Bermuda (2007) | Lesotho (2002) | |
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Administrative divisions | 9 parishes and 2 municipalities*; Devonshire, Hamilton, Hamilton*, Paget, Pembroke, Saint George*, Saint George's, Sandys, Smith's, Southampton, Warwick | 10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohales Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 18.3% (male 6,094/female 6,014)
15-64 years: 69.2% (male 22,696/female 23,094) 65 years and over: 12.5% (male 3,597/female 4,668) (2007 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 | bananas, vegetables, citrus, flowers; dairy products, honey | corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock |
Airports | 1 (2007) | 28 (2001) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2007) |
total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 24
914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 20 (2002) |
Area | total: 53.3 sq km
land: 53.3 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 30,355 sq km
land: 30,355 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | about one-third the size of Washington, DC | slightly smaller than Maryland |
Background | Bermuda was first settled in 1609 by shipwrecked English colonists headed for Virginia. Tourism to the island to escape North American winters first developed in Victorian times. Tourism continues to be important to the island's economy, although international business has overtaken it in recent years. Bermuda has developed into a highly successful offshore financial center. Although a referendum on independence from the UK was soundly defeated in 1995, the present government has reopened debate on the issue. | 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 | 11.26 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 30.72 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $738 million
expenditures: $665 million (FY04/05) |
revenues: $76 million
expenditures: $80 million, including capital expenditures of $15 million |
Capital | name: Hamilton
geographic coordinates: 32 17 N, 64 47 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November |
Maseru |
Climate | subtropical; mild, humid; gales, strong winds common in winter | temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers |
Coastline | 103 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
Constitution | 8 June 1968; amended 1989 and 2003 | 2 April 1993 |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Bermuda former: Somers Islands |
conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho
conventional short form: Lesotho former: Basutoland |
Currency | - | loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR) |
Death rate | 7.84 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 16.81 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Debt - external | $160 million (FY99/00) | $715 million (2001 est.) |
Dependency status | overseas territory of the UK | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Consul General Gregory W. SLAYTON
consulate(s) general: Crown Hill, 16 Middle Road, Devonshire DVO3 mailing address: P. O. Box HM325, Hamilton HMBX; American Consulate General Hamilton, US Department of State, 5300 Hamilton Place, Washington, DC 20520-5300 telephone: [1] (441) 295-1342 FAX: [1] (441) 295-1592, [1] (441) 296-9233 |
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 | none (overseas territory of the UK) | 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 | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA (2004) | $123.7 million (1995) (1995) |
Economy - overview | Bermuda enjoys the highest per capita income in the world, more than 50% higher than that of the US. Its economy is primarily based on providing financial services for international business and luxury facilities for tourists. A number of reinsurance companies relocated to the island following the 11 September 2001 attacks and again after Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, contributing to the expansion of an already robust international business sector. Bermuda's tourism industry - which derives over 80% of its visitors from the US - continues to struggle but remains the island's number two industry. Most capital equipment and food must be imported. Bermuda's industrial sector is small, although construction continues to be important; the average cost of a house in June 2003 had risen to $976,000. Agriculture is limited with only 20% of the land being arable. | 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 | 574.8 million kWh (2005) | 100 million kWh (2000) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (2000) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2005) | 100 million kWh
note: electricity supplied by South Africa (2000) |
Electricity - production | 618 million kWh (2005) | 0 kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2000) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Town Hill 76 m |
lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m
highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m |
Environment - current issues | sustainable development | 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, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping |
Ethnic groups | black 54.8%, white 34.1%, mixed 6.4%, other races 4.3%, unspecified 0.4% (2000 census) | Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%, |
Exchange rates | Bermudian dollar per US dollar - 1.0000 (fixed rate pegged to the US dollar) | 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 Acting Governor Mark CAPES (since 12 October 2007)
head of government: Premier Ewart BROWN (since 30 October 2006); Deputy Premier Paula COX cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the premier, appointed by the governor elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed premier by the governor |
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 | 0 bbl/day (2005) | $250 million f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
Exports - commodities | reexports of pharmaceuticals | manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals |
Exports - partners | Spain 31.6%, UK 16.6%, Brazil 9.6%, Sweden 7.9% (2006) | South African Customs Union 53.9%, North America 45.6% (1999) |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | red, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Bermudian coat of arms (white and green shield with a red lion holding a scrolled shield showing the sinking of the ship Sea Venture off Bermuda in 1609) centered on the outer half of the 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 |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $5.3 billion (2001 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 1%
industry: 10% services: 89% (2002 est.) |
agriculture: 18%
industry: 38% services: 44% (2001) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $2,450 (2001 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 4.6% (2004 est.) | 2.6% (2001 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 32 20 N, 64 45 W | 29 30 S, 28 30 E |
Geography - note | consists of about 138 coral islands and islets with ample rainfall, but no rivers or freshwater lakes; some land was leased by US Government from 1941 to 1995 | landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 meters above sea level |
Highways | - | total: 4,955 km
paved: 887 km unpaved: 4,068 km (1996) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: 1%
highest 10%: 43% (1986-87) |
Imports | NA bbl/day | $720 million f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
Imports - commodities | clothing, fuels, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, chemicals, food and live animals | food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products |
Imports - partners | US 71.8%, Venezuela 6.9%, Canada 6.6% (2006) | South African Customs Union 89.5%, Asia 7% (1999) |
Independence | none (overseas territory of the UK) | 4 October 1966 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | 15.5% (1999 est.) |
Industries | international business, tourism, light manufacturing | food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts; construction; tourism |
Infant mortality rate | total: 8.08 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 9.58 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.56 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
82.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.8% (November 2005) | 6.9% (2001 est.) |
International organization participation | Caricom (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, ITUC, UPU, WCO | 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) | - | 1 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA | 10 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrate Courts | High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch); Court of Appeal; Magistrate's Court; customary or traditional court |
Labor force | 38,360 (2004) | 700,000 economically active |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture and fishing 3%, laborers 17%, clerical 19%, professional and technical 21%, administrative and managerial 15%, sales 7%, services 19% (2004 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: 20%
permanent crops: 0% other: 80% (55% developed, 45% rural/open space) (2005) |
arable land: 10.71%
permanent crops: 0% other: 89.29% (1998 est.) |
Languages | English (official), Portuguese | 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; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
Legislative branch | bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (11 seats; members appointed by the governor, the premier, and the opposition) and the House of Assembly (36 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve up to five-year terms)
elections: last general election held 24 July 2003 (next to be held not later than July 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - PLP 51.7%, UBP 48%; seats by party - PLP 22, UBP 14 |
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: 78.13 years
male: 76 years female: 80.29 years (2007 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: 98% male: 98% female: 99% (2005 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83% male: 72% female: 93% (1999 est.) |
Location | North America, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, east of South Carolina (US) | Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa |
Map references | North America | Africa |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
none (landlocked) |
Merchant marine | total: 133 ships (1000 GRT or over) 8,366,999 GRT/8,615,385 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 24, container 22, liquefied gas 30, passenger 23, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 15, refrigerated cargo 10, roll on/roll off 4 foreign-owned: 126 (Australia 4, Belgium 3, China 10, France 1, Germany 21, Greece 3, Hong Kong 4, Ireland 1, Israel 3, Japan 1, Nigeria 11, Norway 5, Singapore 1, Sweden 15, UK 20, US 23) registered in other countries: 50 (Bahamas 12, Croatia 2, Marshall Islands 5, Philippines 31) (2007) |
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Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | 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 military forces; Bermuda Police Service, Bermuda Reserve Constabulary, Bermuda Regiment | Lesotho Defense Force (LDF; including Army and Air Wing), Royal Lesotho Mounted Police |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $34 million (1999) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 0.11% (2005 est.) | NA% |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49: 526,332 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49: 283,203 (2002 est.) |
National holiday | Bermuda Day, 24 May | Independence Day, 4 October (1966) |
Nationality | noun: Bermudian(s)
adjective: Bermudian |
noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)
adjective: Basotho |
Natural hazards | hurricanes (June to November) | periodic droughts |
Natural resources | limestone, pleasant climate fostering tourism | water, agricultural and grazing land, some diamonds and other minerals |
Net migration rate | 2.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) | -0.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | Progressive Labor Party or PLP [Ewart BROWN]; United Bermuda Party or UBP [Wayne FURBERT] | 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 | Bermuda Employer's Union [Eddie SAINTS]; Bermuda Industrial Union or BIU [Derrick BURGESS]; Bermuda Public Services Union or BPSU [Ed BALL]; Bermuda Union of Teachers [Michael CHARLES] | NA |
Population | 66,163 (July 2007 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 | 19% (2000) | 49% (1999 est.) |
Population growth rate | 0.576% (2007 est.) | 1.33% (2002 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | none |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 5, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2005) | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998) |
Radios | - | NA (2002) |
Railways | - | 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 23%, Roman Catholic 15%, African Methodist Episcopal 11%, other Protestant 18%, other 12%, unaffiliated 6%, unspecified 1%, none 14% (2000 census) | Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20% |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.013 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.983 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.771 male(s)/female total population: 0.959 male(s)/female (2007 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 | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: good
domestic: fully automatic digital telephone system; fiber-optic trunk lines international: country code - 1-441; landing point for the Atlantica-1 telecommunications submarine cable that extends from the US to Brazil; satellite earth stations - 3 (2007) |
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 | 57,700 (2006) | 22,200 (2000) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 60,100 (2006) | 21,600 (2000) |
Television broadcast stations | 3 (2005) | 1 (2000) |
Terrain | low hills separated by fertile depressions | mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains |
Total fertility rate | 1.88 children born/woman (2007 est.) | 4.01 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 2.1% (2004 est.) | 45% (2000 est.) |
Waterways | - | none |