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Compare Australia (2001) - Lesotho (2002)

Compare Australia (2001) z Lesotho (2002)

 Australia (2001)Lesotho (2002)
 AustraliaLesotho
Administrative divisions 6 states and 2 territories*; Australian Capital Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia 10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohales Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka
Age structure 0-14 years:
20.64% (male 2,045,892; female 1,948,949)

15-64 years:
66.86% (male 6,538,096; female 6,405,014)

65 years and over:
12.5% (male 1,059,107; female 1,360,536) (2001 est.)
0-14 years: 39% (male 433,229; female 427,926)


15-64 years: 56.3% (male 600,476; female 642,538)


65 years and over: 4.7% (male 43,691; female 60,094) (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits; cattle, sheep, poultry corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock
Airports 411 (2000 est.) 28 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways total:
271

over 3,047 m:
10

2,438 to 3,047 m:
12

1,524 to 2,437 m:
118

914 to 1,523 m:
122

under 914 m:
9 (2000 est.)
total: 4


over 3,047 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 2 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total:
140

1,524 to 2,437 m:
17

914 to 1,523 m:
112

under 914 m:
11 (2000 est.)
total: 24


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 20 (2002)
Area total:
7,686,850 sq km

land:
7,617,930 sq km

water:
68,920 sq km

note:
includes Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island
total: 30,355 sq km


land: 30,355 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than the contiguous 48 states of the US slightly smaller than Maryland
Background Australia became a commonwealth of the British Empire in 1901. It was able to take advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop its agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a major contribution to the British effort in World Wars I and II. Long-term concerns include pollution, particularly depletion of the ozone layer, and management and conservation of coastal areas, especially the Great Barrier Reef. A referendum to change Australia's status, from a commonwealth headed by the British monarch to an independent republic, was defeated in 1999. Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence from the UK in 1966. King MOSHOESHOE was exiled in 1990. Constitutional government was restored in 1993 after 23 years of military rule.
Birth rate 12.86 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 30.72 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget revenues:
$94 billion

expenditures:
$103 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)
revenues: $76 million


expenditures: $80 million, including capital expenditures of $15 million
Capital Canberra Maseru
Climate generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers
Coastline 25,760 km 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution 9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901 2 April 1993
Country name conventional long form:
Commonwealth of Australia

conventional short form:
Australia
conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho


conventional short form: Lesotho


former: Basutoland
Currency Australian dollar (AUD) loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR)
Death rate 7.18 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 16.81 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external $220.6 billion (2000) $715 million (2001 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission:
Ambassador Edward W. GNEHM, Jr.

embassy:
Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2600

mailing address:
APO AP 96549

telephone:
[61] (02) 6214-5600

FAX:
[61] (02) 6214-5970

consulate(s) general:
Sydney

consulate(s):
Melbourne and Perth
chief of mission: Ambassador Robert G. LOFTIS


embassy: 254 Kingsway, Maseru West (Consular Section)


mailing address: P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho


telephone: [266] 312666


FAX: [266] 310116
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission:
Ambassador Michael THAWLEY

chancery:
1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone:
[1] (202) 797-3000

FAX:
[1] (202) 797-3168

consulate(s) general:
Atlanta, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco
chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Lebohang Kenneth MOLEKO


chancery: 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 797-5533 through 5536


FAX: [1] (202) 234-6815
Disputes - international territorial claim in Antarctica (Australian Antarctic Territory) none
Economic aid - donor ODA, $1.43 billion (FY97/98) -
Economic aid - recipient - $123.7 million (1995) (1995)
Economy - overview Australia has a prosperous Western-style capitalist economy, with a per capita GDP at the level of the four dominant West European economies. Rich in natural resources, Australia is a major exporter of agricultural products, minerals, metals, and fossil fuels. Commodities account for 57% of the value of total exports, so that a downturn in world commodity prices can have a big impact on the economy. The government is pushing for increased exports of manufactured goods, but competition in international markets continues to be severe. While Australia has suffered from the low growth and high unemployment characterizing the OECD countries in the early 1990s and during the recent financial problems in East Asia, the economy has expanded at a solid 4% annual growth pace in the last five years. Canberra's emphasis on reforms is a key factor behind the economy's resilience to the regional crisis and its stronger than expected growth rate. Growth in 2001 will depend on key international commodity prices, the extent of recovery in nearby Asian economies, and the strength of US and European markets. Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho's primary natural resource is water. Its economy is based on subsistence agriculture, livestock, remittances from miners employed in South Africa, and a rapidly growing apparel-assembly sector. The number of mineworkers has declined steadily over the past several years. A small manufacturing base depends largely on farm products that support the milling, canning, leather, and jute industries. Agricultural products are exported primarily to South Africa. Proceeds from membership in a common customs union with South Africa form the majority of government revenue. Although drought has decreased agricultural activity over the past few years, completion of a major hydropower facility in January 1998 now permits the sale of water to South Africa, generating royalties for Lesotho. The pace of privatization has increased in recent years. In December 1999, the government embarked on a nine-month IMF staff-monitored program aimed at structural adjustment and stabilization of macroeconomic fundamentals. The government is in the process of applying for a three-year successor program with the IMF under its Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility. Lesotho has a marked inequality in income distribution and serious unemployment/underemployment problems that will not yield to short-run solutions.
Electricity - consumption 178.306 billion kWh (1999) 100 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (1999) 100 million kWh


note: electricity supplied by South Africa (2000)
Electricity - production 191.727 billion kWh (1999) 0 kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2000)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
89.93%

hydro:
8.36%

nuclear:
0%

other:
1.71% (1999)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Lake Eyre -15 m

highest point:
Mount Kosciuszko 2,229 m
lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m


highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m
Environment - current issues soil erosion from overgrazing, industrial development, urbanization, and poor farming practices; soil salinity rising due to the use of poor quality water; desertification; clearing for agricultural purposes threatens the natural habitat of many unique animal and plant species; the Great Barrier Reef off the northeast coast, the largest coral reef in the world, is threatened by increased shipping and its popularity as a tourist site; limited natural fresh water resources 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:
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified:
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection


signed, but not ratified: Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping
Ethnic groups Caucasian 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 1% Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%,
Exchange rates Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.7995 (January 2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997), 1.2773 (1996) maloti per US dollar - 11.58786 (January 2002), 8.60918 (2001), 6.93983 (2000), 6.10948 (1999), 5.52828 (1998), 4.60796 (1997); note - the Lesotho loti is at par with the South African rand which is also legal tender; maloti is the plural form of loti
Executive branch chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Rev. Peter HOLLINGSWORTH (since 29 June 2001)

head of government:
Prime Minister John Winston HOWARD (since 11 March 1996); Deputy Prime Minister John ANDERSON (since NA)

cabinet:
Cabinet selected from among the members of Federal Parliament by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister

elections:
none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general for a three-year term

note:
government coalition - Liberal Party and National Party
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 determine who is next in the line of succession, who shall serve as regent in the event that the successor is not of mature age, and may even depose the monarch
Exports $69 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) $250 million f.o.b. (2001 est.)
Exports - commodities coal, gold, meat, wool, alumina, iron ore, wheat, machinery and transport equipment manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals
Exports - partners Japan 19%, EU 14%, ASEAN 12%, US 9%, South Korea, NZ, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China (1999) South African Customs Union 53.9%, North America 45.6% (1999)
Fiscal year 1 July - 30 June 1 April - 31 March
Flag description blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and a large seven-pointed star in the lower hoist-side quadrant; the remaining half is a representation of the Southern Cross constellation in white with one small five-pointed star and four, larger, seven-pointed stars 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
GDP purchasing power parity - $445.8 billion (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $5.3 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
3%

industry:
26%

services:
71% (1999 est.)
agriculture: 18%


industry: 38%


services: 44% (2001)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $23,200 (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $2,450 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 4.7% (2000 est.) 2.6% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates 27 00 S, 133 00 E 29 30 S, 28 30 E
Geography - note world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country; population concentrated along the eastern and southeastern coasts; regular, tropical, invigorating, sea breeze known as "the Doctor" occurs along the west coast in the summer landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 meters above sea level
Highways total:
913,000 km

paved:
353,331 km (including 1,363 km of expressways)

unpaved:
559,669 km (1996)
total: 4,955 km


paved: 887 km


unpaved: 4,068 km (1996)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
2%

highest 10%:
25.4% (1994)
lowest 10%: 1%


highest 10%: 43% (1986-87)
Illicit drugs Tasmania is one of the world's major suppliers of licit opiate products; government maintains strict controls over areas of opium poppy cultivation and output of poppy straw concentrate -
Imports $77 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) $720 million f.o.b. (2001 est.)
Imports - commodities machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines, telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum products food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products
Imports - partners EU 24%, US 22%, Japan 14%, ASEAN 13% (1999) South African Customs Union 89.5%, Asia 7% (1999)
Independence 1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies) 4 October 1966 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate 1.5% (1999 est.) 15.5% (1999 est.)
Industries mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals, steel food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts; construction; tourism
Infant mortality rate 4.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) 82.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 1.4% (2000 est.) 6.9% (2001 est.)
International organization participation ANZUS, APEC, ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CCC, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, PCA, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNMEE, UNTAET, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 264 (2000) 1 (2000)
Irrigated land 21,070 sq km (1993 est.) 10 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch High Court (the chief justice and six other justices are appointed by the governor general) High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch); Court of Appeal; Magistrate's Court; customary or traditional court
Labor force 9.5 million (December 1999) 700,000 economically active
Labor force - by occupation services 73%, industry 22%, agriculture 5% (1997 est.) 86% of resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture; roughly 35% of the active male wage earners work in South Africa
Land boundaries 0 km total: 909 km


border countries: South Africa 909 km
Land use arable land:
6%

permanent crops:
0%

permanent pastures:
54%

forests and woodland:
19%

other:
21% (1993 est.)
arable land: 10.71%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 89.29% (1998 est.)
Languages English, native languages Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa
Legal system based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations 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
Legislative branch bicameral Federal Parliament consists of the Senate (76 seats - 12 from each of the six states and two from each of the two territories; one-half of the members elected every three years by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives (148 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve three-year terms; no state can have fewer than five representatives)

elections:
Senate - last held 3 October 1998 (next to be held by October 2001); House of Representatives - last held 3 October 1998 (next to be held by October 2001)

election results:
Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 35, Australian Labor Party 29, Australian Democratic Party 9, Green Party 1, One Nation Party 1, independent 1; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 80, Australian Labor Party 67, independent 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 NA 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:
79.87 years

male:
77.02 years

female:
82.87 years (2001 est.)
total population: 47 years


male: 46.3 years


female: 47.8 years (2002 est.)
Literacy definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
100%

male:
100%

female:
100% (1980 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 83%


male: 72%


female: 93% (1999 est.)
Location Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa
Map references Oceania Africa
Maritime claims contiguous zone:
24 NM

continental shelf:
200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin

exclusive economic zone:
200 NM

territorial sea:
12 NM
none (landlocked)
Merchant marine total:
54 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,558,371 GRT/2,038,776 DWT

ships by type:
bulk 26, cargo 3, chemical tanker 5, container 1, liquefied gas 4, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 7, roll on/roll off 6 (2000 est.)
-
Military - note - 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 Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force Lesotho Defense Force (LDF; including Army and Air Wing), Royal Lesotho Mounted Police
Military expenditures - dollar figure $6.9 billion (FY98/99) $34 million (1999)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.9% (FY98/99) NA%
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
4,990,107 (2001 est.)
males age 15-49: 526,332 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
4,303,966 (2001 est.)
males age 15-49: 283,203 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - military age 17 years of age -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males:
138,971 (2001 est.)
-
National holiday Australia Day, 26 January (1788) Independence Day, 4 October (1966)
Nationality noun:
Australian(s)

adjective:
Australian
noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)


adjective: Basotho
Natural hazards cyclones along the coast; severe droughts periodic droughts
Natural resources bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum water, agricultural and grazing land, some diamonds and other minerals
Net migration rate 4.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) -0.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Pipelines crude oil 2,500 km; petroleum products 500 km; natural gas 5,600 km -
Political parties and leaders Australian Democratic Party [Meg LEES]; Australian Labor Party [Kim BEAZLEY]; Green Party [Bob BROWN]; Liberal Party [John Winston HOWARD]; National Party [John ANDERSON]; One Nation Party [Pauline HANSON] Basotho Congress Party or BCP [Tseliso MAKHAKHE]; Basotho National Party or BNP [Maj. Gen. Justine Metsing LEKHANYA]; Lesotho Congress for Democracy or LCD [Phebe MOTEBANO, chairwoman; Pakalitha MOSISILI, leader] - the governing party; Lesotho People's Congress or LPC [Kelebone MAOPE]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Charles MOFELI]; Marematlou Freedom Party or MFP and Setlamo Alliance [Vincent MALEBO]; Progressive National Party or PNP [Chief Peete Nkoebe PEETE]; Sefate Democratic Party or SDP [Bofihla NKUEBE]
Political pressure groups and leaders Australian Democratic Labor Party (anti-Communist Labor Party splinter group); Peace and Nuclear Disarmament Action (Nuclear Disarmament Party splinter group) NA
Population 19,357,594 (July 2001 est.) 2,207,954


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 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 49% (1999 est.)
Population growth rate 0.99% (2001 est.) 1.33% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Devonport (Tasmania), Fremantle, Geelong, Hobart (Tasmania), Launceston (Tasmania), Mackay, Melbourne, Sydney, Townsville none
Radio broadcast stations AM 262, FM 345, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios 25.5 million (1997) NA (2002)
Railways total:
33,819 km (2,540 km electrified)

broad gauge:
3,719 km 1.600-m gauge

standard gauge:
15,422 km 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge:
14,506 km 1.067-m gauge

dual gauge:
172 km NA gauges (1999)
total: 2.6 km; note - owned by, operated by, and included in the statistics of South Africa


narrow gauge: 2.6 km 1.067-m gauge (1995)
Religions Anglican 26.1%, Roman Catholic 26%, other Christian 24.3%, non-Christian 11% 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:
1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over:
0.78 male(s)/female

total population:
0.99 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female


total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal and compulsory 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment:
excellent domestic and international service

domestic:
domestic satellite system; much use of radiotelephone in areas of low population density; rapid growth of mobile cellular telephones

international:
submarine cables to New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia; satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat (4 Indian Ocean and 6 Pacific Ocean), 2 Inmarsat (Indian and Pacific Ocean regions) (1998)
general assessment: rudimentary system


domestic: consists of a few landlines, a small microwave radio relay system, and a minor radiotelephone communication system; a cellular mobile telephone system is growing


international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 9.58 million (1998) 22,200 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular 6.4 million (1998) 21,600 (2000)
Television broadcast stations 104 (1997) 1 (2000)
Terrain mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains
Total fertility rate 1.77 children born/woman (2001 est.) 4.01 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate 6.4% (2000) 45% (2000 est.)
Waterways 8,368 km (mainly used by small, shallow-draft craft) none
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