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Compare British Indian Ocean Territory (2001) - Lesotho (2004)
Compare British Indian Ocean Territory (2001) z Lesotho (2004)
| British Indian Ocean Territory (2001) | Lesotho (2004) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | - | 10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohale's Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka |
| Age structure | - | 0-14 years: 37.3% (male 350,288; female 345,815)
15-64 years: 57.2% (male 521,434; female 545,183) 65 years and over: 5.5% (male 41,903; female 60,417) (2004 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | - | corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock |
| Airports | 1 (2000 est.) | 28 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total:
1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 3
over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 25
914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.) |
| Area | total:
60 sq km land: 60 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago |
total: 30,355 sq km
land: 30,355 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative | about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC | slightly smaller than Maryland |
| Background | Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976. Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining islands are uninhabited. Former agricultural workers, earlier resident in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius but also to the Seychelles, between 1967 and 1973. In 2000, a British High Court ruling invalidated the local immigration order which had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia. | 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. In 1998, violent protests and a military mutiny following a contentious election prompted a brief but bloody South African military intervention. Constitutional reforms have since restored political stability; peaceful parliamentary elections were held in 2002. |
| Birth rate | - | 26.91 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Budget | - | revenues: $625.4 million
expenditures: $675.2 million, including capital expenditures of $15 million (2003 est.) |
| Capital | - | Maseru |
| Climate | tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds | temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers |
| Coastline | 698 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Constitution | - | 2 April 1993 |
| Country name | conventional long form:
British Indian Ocean Territory conventional short form: none abbreviation: BIOT |
conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho
conventional short form: Lesotho former: Basutoland |
| Currency | - | loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR) |
| Death rate | - | 24.79 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Debt - external | - | $735 million (2002) |
| Dependency status | overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London | - |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | 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 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 | the Chagos Archipelago is claimed by Mauritius and Seychelles | none |
| Economic aid - donor | - | ODA $4.4 million |
| Economic aid - recipient | - | $41.5 million (2000) |
| Economy - overview | All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where joint UK-US defense facilities are located. Construction projects and various services needed to support the military installations are done by military and contract employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. When the Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing. | 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, but the government has 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 and a rapidly growing apparel-assembly sector. 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 | NA kWh | 40 million kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - imports | - | 40 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2001) |
| Electricity - production | NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military | 0 kWh NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2001) |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 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 | - | Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%, |
| Exchange rates | - | maloti per US dollar - 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002), 8.6092 (2001), 6.9398 (2000), 6.1095 (1999) |
| Executive branch | chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Commissioner John WHITE (since NA); Administrator Louise SAVILL (since NA); note - both reside in the UK cabinet: NA elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch |
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 | - | NA (2001) |
| Exports - commodities | - | manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (2000) |
| Exports - partners | - | US 97.6%, Canada 1.5%, France 0.5% (2003) |
| Fiscal year | - | 1 April - 31 March |
| Flag description | white with six blue wavy horizontal stripes; the flag of the UK is in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped section bears a palm tree and yellow crown 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 - $5.583 billion (2003 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector | - | agriculture: 15.3%
industry: 43.3% services: 41.4% (2003) |
| GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $3,000 (2003 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate | - | 4% (2003 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 6 00 S, 71 30 E | 29 30 S, 28 30 E |
| Geography - note | archipelago of 2,300 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility | landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 meters above sea level |
| Highways | total:
NA km paved: short stretch of paved road of NA km between port and airfield on Diego Garcia unpaved: NA km |
total: 5,940 km
paved: 1,087 km unpaved: 4,853 km (1999) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share | - | lowest 10%: 0.9%
highest 10%: 43.4% |
| Imports | - | NA (2001) |
| Imports - commodities | - | food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products (2000) |
| Imports - partners | - | Hong Kong 36.6%, Taiwan 36.2%, China 12%, Germany 9.9% (2003) |
| Independence | - | 4 October 1966 (from UK) |
| Industrial production growth rate | - | 15.5% (1999) |
| Industries | - | food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts; construction; tourism |
| Infant mortality rate | - | total: 85.22 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 90.19 deaths/1,000 live births female: 80.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | - | 6.1% (2003 est.) |
| International organization participation | - | 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) | 1 (2000) | - |
| Irrigated land | 0 sq km (1993) | 10 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Judicial branch | - | High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch); Court of Appeal; Magistrate's Court; customary or traditional court |
| Labor force | - | 838,000 (2000) |
| Labor force - by occupation | - | 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:
0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: NA% other: NA% |
arable land: 10.87%
permanent crops: 0.13% other: 89% (2001) |
| Languages | - | Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa |
| Legal system | the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply | 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 (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: 36.81 years
male: 36.81 years female: 36.81 years (2004 est.) |
| Literacy | - | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 84.8% male: 74.5% female: 94.5% (2003 est.) |
| Location | Southern Asia, archipelago in the Indian Ocean, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia | Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa |
| Map references | World | Africa |
| Maritime claims | exclusive fishing zone:
200 NM territorial sea: 3 NM |
none (landlocked) |
| Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016 | 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 | - | Lesotho Defense Force (LDF; with Army and Air Wing) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $32.5 million (2003) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 2.6% (2003) |
| Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49: 465,827 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49: 253,974 (2004 est.) |
| National holiday | - | Independence Day, 4 October (1966) |
| Nationality | - | noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)
adjective: Basotho |
| Natural hazards | NA | periodic droughts |
| Natural resources | coconuts, fish, sugarcane | water, agricultural and grazing land, some diamonds and other minerals |
| Net migration rate | - | -0.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Political parties and leaders | - | 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 | - | NA |
| Population | no indigenous inhabitants
note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural workers resident in the Chagos Archipelago, often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois, were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles around the time of the construction of UK-US military facilities; in 1995, there were approximately 1,700 UK and US military personnel and 1,500 civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia |
1,865,040
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 2004 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | - | 49% (1999) |
| Population growth rate | - | 0.14% (2004 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | Diego Garcia | none |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998) |
| Radios | NA | - |
| Religions | - | Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20% |
| Sex ratio | - | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
| Suffrage | - | 18 years of age; universal |
| Telephone system | general assessment:
separate facilities for military and public needs are available domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the Internet international: international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000) |
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: country code - 266; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
| Telephones - main lines in use | NA | 28,600 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | - | 92,000 (2002) |
| Television broadcast stations | 1 (1997) | 1 (2000) |
| Terrain | flat and low (most areas do not exceed four meters in elevation) | mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains |
| Total fertility rate | - | 3.44 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | - | 45% (2002) |
| Waterways | none | - |
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