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Compare Christmas Island (2006) - Lesotho (2008)
Compare Christmas Island (2006) z Lesotho (2008)
| Christmas Island (2006) | Lesotho (2008) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | none (territory of Australia) | 10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohale's Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.) |
0-14 years: 35.7% (male 382,308/female 377,303)
15-64 years: 59.3% (male 613,979/female 645,818) 65 years and over: 5% (male 42,621/female 63,233) (2007 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | NA | corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock |
| Airports | 1 (2006) | 28 (2007) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) |
total: 3
over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 25
914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 21 (2007) |
| Area | total: 135 sq km
land: 135 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 30,355 sq km
land: 30,355 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative | about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC | slightly smaller than Maryland |
| Background | Named in 1643 for the day of its discovery, the island was annexed and settlement began by the UK in 1888. Phosphate mining began in the 1890s. The UK transferred sovereignty to Australia in 1958. Almost two-thirds of the island has been declared a national park. | 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 was reinstated in 1995. Constitutional government was restored in 1993 after seven 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. Subsequent constitutional reforms restored relative political stability. Peaceful parliamentary elections were held in 2002, but the National Assembly elections of February 2007 were hotly contested and aggrieved parties continue to periodically demonstrate their distrust of the results. |
| Birth rate | NA | 24.72 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Budget | revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA |
revenues: $951.4 million
expenditures: $855.4 million (2007 est.) |
| Capital | name: The Settlement
geographic coordinates: 18 44 N, 64 19 W time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
name: Maseru
geographic coordinates: 29 19 S, 27 29 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Climate | tropical with a wet and dry season; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds; wet season (December to April) | temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers |
| Coastline | 138.9 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Constitution | Christmas Island Act of 1958-59 (1 October 1958) as amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992 | 2 April 1993 |
| Country name | conventional long form: Territory of Christmas Island
conventional short form: Christmas Island |
conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho
conventional short form: Lesotho local long form: Kingdom of Lesotho local short form: Lesotho former: Basutoland |
| Death rate | NA | 22.49 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Debt - external | - | $693 million (31 December 2007 est.) |
| Dependency status | non-self governing territory of Australia; administered by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services | - |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | none (territory of Australia) | chief of mission: Ambassador Robert NOLAN
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 | none (territory of Australia) | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Mabasia MOHOBANE
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 | $68.82 million (2005) |
| Economy - overview | Phosphate mining had been the only significant economic activity, but in December 1987 the Australian Government closed the mine. In 1991, the mine was reopened. With the support of the government, a $34 million casino opened in 1993. The casino closed in 1998. The Australian Government in 2001 agreed to support the creation of a commercial space-launching site on the island, projected to begin operations in the near future. | 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 and also generates royalties for Lesotho. Lesotho produces about 90% of its own electrical power needs. 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. In July 2007 Lesotho signed a Millennium Challenge Account Compact with the US worth $362.5 million. |
| Electricity - consumption | - | 338.5 million kWh (2005) |
| Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (2005) |
| Electricity - imports | - | 13 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2005) |
| Electricity - production | - | 350 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2005) |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Murray Hill 361 m |
lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m
highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m |
| Environment - current issues | loss of rainforest; impact of phosphate mining | 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, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
| Ethnic groups | Chinese 70%, European 20%, Malay 10%
note: no indigenous population (2001) |
Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%, |
| Exchange rates | Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001) | maloti per US dollar - 7.25 (2007), 6.85 (2006), 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003) |
| Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by the Australian governor general
head of government: Administrator Neil LUCAS (since 30 January 2006) elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and Australia |
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, that 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 | $NA | 0 bbl/day (2004) |
| Exports - commodities | phosphate | manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (2000) |
| Exports - partners | Australia, NZ (2004) | US 81.9%, Belgium 15%, Canada 1.9% (2006) |
| Fiscal year | 1 July - 30 June | 1 April - 31 March |
| Flag description | territorial flag; divided diagonally from upper hoist to lower fly; the upper triangle is green with a yellow image of the Golden Bosun Bird superimposed, while the lower triangle is blue with the Southern Cross constellation, representing Australia, superimposed; a centered yellow disk displays a green map of the island; the flag of Australia is used for official purposes | 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 - composition by sector | - | agriculture: 15.2%
industry: 45% services: 39.7% (2007 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate | - | 4.8% (2007 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 10 30 S, 105 40 E | 29 30 S, 28 30 E |
| Geography - note | located along major sea lanes of Indian Ocean | landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 meters above sea level |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share | - | lowest 10%: 0.9%
highest 10%: 43.4% (2002 est.) |
| Imports | $NA | 1,400 bbl/day (2004) |
| Imports - commodities | consumer goods | food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products |
| Imports - partners | principally Australia (2004) | Hong Kong 33.4%, China 31.2%, Germany 7.7%, India 7.3% (2006) |
| Independence | none (territory of Australia) | 4 October 1966 (from UK) |
| Industrial production growth rate | - | 12% (2007 est.) |
| Industries | tourism, phosphate extraction (near depletion) | food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts, construction, tourism |
| Infant mortality rate | total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
total: 79.85 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 84.4 deaths/1,000 live births female: 75.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | - | 12% (2007 est.) |
| International organization participation | none | 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, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Irrigated land | NA | 30 sq km (2003) |
| Judicial branch | Supreme Court; District Court; Magistrate's Court | High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch acting on the advice of the Prime Minister); Court of Appeal; Magistrate Courts; customary or traditional court |
| Labor force | NA | 838,000 (2000 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation | - | 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% (2002 est.) |
| Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 909 km
border countries: South Africa 909 km |
| Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (mainly tropical rainforest; 63% of the island is a national park) (2005) |
arable land: 10.87%
permanent crops: 0.13% other: 89% (2005) |
| Languages | English (official), Chinese, Malay | Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa |
| Legal system | under the authority of the governor general of Australia and Australian 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 | unicameral Christmas Island Shire Council (9 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: held every two years with half the members standing for election; last held in May 2005 (next to be held in May 2007) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 9 |
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 popular vote and 40 by proportional vote; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms)
elections: last held 17 February 2007 (next to be held in 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - LCD 61, NIP 21, ABC 17, LWP 10, ACP 4, BNP 3, other 4 |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: NA
male: NA female: NA |
total population: 39.97 years
male: 40.73 years female: 39.18 years (2007 est.) |
| Literacy | NA | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 84.8% male: 74.5% female: 94.5% (2003 est.) |
| Location | Southeastern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of Indonesia | Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa |
| Map references | Southeast Asia | Africa |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
none (landlocked) |
| Military - note | defense is the responsibility of Australia | 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): Army and Air Wing |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 2.6% (2006) |
| National holiday | Australia Day, 26 January (1788) | Independence Day, 4 October (1966) |
| Nationality | noun: Christmas Islander(s)
adjective: Christmas Island |
noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)
adjective: Basotho |
| Natural hazards | the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard | periodic droughts |
| Natural resources | phosphate, beaches | water, agricultural and grazing land, diamonds, sand, clay, building stone |
| Net migration rate | NA | -0.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Political parties and leaders | none | Alliance of Congress Parties or ACP; All Basotho Convention or ABC [Thomas THABANE]; Basotholand African Congress or BAC [Khauhelo RALITAPOLE]; Basotho Congress Party or BCP [Ntsukunyane MPHANYA]; Basotho National Party or BNP [Maj. Gen. Justin Metsing LEKHANYA]; Kopanang Basotho Party or KPB [Pheelo MOSALA]; Lesotho Congress for Democracy or LCD (the governing party) [Pakalitha MOSISILI]; Lesotho Education Party or LEP [Thabo PITSO]; Lesotho Workers Party or LWP [Macaefa BILLY]; Marematlou Freedom Party or MFP [Vincent MALEBO]; National Independent Party or NIP [Anthony MANYELI]; New Lesotho Freedom Party or NLFP [Manapo MAJARA]; Popular Front for Democracy or PFD [Lekhetho RAKUOANE]; Sefate Democratic Union or SDU [Bofihla NKUEBE]; Social Democratic Party of SDP [Masitise SELESO] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | none | NA |
| Population | 1,493 (July 2006 est.) | 2,125,262
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 2007 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | - | 49% (1999) |
| Population growth rate | 0% (2006 est.) | 0.144% (2007 est.) |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2006) | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998) |
| Religions | Buddhist 36%, Muslim 25%, Christian 18%, other 21% (1997) | Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20% |
| Sex ratio | NA | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.013 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.951 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.674 male(s)/female total population: 0.956 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
| Suffrage | - | 18 years of age; universal |
| Telephone system | general assessment: service provided by the Australian network
domestic: GSM mobile telephone service replaced older analog system in February 2005 international: country code - 61-8; satellite earth stations - one INTELSAT earth station provides telephone and telex service (2005) |
general assessment: rudimentary system consisting of a modest but growing number of landlines, a small microwave radio relay system, and a small radiotelephone communication system; mobile-cellular telephone system is expanding
domestic: privatized in 2001, Telecom Lesotho tasked with providing an additional 50,000 fixed-line connections within five years, a target not met; mobile-cellular service is expanding with a subscribership approaching 15 per 100 persons; rural services are scant international: country code - 266; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
| Telephones - main lines in use | NA | 48,000 (2005) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | NA | 249,800 (2005) |
| Television broadcast stations | 0; note - TV broadcasts received via satellite from mainland Australia (2006) | 1 (2000) |
| Terrain | steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central plateau | mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains |
| Total fertility rate | NA | 3.21 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | - | 45% (2002) |
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