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Compare Bhutan (2001) - Lesotho (2001)

Compare Bhutan (2001) z Lesotho (2001)

 Bhutan (2001)Lesotho (2001)
 BhutanLesotho
Administrative divisions 18 districts (dzongkhag, singular and plural); Bumthang, Chhukha, Chirang, Daga, Geylegphug, Ha, Lhuntshi, Mongar, Paro, Pemagatsel, Punakha, Samchi, Samdrup Jongkhar, Shemgang, Tashigang, Thimphu, Tongsa, Wangdi Phodrang

note:
there may be two new districts named Gasa and Yangtse
10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohales Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka
Age structure 0-14 years:
39.99% (male 424,832; female 394,725)

15-64 years:
56.05% (male 591,152; female 557,498)

65 years and over:
3.96% (male 41,125; female 40,080) (2001 est.)
0-14 years:
39.28% (male 430,147; female 424,994)

15-64 years:
56.03% (male 588,440; female 631,404)

65 years and over:
4.69% (male 43,033; female 59,044) (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products rice, corn, root crops, citrus, foodgrains; dairy products, eggs corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock
Airports 2 (2000 est.) 29 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total:
1

1,524 to 2,437 m:
1 (2000 est.)
total:
4

over 3,047 m:
1

914 to 1,523 m:
1

under 914 m:
2 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total:
1

914 to 1,523 m:
1 (2000 est.)
total:
25

914 to 1,523 m:
4

under 914 m:
21 (2000 est.)
Area total:
47,000 sq km

land:
47,000 sq km

water:
0 sq km
total:
30,355 sq km

land:
30,355 sq km

water:
0 sq km
Area - comparative about half the size of Indiana slightly smaller than Maryland
Background Under British influence a monarchy was set up in 1907; three years later a treaty was signed whereby the country became a British protectorate. Independence was attained in 1949, with India subsequently guiding foreign relations and supplying aid. A refugee issue of some 100,000 Bhutanese in Nepal remains unresolved; 90% of these displaced persons are housed in seven United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) camps. Maoist Assamese separatists from India, who have established themselves in the southeast portion of Bhutan, have drawn Indian cross-border incursions. Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence from the UK in 1966. Constitutional government was restored in 1993 after 23 years of military rule.
Birth rate 35.73 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 31.24 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget revenues:
$146 million

expenditures:
$152 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY95/96 est.)

note:
the government of India finances nearly three-fifths of Bhutan's budget expenditures
revenues:
$76 million

expenditures:
$80 million, including capital expenditures of $15 million (FY99/00 est.)
Capital Thimphu Maseru
Climate varies; tropical in southern plains; cool winters and hot summers in central valleys; severe winters and cool summers in Himalayas temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution no written constitution or bill of rights; note - Bhutan uses 1953 Royal decree for the Constitution of the National Assembly; on 7 July 1998, a Royal edict was ratified giving the National Assembly additional powers 2 April 1993
Country name conventional long form:
Kingdom of Bhutan

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

conventional short form:
Lesotho

former:
Basutoland
Currency ngultrum (BTN); Indian rupee (INR) loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR)
Death rate 14.03 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 15.7 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external $120 million (1998) $720 million (2000 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US the US and Bhutan have no formal diplomatic relations, although informal contact is maintained between the Bhutanese and US Embassy in New Delhi (India) chief of mission:
Ambassador Katherine H. PETERSON

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; note - Bhutan has a Permanent Mission to the UN; address: 2 United Nations Plaza, 27th Floor, New York, NY 10017; telephone [1] (212) 826-1919; the Bhutanese mission to the UN has consular jurisdiction in the US

consulate(s) general:
New York
chief of mission:
Ambassador 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 refugee issue over the presence in Nepal of approximately 98,700 Bhutanese refugees, 90% of whom are in seven United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) camps none
Economic aid - recipient $73.8 million (1995) $123.7 million (1995)
Economy - overview The economy, one of the world's smallest and least developed, is based on agriculture and forestry, which provide the main livelihood for more than 90% of the population. Agriculture consists largely of subsistence farming and animal husbandry. Rugged mountains dominate the terrain and make the building of roads and other infrastructure difficult and expensive. The economy is closely aligned with India's through strong trade and monetary links. The industrial sector is technologically backward, with most production of the cottage industry type. Most development projects, such as road construction, rely on Indian migrant labor. Bhutan's hydropower potential and its attraction for tourists are key resources. The Bhutanese Government has made some progress in expanding the nation's productive base and improving social welfare. Model education, social, and environment programs in Bhutan are underway with support from multilateral development organizations. Each economic program takes into account the government's desire to protect the country's environment and cultural traditions. Detailed controls and uncertain policies in areas like industrial licensing, trade, labor, and finance continue to hamper foreign investment. Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho's primary natural resource is water. Its economy is based on subsistence agriculture, livestock, and remittances from miners employed in South Africa. The number of such 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 substantial 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.
Electricity - consumption 191.1 million kWh (1999) 55 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports 1.55 billion kWh (1999) 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports 15 million kWh (1999) 55 million kWh

note:
electricity supplied by South Africa (1999)
Electricity - production 1.856 billion kWh (1999) 0 kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (1999)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
0.05%

hydro:
99.95%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
fossil fuel:
0%

hydro:
0%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Drangme Chhu 97 m

highest point:
Kula Kangri 7,553 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; limited access to potable water 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, Nuclear Test Ban

signed, but not ratified:
Law of the Sea
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 Bhote 50%, ethnic Nepalese 35%, indigenous or migrant tribes 15% Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%,
Exchange rates ngultrum per US dollar - 46.540 (January 2001), 44.942 (2000), 43.055 (1999), 41.259 (1998), 36.313 (1997), 35.433 (1996); note - the Bhutanese ngultrum is at par with the Indian rupee which is also legal tender maloti per US dollar - 7.78307 (January 2001), 6.93983 (2000), 6.10948 (1999), 5.52828 (1998), 4.60796 (1997), 4.29935 (1996); 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:
King Jigme Singye WANGCHUCK (since 24 July 1972)

head of government:
Chairman of the Council of Ministers Sangay NGEDUP (since NA 1999)

cabinet:
Council of Ministers (Lhengye Shungtsog) nominated by the monarch, approved by the National Assembly; members serve fixed, five-year terms; note - there is also a Royal Advisory Council (Lodoi Tsokde), members nominated by the monarch

elections:
none; the monarch is hereditary, but democratic reforms in July 1998 give the National Assembly authority to remove the monarch with two-thirds vote
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 $154 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) $175 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities cardamom, gypsum, timber, handicrafts, cement, fruit, electricity (to India), precious stones, spices manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (1998)
Exports - partners India 94%, Bangladesh South African Customs Union 65%, North America 34% (1998)
Fiscal year 1 July - 30 June 1 April - 31 March
Flag description divided diagonally from the lower hoist side corner; the upper triangle is yellow and the lower triangle is orange; centered along the dividing line is a large black and white dragon facing away from the hoist side 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 - $2.3 billion (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $5.1 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
38%

industry:
37%

services:
25% (2000 est.)
agriculture:
18%

industry:
38%

services:
44% (1999)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $2,400 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 6% (2000 est.) 2.5% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates 27 30 N, 90 30 E 29 30 S, 28 30 E
Geography - note landlocked; strategic location between China and India; controls several key Himalayan mountain passes landlocked; surrounded by South Africa
Highways total:
3,285 km

paved:
1,994 km

unpaved:
1,291 km (1996)
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%:
0.9%

highest 10%:
43.4% (1986-87)
Imports $269 million (c.i.f., 2000 est.) $700 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities fuel and lubricants, grain, machinery and parts, vehicles, fabrics, rice food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products (1995)
Imports - partners India 77%, Japan, UK, Germany, US South African Customs Union 90%, Asia 7% (1998)
Independence 8 August 1949 (from India) 4 October 1966 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate 9.3% (1996 est.) 15.5% (1999 est.)
Industries cement, wood products, processed fruits, alcoholic beverages, calcium carbide food, beverages, textiles, handicrafts; construction; tourism
Infant mortality rate 108.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) 82.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 7% (2000 est.) 6% (2000 est.)
International organization participation AsDB, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IMF, Intelsat, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OPCW, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WTrO (observer) ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) NA 1 (2000)
Irrigated land 340 sq km (1993 est.) 30 sq km (1993 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court of Appeal (the monarch); High Court (judges appointed by the monarch) High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch); Court of Appeal; Magistrate's Court; customary or traditional court
Labor force NA

note:
massive lack of skilled labor
700,000 economically active
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 93%, services 5%, industry and commerce 2% 86% of resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture; roughly 35% of the active male wage earners work in South Africa
Land boundaries total:
1,075 km

border countries:
China 470 km, India 605 km
total:
909 km

border countries:
South Africa 909 km
Land use arable land:
2%

permanent crops:
0%

permanent pastures:
6%

forests and woodland:
66%

other:
26% (1993 est.)
arable land:
11%

permanent crops:
0%

permanent pastures:
66%

forests and woodland:
0%

other:
23% (1993 est.)
Languages Dzongkha (official), Bhotes speak various Tibetan dialects, Nepalese speak various Nepalese dialects Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa
Legal system based on Indian law and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction 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 unicameral National Assembly or Tshogdu (150 seats; 105 elected from village constituencies, 10 represent religious bodies, and 35 are designated by the monarch to represent government and other secular interests; members serve three-year terms)

elections:
last held NA (next to be held NA)

election results:
NA
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (33 members - 22 principal chiefs and 11 other members appointed by the ruling party) and the Assembly (80 seats; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms); note - number of seats in the Assembly rose from 65 to 80 in the May 1998 election; on 28 February 2001, the Senate approved expansion of the Assembly by a further 50 seats in the next election, which may be held as early as January 2002

elections:
last held 23 May 1998 (next to be held NA March 2001)

election results:
percent of vote by party - LCD 60.7%, BNP 24.5%, other 14.8%; seats by party - LCD 79, BNP 1

note:
results contested; opposition parties claimed the election was fraudulent and staged a coup; Southern African Development Community (SADC) forces intervened in September 1998 and restored order; the Interim Political Authority (IPA) was set up in December 1998 to create a new electoral system and conduct new elections.
Life expectancy at birth total population:
52.79 years

male:
53.16 years

female:
52.41 years (2001 est.)
total population:
48.84 years

male:
47.97 years

female:
49.74 years (2001 est.)
Literacy definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
42.2%

male:
56.2%

female:
28.1% (1995 est.)
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
83%

male:
72%

female:
93% (1999 est.)
Location Southern Asia, between China and India Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa
Map references Asia Africa
Maritime claims none (landlocked) none (landlocked)
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 Royal Bhutan Army, National Militia, Royal Bhutan Police, Royal Body Guards, Forest Guards (paramilitary) Lesotho Defense Force (LDF; includes Army and Air Wing), Royal Lesotho Mounted Police (RLMP)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $NA $34 million (1999)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA% NA%
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
504,342 (2001 est.)
males age 15-49:
515,464 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
269,251 (2001 est.)
males age 15-49:
277,369 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males:
21,167 (2001 est.)
-
National holiday National Day (Ugyen WANGCHUCK became first hereditary king), 17 December (1907) Independence Day, 4 October (1966)
Nationality noun:
Bhutanese (singular and plural)

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

adjective:
Basotho
Natural hazards violent storms coming down from the Himalayas are the source of the country's name which translates as Land of the Thunder Dragon; frequent landslides during the rainy season periodic droughts
Natural resources timber, hydropower, gypsum, calcium carbide water, agricultural and grazing land, some diamonds and other minerals
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) -0.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Political parties and leaders no legal parties 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; Dr. Pakalitha MOSISILI, leader] - the governing party; 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 Buddhist clergy; ethnic Nepalese organizations leading militant antigovernment campaign; Indian merchant community; United Front for Democracy (exiled) NA
Population 2,049,412 (July 2001 est.)

note:
other estimates range as low as 800,000
2,177,062

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 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 49.2% (1999 est.)
Population growth rate 2.17% (2001 est.) 1.49% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors none none
Radio broadcast stations AM 0, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios 37,000 (1997) 104,000 (1997)
Railways 0 km 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 Lamaistic Buddhist 75%, Indian- and Nepalese-influenced Hinduism 25% Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%
Sex ratio at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.08 male(s)/female

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

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

total population:
1.07 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 (2001 est.)
Suffrage each family has one vote in village-level elections 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment:
NA

domestic:
domestic telephone service is very poor with few telephones in use

international:
international telephone and telegraph service is by landline through India; a satellite earth station was planned (1990)
general assessment:
rudimentary system

domestic:
consists of a few landlines, a small microwave radio relay system, and a minor radiotelephone communication system

international:
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 6,000 (1997) 20,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular NA 1,262 (1996)
Television broadcast stations 0 (1997) 1 (2000)
Terrain mostly mountainous with some fertile valleys and savanna mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains
Total fertility rate 5.07 children born/woman (2001 est.) 4.08 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 45% (2000 est.)
Waterways none none
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