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Compare Belize (2001) - Lesotho (2006)
Compare Belize (2001) z Lesotho (2006)
| Belize (2001) | Lesotho (2006) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | 6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo | 10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohale's Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka |
| Age structure | 0-14 years:
42.04% (male 54,876; female 52,780) 15-64 years: 54.43% (male 70,534; female 68,837) 65 years and over: 3.53% (male 4,403; female 4,632) (2001 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 | bananas, coca, citrus, sugarcane; lumber; fish, cultured shrimp | corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock |
| Airports | 44 (2000 est.) | 28 (2006) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total:
4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
total: 3
over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
40 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 29 (2000 est.) |
total: 25
914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 21 (2006) |
| Area | total:
22,966 sq km land: 22,806 sq km water: 160 sq km |
total: 30,355 sq km
land: 30,355 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Massachusetts | slightly smaller than Maryland |
| Background | Territorial disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed the independence of Belize (formerly British Honduras) until 1981. Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation until 1992. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy. The country remains plagued by high unemployment, growing involvement in the South American drug trade, and increased urban crime. | 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 | 31.69 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 24.75 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
| Budget | revenues:
$157 million expenditures: $279 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.) |
revenues: $738.5 million
expenditures: $792.1 million; including capital expenditures of NA (2005 est.) |
| Capital | Belmopan | 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; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May) | temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers |
| Coastline | 386 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Constitution | 21 September 1981 | 2 April 1993 |
| Country name | conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Belize former: British Honduras |
conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho
conventional short form: Lesotho local long form: Kingdom of Lesotho local short form: Lesotho former: Basutoland |
| Currency | Belizean dollar (BZD) | - |
| Death rate | 4.7 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 28.71 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
| Debt - external | $338 million (1998) | $735 million (2002) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Carolyn CURIEL embassy: 29 Gabourel Lane and Hutson Street, Belize City mailing address: P. O. Box 286, Unit 7401, APO AA 34025 telephone: [501] (2) 77161 FAX: [501] (2) 30802 |
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 | chief of mission:
Ambassador Lisa M. SHOMAN chancery: 2535 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-9636 FAX: [1] (202) 332-6888 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles |
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 | Guatemala periodically asserts claims to territory in southern Belize; to deter cross-border squatting, both states in 2000 agreed to a "line of adjacency" based on the de facto boundary, which is not recognized by Guatemala | none |
| Economic aid - donor | - | ODA, $4.4 million |
| Economic aid - recipient | $NA | $41.5 million (2000) |
| Economy - overview | The small, essentially private enterprise economy is based primarily on agriculture, agro-based industry, and merchandising, with tourism and construction assuming greater importance. Sugar, the chief crop, accounts for nearly half of exports, while the banana industry is the country's largest employer. The government's tough austerity program in 1997 resulted in an economic slowdown that continued in 1998. The trade deficit has been growing, mostly as a result of low export prices for sugar and bananas. The tourist and construction sectors strengthened in early 1999, supporting growth of 6% in 1999 and 4% in 2000. Aided by international donors, the government's key short-term objective remains the reduction of poverty. | 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 | 172.1 million kWh (1999) | 363.5 million kWh (2003) |
| Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2003) |
| Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 38 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2003) |
| Electricity - production | 185 million kWh (1999) | 350 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2003) |
| Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
56.76% hydro: 43.24% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
- |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Victoria Peak 1,160 m |
lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m
highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m |
| Environment - current issues | deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid waste disposal | 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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected 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 | mestizo 43.7%, Creole 29.8%, Maya 10%, Garifuna 6.2%, other 10.3% | Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%, |
| Exchange rates | Belizean dollars per US dollar - 2.0000 (fixed rate pegged to the US dollar) | 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 ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Colville YOUNG (since 17 November 1993) head of government: Prime Minister Said MUSA (since 27 August 1998); Deputy Prime Minister John BRICENO (since 1 September 1998) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; governor general appoints the member of the House of Representatives who is leader of the majority party to be prime minister |
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 | $235.7 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | NA bbl/day |
| Exports - commodities | sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood | manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (2000) |
| Exports - partners | US 42%, UK 33%, EU 12%, Caricom 4.8%, Canada 2%, Mexico 1% (1999) | Hong Kong 43.6%, China 35.4%, Germany 8.4% (2005) |
| Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | 1 April - 31 March |
| Flag description | blue with a narrow red stripe along the top and the bottom edges; centered is a large white disk bearing the coat of arms; the coat of arms features a shield flanked by two workers in front of a mahogany tree with the related motto SUB UMBRA FLOREO (I Flourish in the Shade) on a scroll at the bottom, all encircled by a green garland | 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 - $790 million (2000 est.) | - |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
18% industry: 24% services: 58% (2000 est.) |
agriculture: 16.3%
industry: 44.3% services: 39.4% (2005 est.) |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $3,200 (2000 est.) | - |
| GDP - real growth rate | 4% (2000 est.) | 1.2% (2005 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 17 15 N, 88 45 W | 29 30 S, 28 30 E |
| Geography - note | only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean | landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 meters above sea level |
| Highways | total:
2,872 km paved: 488 km unpaved: 2,384 km (1998 est.) |
- |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: 0.9%
highest 10%: 43.4% |
| Illicit drugs | minor transshipment point for cocaine; small-scale illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; minor money-laundering center | - |
| Imports | $413 million (c.i.f., 2000 est.) | NA bbl/day |
| Imports - commodities | machinery and transportation equipment, manufactured goods; food, beverages, tobacco; fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals | food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products (2000) |
| Imports - partners | US 58%, Mexico 12%, UK 5% EU 5%, Central America 5%, Caricom 4% (1998) | US 84%, Belgium 12.8%, Canada 2.4% (2005) |
| Independence | 21 September 1981 (from UK) | 4 October 1966 (from UK) |
| Industrial production growth rate | 4.6% (1999) | 15.5% (1999) |
| Industries | garment production, food processing, tourism, construction | food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts, construction, tourism |
| Infant mortality rate | 25.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 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) | 2% (2000 est.) | 4.7% (2005 est.) |
| International organization participation | ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO | 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 |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 2 (2000) | - |
| Irrigated land | 20 sq km (1993 est.) | 30 sq km (2003) |
| Judicial branch | Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister) | 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 | 71,000
note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (1997 est.) |
838,000 (2000) |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 38%, industry 32%, services 30% (1994) | 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 | total:
516 km border countries: Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km |
total: 909 km
border countries: South Africa 909 km |
| Land use | arable land:
10% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 2% forests and woodland: 84% other: 3% (2000 est.) |
arable land: 10.87%
permanent crops: 0.13% other: 89% (2005) |
| Languages | English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole | Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa |
| Legal system | English law | 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 | bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (eight members, five appointed on the advice of the prime minister, two on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and one by the governor general; members are appointed for five-year terms); and the House of Representatives (29 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 27 August 1998 (next to be held by NA August 2003) election results: percent of vote by party - PUP 59.2%, UDP 40.8%; seats by party - PUP 26, UDP 3 |
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:
71.19 years male: 68.91 years female: 73.57 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 34.4 years
male: 35.55 years female: 33.21 years (2006 est.) |
| Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 70.3% male: 70.3% female: 70.3% (1991 est.) note: other sources list the literacy rate as high as 75% |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 84.8% male: 74.5% female: 94.5% (2003 est.) |
| Location | Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico | Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa |
| Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Africa |
| Maritime claims | exclusive economic zone:
200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM in the north, 3 NM in the south; note - from the mouth of the Sarstoon River to Ranguana Cay, Belize's territorial sea is 3 NM; according to Belize's Maritime Areas Act, 1992, the purpose of this limitation is to provide a framework for the negotiation of a definitive agreement on territorial differences with Guatemala |
none (landlocked) |
| Merchant marine | total:
402 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,575,851 GRT/2,241,731 DWT ships by type: bulk 27, cargo 265, chemical tanker 6, combination ore/oil 1, container 14, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 56, refrigerated cargo 18, roll on/roll off 7, short-sea passenger 1, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 3 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Cuba 1, Singapore 1, US 1 (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 | Belize Defense Force (includes Army, Maritime Wing, Air Wing, and Volunteer Guard) | Lesotho Defense Force (LDF): Army and Air Wing |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | $17 million (FY98/99) | $41.1 million (2005 est.) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 2.4% (FY98/99) | 2.1% (2005 est.) |
| Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
62,698 (2001 est.) |
- |
| Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
37,174 (2001 est.) |
- |
| Military manpower - military age | 18 years of age | - |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males:
2,847 (2001 est.) |
- |
| National holiday | Independence Day, 21 September (1981) | Independence Day, 4 October (1966) |
| Nationality | noun:
Belizean(s) adjective: Belizean |
noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)
adjective: Basotho |
| Natural hazards | frequent, devastating hurricanes (September to December) and coastal flooding (especially in south) | periodic droughts |
| Natural resources | arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower | water, agricultural and grazing land, diamonds, sand, clay, building stone |
| Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | -0.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
| Political parties and leaders | People's United Party or PUP [Said MUSA]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Manuel ESQUIVEL, Dean BARROW, Doug SINGH] | 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 | Society for the Promotion of Education and Research or SPEAR [Diane HAYLOCK]; United Worker's Front | NA |
| Population | 256,062 (July 2001 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 | 33% (1999 est.) | 49% (1999) |
| Population growth rate | 2.7% (2001 est.) | -0.46% (2006 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | Belize City, Big Creek, Corozol, Punta Gorda | - |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998) |
| Radios | 133,000 (1997) | - |
| Railways | 0 km | - |
| Religions | Roman Catholic 62%, Protestant 30% (Anglican 12%, Methodist 6%, Mennonite 4%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3%, Pentecostal 2%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1%, other 2%), none 2%, other 6% (1980) | Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20% |
| Sex ratio | at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2001 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:
above-average system domestic: trunk network depends primarily on microwave radio relay international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
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 | 31,000 (1997) | 48,000 (2005) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 3,023 (1997) | 245,100 (2005) |
| Television broadcast stations | 2 (1997) | 1 (2000) |
| Terrain | flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south | mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains |
| Total fertility rate | 4.05 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 3.28 children born/woman (2006 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | 12.8% (1999) | 45% (2002) |
| Waterways | 825 km (river network used by shallow-draft craft; seasonally navigable) | - |
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