as regent in the event that a successor is not of mature age; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition in the Assembly automatically becomes prime minister
description: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (33 seats; 22 principal chiefs and 11 other senators nominated by the king with the advice of the Council of State, a 13-member body of key government and non-government officials; members serve 5-year terms) and the National Assembly (120 seats; 80 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 40 directly elected in single-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms)
elections: last held on 28 February 2015 (next to be held in 2020)
election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - DC 38.4%, ABC 37.8%, LCD, 9.9%, BNP 5.5%, PFD 1.7%, RCL 1.2%, NIP 1.0%, MFP 0.6%, BCP 0.5%, LPC 0.3%, other 3.1%; seats by party - DC 47, ABC 46, LCD 12, BNP 7, PFD 2, RCL 2, NIP 1, MFP 1, BCP 1, LPC 1
highest court(s): Court of Appeal (consists of the court president, such number of justices of appeal as set by Parliament, and the Chief Justice and the puisne judges of the High Court ex officio); High Court (consists of the chief justice and such number of puisne judges as set by Parliament); note - both the Court of Appeal and the High Court have jurisdiction in constitutional issues
judge selection and term of office: Court of Appeal president and High Court chief justice appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister; puisne judges appointed by the monarch on advice of the Judicial Service Commission, an independent body of judicial officers and officials designated by the monarch; judges of both courts can serve until age 75
subordinate courts: Magistrate Courts; customary or traditional courts; Courts Martial
All Basotho Convention or ABC [Motsoahae Thomas THABANE]
Basotho Congress Party or BCP [Thulo MAHLAKENG]
Basotho National Party or BNP [Thesele MASERIBANE]
Democratic Congress or DC [Pakalitha MOSISILI]
Lesotho Congress for Democracy or LCD [Mothetjoa METSING]
Lesotho Peoples Congress or LPC [Molahlehi LETLOTLO]
Marematlou Freedom Party or MFP [Vincent MALEBO]
National Independent Party or NIP [Kimetso MATHABA]
Popular Front for Democracy of PFD [Lekhetho RAKUOANE]
Reformed Congress of Lesotho or RCL [Keketso RANTSO]
Media Institute of Southern Africa, Lesotho chapter [Tsebo MAT�ASA] (pushes for media freedom)
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, CD, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
chief of mission: Ambassador Eliachim Molapi SEBATANE (since 2 November 2011)
chancery: 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 797-5533
FAX: [1] (202) 234-6815
chief of mission: Ambassador Matthew T. HARRINGTON (since October 2014)
embassy: 254 Kingsway Road, Maseru West (Consular Section)
mailing address: P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho
telephone: [266] 22 312666
FAX: [266] 22 310116
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
mokorotio (Basotho hat); national colors: blue, white, green, black
name: "Lesotho fatse la bo ntat'a rona" (Lesotho, Land of Our Fathers)
lyrics/music: Francois COILLARD/Ferdinand-Samuel LAUR
note: adopted 1967; music derives from an 1823 Swiss songbook
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Economy :: LESOTHO
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Small, mountainous, and completely landlocked by South Africa, Lesotho depends on a narrow economic base of textile manufacturing, agriculture, remittances, and regional customs revenue. About three-fourths of the people live in rural areas and engage in animal herding and subsistence agriculture, although Lesotho produces less than 20% of the nation's demand for food. Rain-fed agriculture is vulnerable to weather and climate variability. Lesotho relies on South Africa for much of its economic activity; Lesotho imports 90% of the goods it consumes from South Africa, including most agricultural inputs. Households depend heavily on remittances from family members working in South Africa, in mines, on farms and as domestic workers, though mining employment has declined substantially since the 1990s. Lesotho is a member of the Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU), and revenues from SACU accounted for roughly 44% of total government revenue in 2014. The South African Government also pays royalties for water transferred to South Africa from a dam and reservoir system in Lesotho. However, the government continues to strengthen its tax system to reduce dependency on customs duties and other transfers. Access to credit remains a problem for the private sector. The government maintains a large presence in the economy - government consumption accounted for 37% of GDP in 2014 and the government remains Lesotho's largest employer. Lesotho's largest private employer is the textile and garment industry - approximately 36,000 Basotho, mainly women, work in factories producing garments for export to South Africa and the US. Diamond mining in Lesotho has grown in recent years and may contribute 8.5% to GDP by 2015, according to current forecasts.
$5.282 billion (2014 est.)
$5.17 billion (2013 est.)
$4.995 billion (2012 est.)
note: data are in 2014 US dollars
country comparison to the world:
173$2.159 billion (2014 est.)
2.2% (2014 est.)
3.5% (2013 est.)
5.3% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world:
65$2,800 (2014 est.)
$2,700 (2013 est.)
$2,600 (2012 est.)
note: data are in 2014 US dollars
country comparison to the world:
19226.6% of GDP (2014 est.)
32.3% of GDP (2013 est.)
33.9% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world:
16household consumption: 84.4%
government consumption: 38.7%
investment in fixed capital: 38%
investment in inventories: -0.7%
exports of goods and services: 49.9%
imports of goods and services: -110.3%
(2014 est.)
agriculture: 7.5%
industry: 35.7%
services: 56.9% (2014 est.)
corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock
food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts, construction, tourism
3.3% (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world:
88894,400 (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world:
149agriculture: 86%
industry and services: 14%
note: most of the resident population is engaged in subsistence agriculture; roughly 35% of the active male wage earners work in South Africa (2002 est.)
28.1% (2014 est.)
25% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world:
17949% (1999 est.)
lowest 10%: 1%
highest 10%: 39.4% (2003)
63.2 (1995)
56 (1986-87)
country comparison to the world:
1revenues: $1.358 billion
expenditures: $1.406 billion (2014 est.)
55.3% of GDP (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world:
7-1.9% of GDP (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world:
78NA
1 April - 31 March
3.9% (2014 est.)
4.9% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world:
1509.36% (31 December 2012)
10% (31 December 2010)
country comparison to the world:
2510.2% (31 December 2014 est.)
9.92% (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world:
82$425.9 million (31 December 2014 est.)
$380.2 million (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world:
167$942.6 million (31 December 2014 est.)
$825.7 million (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world:
170$38.65 million (31 December 2014 est.)
$37.18 million (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world:
180-$143 million (2014 est.)
-$228.3 million (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world:
103$824.9 million (2014 est.)
$814.6 million (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world:
165manufactures (clothing, footwear), wool and mohair, food and live animals, electricity, water, diamonds
$1.931 billion (2014 est.)
$1.78 billion (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world:
167food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products
$1.101 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
$1.055 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world:
132$929.5 million (31 December 2014 est.)
$916.8 million (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world:
163$909.1 million (31 December 2014 est.)
$635.7 million (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world:
106maloti (LSL) per US dollar -
10.6 (2014 est.)
9.64 (2013 est.)
8.2 (2012 est.)
7.26 (2011 est.)
7.32 (2010 est.)
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Energy :: LESOTHO
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486 million kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world:
157707 million kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world:
1550 kWh (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world:
163255 million kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world:
8880,000 kW (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world:
1790% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world:
2110% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world:
128100% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world:
10% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world:
1960 bbl/day (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world:
1920 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world:
1450 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world:
830 bbl (1 January 2015 est.)
country comparison to the world:
1570 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world:
1651,600 bbl/day (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world:
1940 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world:
1931,553 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world:
1640 cu m (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world:
1570 cu m (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world:
1650 cu m (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world:
1340 cu m (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world:
910 cu m (1 January 2014 est.)
country comparison to the world:
161270,100 Mt (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world:
192
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Communications :: LESOTHO
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total subscriptions: 51,200
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 3 (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world:
161total: 2.1 million
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 110 (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world:
151general assessment: rudimentary system consisting of a modest 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 was tasked with providing an additional 50,000 fixed-line connections within five years, a target not met; mobile-cellular service dominates the market and is expanding with a subscribership roughly 65 per 100 persons in 2011; rural services are scant
international: country code - 266; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2011)
1 state-owned TV station and 2 state-owned radio stations; government controls most private broadcast media; satellite TV subscription service available; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters obtainable (2008)
AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 1 (2007)
1 (2007)
.ls
total: 102,000
percent of population: 5.3% (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world:
169
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Transportation :: LESOTHO
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24 (2013)
country comparison to the world:
132total: 3
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2013)
total: 21
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m:
16 (2013)
total: 5,940 km
paved: 1,069 km
unpaved: 4,871 km (2011)
country comparison to the world:
151
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Military :: LESOTHO
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Lesotho Defense Force (LDF): Army (includes Air Wing) (2012)
18-24 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; women serve as commissioned officers (2012)
males age 16-49: 472,456
females age 16-49: 508,953 (2010 est.)
males age 16-49: 270,184
females age 16-49: 275,734 (2010 est.)
male: 19,110
female: 20,037 (2010 est.)
1.94% of GDP (2012)
2.3% of GDP (2011)
1.94% of GDP (2010)
country comparison to the world:
43Lesotho's declared policy for its military is the maintenance of the country's sovereignty and the preservation of internal security; in practice, external security is guaranteed by South Africa
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Transnational Issues :: LESOTHO
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South Africa has placed military units to assist police operations along the border of Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique to control smuggling, poaching, and illegal migration
current situation: Lesotho is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking and for men subjected to forced labor; Basotho women and children are subjected to domestic servitude and commercial sexual exploitation within Lesotho and South Africa; some Basotho men who voluntarily migrate to South Africa for work become victims of forced labor in agriculture and mining or are coerced into committing crimes
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List – Lesotho does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; in 2013, the government initiated several prosecutions for trafficking offenses but did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts to address human trafficking; key portions of the 2011 anti-trafficking act remain unimplemented, including the development of formal referral procedures and the establishment of victim care centers; the government continued to rely on NGOs to identify and assist victims, without providing any funding or support for these services (2014)