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Compare Aruba (2004) - Lesotho (2006)
Compare Aruba (2004) z Lesotho (2006)
| Aruba (2004) | Lesotho (2006) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) | 10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohale's Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: 20.3% (male 7,429; female 7,051)
15-64 years: 68.2% (male 23,587; female 25,007) 65 years and over: 11.4% (male 3,347; female 4,797) (2004 est.) |
0-14 years: 36.8% (male 374,102/female 369,527)
15-64 years: 58.3% (male 572,957/female 606,846) 65 years and over: 4.9% (male 39,461/female 59,438) (2006 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | aloes; livestock; fish | corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock |
| Airports | 1 (2003 est.) | 28 (2006) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
total: 3
over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 25
914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 21 (2006) |
| Area | total: 193 sq km
land: 193 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 30,355 sq km
land: 30,355 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly larger than Washington, DC | slightly smaller than Maryland |
| Background | Discovered and claimed for Spain in 1499, Aruba was acquired by the Dutch in 1636. The island's economy has been dominated by three main industries. A 19th century gold rush was followed by prosperity brought on by the opening in 1924 of an oil refinery. The last decades of the 20th century saw a boom in the tourism industry. Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 and became a separate, autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Movement toward full independence was halted at Aruba's request in 1990. | 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 reinstated in 1995. Constitutional government was restored in 1993 after 7 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. Constitutional reforms have since restored political stability; peaceful parliamentary elections were held in 2002. |
| Birth rate | 11.53 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 24.75 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
| Budget | revenues: $135.8 million
expenditures: $147 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2000) |
revenues: $738.5 million
expenditures: $792.1 million; including capital expenditures of NA (2005 est.) |
| Capital | Oranjestad | name: Maseru
geographic coordinates: 29 28 S, 27 30 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Climate | tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation | temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers |
| Coastline | 68.5 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Constitution | 1 January 1986 | 2 April 1993 |
| Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Aruba |
conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho
conventional short form: Lesotho local long form: Kingdom of Lesotho local short form: Lesotho former: Basutoland |
| Currency | Aruban guilder/florin (AWG) | - |
| Death rate | 6.47 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 28.71 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
| Debt - external | $285 million (1996) | $735 million (2002) |
| Dependency status | part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs | - |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | the US does not have an embassy in Aruba; the Consul General to Netherlands Antilles, Robert E. SORENSON, is accredited to Aruba | chief of mission: Ambassador June Carter PERRY
embassy: 254 Kingsway, Maseru West (Consular Section) mailing address: P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho telephone: [266] 22 312666 FAX: [266] 22 310116 |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands) | chief of mission: Ambassador Molelekeng E. RAPOLAKI
chancery: 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 797-5533 through 5536 FAX: [1] (202) 234-6815 |
| Disputes - international | none | none |
| Economic aid - donor | - | ODA, $4.4 million |
| Economic aid - recipient | $26 million (1995); note - the Netherlands provided a $127 million aid package to Aruba and Suriname in 1996 | $41.5 million (2000) |
| Economy - overview | Tourism is the mainstay of the small, open Aruban economy, with offshore banking and oil refining and storage also important. The rapid growth of the tourism sector over the last decade has resulted in a substantial expansion of other activities. Construction has boomed, with hotel capacity five times the 1985 level. In addition, the reopening of the country's oil refinery in 1993, a major source of employment and foreign exchange earnings, has further spurred growth. Aruba's small labor force and low unemployment rate have led to a large number of unfilled job vacancies, despite sharp rises in wage rates in recent years. Tourist arrivals have declined in the aftermath of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the US. The government now must deal with a budget deficit and a negative trade balance. | 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 now permits the sale of water to South Africa, also generating royalties for Lesotho. 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. |
| Electricity - consumption | 494.7 million kWh (2001) | 363.5 million kWh (2003) |
| Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (2003) |
| Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2001) | 38 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2003) |
| Electricity - production | 531.9 million kWh (2001) | 350 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2003) |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Jamanota 188 m |
lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m
highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m |
| Environment - current issues | NA | 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 |
| Environment - international agreements | - | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
| Ethnic groups | mixed white/Caribbean Amerindian 80% | Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%, |
| Exchange rates | Aruban guilders/florins per US dollar - 1.79 (2003), 1.79 (2002), 1.79 (2001), 1.79 (2000), 1.79 (1999) | maloti per US dollar - 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002), 8.6092 (2001) |
| Executive branch | chief of state: Queen BEATRIX of the Netherlands (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Fredis REFUNJOL (since 11 May 2004)
head of government: Prime Minister Nelson O. ODUBER (since 30 October 2001) cabinet: Council of Ministers (elected by the Staten) elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed for a six-year term by the monarch; prime minister and deputy prime minister elected by the Staten for four-year terms; election last held 28 September 2001 (next to be held by December 2005) election results: Nelson O. ODUBER elected prime minister; percent of legislative vote - NA |
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: none - 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, which 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 |
| Exports | NA (2001) | NA bbl/day |
| Exports - commodities | live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery and electrical equipment, transport equipment | manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (2000) |
| Exports - partners | Netherlands 33.7%, Colombia 12%, Netherlands Antilles 12%, Panama 12%, Venezuela 10.8%, US 9.6% (2003) | Hong Kong 43.6%, China 35.4%, Germany 8.4% (2005) |
| Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 April - 31 March |
| Flag description | blue, with two narrow, horizontal, yellow stripes across the lower portion and a red, four-pointed star outlined in white in the upper hoist-side corner | 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 |
| GDP | purchasing power parity - $1.94 billion (2002 est.) | - |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA
industry: NA services: NA |
agriculture: 16.3%
industry: 44.3% services: 39.4% (2005 est.) |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $28,000 (2002 est.) | - |
| GDP - real growth rate | -1.5% (2002 est.) | 1.2% (2005 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 12 30 N, 69 58 W | 29 30 S, 28 30 E |
| Geography - note | a flat, riverless island renowned for its white sand beaches; its tropical climate is moderated by constant trade winds from the Atlantic Ocean; the temperature is almost constant at about 27 degrees Celsius (81 degrees Fahrenheit) | landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 meters above sea level |
| Highways | total: 800 km
paved: 513 km unpaved: 287 km note: most coastal roads are paved, while unpaved roads serve large tracts of the interior (1995) |
- |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
lowest 10%: 0.9%
highest 10%: 43.4% |
| Illicit drugs | transit point for US- and Europe-bound narcotics with some accompanying money-laundering activity | - |
| Imports | NA (2001) | NA bbl/day |
| Imports - commodities | machinery and electrical equipment, crude oil for refining and reexport, chemicals; foodstuffs | food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products (2000) |
| Imports - partners | US 55.3%, Netherlands 13%, Netherlands Antilles 3.1% (2003) | US 84%, Belgium 12.8%, Canada 2.4% (2005) |
| Independence | none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) | 4 October 1966 (from UK) |
| Industrial production growth rate | NA (2002 est.) | 15.5% (1999) |
| Industries | tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining | food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts, construction, tourism |
| Infant mortality rate | total: 6.02 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.85 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
total: 87.24 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 92.04 deaths/1,000 live births female: 82.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3.2% (2002 est.) | 4.7% (2005 est.) |
| International organization participation | ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WCL, WToO (associate) | 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, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO |
| Irrigated land | 0.01 sq km (1998 est.) | 30 sq km (2003) |
| Judicial branch | Joint High Court of Justice (judges are appointed by the monarch) | High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch acting on the advice of the Prime Minister); Court of Appeal; Magistrate's Court; customary or traditional court |
| Labor force | 41,500 (1997 est.) | 838,000 (2000) |
| Labor force - by occupation | most employment is in wholesale and retail trade and repair, followed by hotels and restaurants; oil refining | 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% |
| Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 909 km
border countries: South Africa 909 km |
| Land use | arable land: 10.53% (including aloe 0.01%)
permanent crops: 0% other: 89.47% (2001) |
arable land: 10.87%
permanent crops: 0.13% other: 89% (2005) |
| Languages | Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish | Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa |
| Legal system | based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence | 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 |
| Legislative branch | unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 28 September 2001 (next to be held by NA 2005) election results: percent of vote by party - MEP 52.4%, AVP 26.7%, PPA 9.6%, OLA 5.7%, Aliansa 3.5%, other 2.1%; seats by party - MEP 12, AVP 6, PPA 2, OLA 1 |
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 direct popular vote and 40 by proportional vote; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms); note - number of seats in the Assembly rose from 80 to 120 in the May 2002 election
elections: last held 25 May 2002 (next to be held by May 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - LCD 54%, BNP 21%, LPC 7%, other 18%; seats by party - LCD 76, BNP 21, LPC 5, other 18 |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 78.98 years
male: 75.64 years female: 82.49 years (2004 est.) |
total population: 34.4 years
male: 35.55 years female: 33.21 years (2006 est.) |
| Literacy | definition:
total population: 97% male: NA female: NA |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 84.8% male: 74.5% female: 94.5% (2003 est.) |
| Location | Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela | Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa |
| Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Africa |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm | none (landlocked) |
| Merchant marine | total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 5,772 GRT/7,068 DWT
by type: cargo 1, petroleum tanker 2 foreign-owned: Germany 1, Russia 1 registered in other countries: 1 (2003 est.) |
- |
| Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands | the Lesotho Government in 1999 began an open debate on the future structure, size, and role of the armed forces, especially considering the Lesotho Defense Force's (LDF) history of intervening in political affairs |
| Military branches | no regular indigenous military forces; Royal Dutch Navy and Marines, Coast Guard | Lesotho Defense Force (LDF): Army and Air Wing |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $41.1 million (2005 est.) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 2.1% (2005 est.) |
| National holiday | Flag Day, 18 March | Independence Day, 4 October (1966) |
| Nationality | noun: Aruban(s)
adjective: Aruban; Dutch |
noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)
adjective: Basotho |
| Natural hazards | lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt | periodic droughts |
| Natural resources | NEGL; white sandy beaches | water, agricultural and grazing land, diamonds, sand, clay, building stone |
| Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) | -0.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
| Political parties and leaders | Aruba Solidarity Movement or MAS [leader NA]; Aruban Democratic Alliance or Aliansa [leader NA]; Aruban Democratic Party or PDA [Leo BERLINSKI]; Aruban Liberal Party or OLA [Glenbert CROES]; Aruban Patriotic Party or PPA [Benny NISBET]; Aruban People's Party or AVP [Jan (Henny) H. EMAN]; Concentration for the Liberation of Aruba or CLA [leader NA]; People's Electoral Movement Party or MEP [Nelson O. ODUBER]; For a Restructured Aruba Now or PARA [Urbana LOPEZ]; National Democratic Action or ADN [Pedro Charro KELLY] | Basotholand African Congress or BAC [Khauhelo RALITAPOLE]; Basotholand Congress Party or BCP [Ntsukunyane MPHANYA]; Basotho National Party or BNP [Maj. Gen. Justine Metsing LEKHANYA]; Kopanang Basotho Party or KPB [MOSALA]; Lesotho Congress for Democracy or LCD [Pakalitha MOSISILI] (the governing party); Lesotho Education Party or LEP [Thabo PITSO]; Lesotho People's Congress or LPC [Kelebone MAOPE]; Lesotho Workers Party of LWP [Macaefa BILLY]; Marematlou Freedom Party or MFP [Vincent MALEBO]; National Independent Party or NIP [Anthony MANYELI]; National Progressive Party or NPP [Chief Peete Nkoebe PEETE]; Popular Front for Democracy or PFD [Lekhetho RAKUOANE]; Sefate Democratic Union or SDU [Bofihla NKUEBE]; Social Democratic Party of SDP [Masitise SELESO]; United Democratic Party or UDP [C.D. MOFELI]; United Party or UP [Makara SEKAUTU] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
| Population | 71,218 (July 2004 est.) | 2,022,331
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 and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | NA | 49% (1999) |
| Population growth rate | 0.51% (2004 est.) | -0.46% (2006 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | Barcadera, Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas | - |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 4, FM 6, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998) |
| Religions | Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, Jewish | Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20% |
| Sex ratio | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
| Telephone system | general assessment: NA
domestic: more than adequate international: country code - 297; 1 submarine cable to Sint Maarten (Netherlands Antilles); extensive interisland microwave radio relay links |
general assessment: rudimentary system
domestic: consists of a modest but growing number of landlines, a small microwave radio relay system, and a minor radiotelephone communication system; a cellular mobile telephone system is growing international: country code - 266; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
| Telephones - main lines in use | 37,100 (2002) | 48,000 (2005) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 53,000 (2001) | 245,100 (2005) |
| Television broadcast stations | 1 (1997) | 1 (2000) |
| Terrain | flat with a few hills; scant vegetation | mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains |
| Total fertility rate | 1.79 children born/woman (2004 est.) | 3.28 children born/woman (2006 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | 0.6% (2003 est.) | 45% (2002) |
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