Compare Eritrea (2007) - Lesotho (2002)

Compare Eritrea (2007) z Lesotho (2002)

	Eritrea (2007)	Lesotho (2002)

Administrative divisions	6 regions (zobatat, singular - zoba); Anseba, Debub (Southern), Debubawi K'eyih Bahri (Southern Red Sea), Gash Barka, Ma'akel (Central), Semenawi Keyih Bahri (Northern Red Sea)	10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohales Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka
Age structure	0-14 years: 43.5% (male 1,073,404/female 1,060,674) 15-64 years: 52.9% (male 1,286,613/female 1,310,294) 65 years and over: 3.6% (male 85,052/female 90,548) (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	sorghum, lentils, vegetables, corn, cotton, tobacco, sisal; livestock, goats; fish	corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock
Airports	18 (2007)	28 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 4 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2007)	total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 14 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 2 (2007)	total: 24 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 20 (2002)
Area	total: 121,320 sq km land: 121,320 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 30,355 sq km land: 30,355 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly larger than Pennsylvania	slightly smaller than Maryland
Background	Eritrea was awarded to Ethiopia in 1952 as part of a federation. Ethiopia's annexation of Eritrea as a province 10 years later sparked a 30-year struggle for independence that ended in 1991 with Eritrean rebels defeating governmental forces; independence was overwhelmingly approved in a 1993 referendum. A two-and-a-half-year border war with Ethiopia that erupted in 1998 ended under UN auspices in December 2000. Eritrea currently hosts a UN peacekeeping operation that is monitoring a 25 km-wide Temporary Security Zone on the border with Ethiopia. An international commission, organized to resolve the border dispute, posted its findings in 2002. However, both parties have been unable to reach agreement on implementing the decision. In November 2006, the international commission informed Eritrea and Ethiopia they had one year to demarcate the border or the border demarcation would be based on coordinates.	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	33.97 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)	30.72 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget	revenues: $234.6 million expenditures: $424.7 million (2006 est.)	revenues: $76 million expenditures: $80 million, including capital expenditures of $15 million
Capital	name: Asmara (Asmera) geographic coordinates: 15 20 N, 38 56 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)	Maseru
Climate	hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter in the central highlands (up to 61 cm of rainfall annually, heaviest June to September); semiarid in western hills and lowlands	temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers
Coastline	2,234 km (mainland on Red Sea 1,151 km, islands in Red Sea 1,083 km)	0 km (landlocked)
Constitution	a transitional constitution, decreed on 19 May 1993, was replaced by a new constitution adopted on 23 May 1997, but not yet implemented	2 April 1993
Country name	conventional long form: State of Eritrea conventional short form: Eritrea local long form: Hagere Ertra local short form: Ertra former: Eritrea Autonomous Region in Ethiopia	conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho conventional short form: Lesotho former: Basutoland
Currency	-	loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR)
Death rate	9.36 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)	16.81 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external	$311 million (2000 est.)	$715 million (2001 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Ronald MCMULLEN embassy: 179 Ala Street, Asmara mailing address: P. O. Box 211, Asmara telephone: [291] (1) 120004 FAX: [291] (1) 127584	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	chief of mission: Ambassador GHIRMAI Ghebremariam chancery: 1708 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 319-1991 FAX: [1] (202) 319-1304 consulate(s) general: Oakland (California)	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	Eritrea and Ethiopia agreed to abide by 2002 Ethiopia-Eritrea Boundary Commission's (EEBC) delimitation decision but, neither party responded to the revised line detailed in the November 2006 EEBC Demarcation Statement; UN Peacekeeping Mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), which has monitored the 25-km-wide Temporary Security Zone in Eritrea since 2000, is extended for six months in 2007 despite Eritrean restrictions on its operations and reduced force of 17,000; Sudan accuses Eritrea of supporting eastern Sudanese rebel groups	none
Economic aid - recipient	$355.2 million (2005)	$123.7 million (1995) (1995)
Economy - overview	Since independence from Ethiopia in 1993, Eritrea has faced the economic problems of a small, desperately poor country, accentuated by the recent implementation of restrictive economic policies. Eritrea has a command economy under the control of the sole political party, the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ). Like the economies of many African nations, the economy is largely based on subsistence agriculture, with 80% of the population involved in farming and herding. The Ethiopian-Eritrea war in 1998-2000 severely hurt Eritrea's economy. GDP growth fell to zero in 1999 and to -12.1% in 2000. The May 2000 Ethiopian offensive into northern Eritrea caused some $600 million in property damage and loss, including losses of $225 million in livestock and 55,000 homes. The attack prevented planting of crops in Eritrea's most productive region, causing food production to drop by 62%. Even during the war, Eritrea developed its transportation infrastructure, asphalting new roads, improving its ports, and repairing war-damaged roads and bridges. Since the war ended, the government has maintained a firm grip on the economy, expanding the use of the military and party-owned businesses to complete Eritrea's development agenda. In January 2005, the government essentially banned all imports. The government strictly controls the use of foreign currency, limiting access and availability. Few private enterprises remain in Eritrea. Eritrea's economy is heavily dependent on taxes paid by members of the diaspora. Erratic rainfall and the delayed demobilization of agriculturalists from the military continue to interfere with agricultural production, and Eritrea's recent harvests have not been able to meet the food needs of the country. Eritrea's economic future depends upon its ability to master social problems such as illiteracy, unemployment, and low skills, and more importantly, on the government's willingness to support a true market economy.	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	228 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	274 million kWh (2005)	0 kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2000)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: near Kulul within the Denakil depression -75 m highest point: Soira 3,018 m	lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m
Environment - current issues	deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; overgrazing; loss of infrastructure from civil warfare	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, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected 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	Tigrinya 50%, Tigre and Kunama 40%, Afar 4%, Saho (Red Sea coast dwellers) 3%, other 3%	Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%,
Exchange rates	nakfa (ERN) per US dollar - 15.4 (2006), 14.5 (2005), 13.788 (2004), 13.878 (2003), 13.958 (2002) note: the official exchange rate is 15 nakfa to the 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: President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government and is head of the State Council and National Assembly head of government: President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993) cabinet: State Council is the collective executive authority; members appointed by the president elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); the most recent and only election held 8 June 1993 (next election date uncertain as the National Assembly did not hold a presidential election in December 2001 as anticipated) election results: ISAIAS Afworki elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - ISAIAS Afworki 95%, other 5%	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 bbl/day	$250 million f.o.b. (2001 est.)
Exports - commodities	livestock, sorghum, textiles, food, small manufactures (2000)	manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals
Exports - partners	Italy 26.7%, France 13.8%, Australia 8.2%, Sudan 7.9%, US 7.8%, China 6.2%, Saudi Arabia 5.5%, Jordan 5.2% (2006)	South African Customs Union 53.9%, North America 45.6% (1999)
Fiscal year	calendar year	1 April - 31 March
Flag description	red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) dividing the flag into two right triangles; the upper triangle is green, the lower one is blue; a gold wreath encircling a gold olive branch is centered on the hoist side of the red triangle	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: 21.9% industry: 22.6% services: 55.5% (2006 est.)	agriculture: 18% industry: 38% services: 44% (2001)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $2,450 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	2% (2005 est.)	2.6% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates	15 00 N, 39 00 E	29 30 S, 28 30 E
Geography - note	strategic geopolitical position along world's busiest shipping lanes; Eritrea retained the entire coastline of Ethiopia along the Red Sea upon de jure independence from Ethiopia on 24 May 1993	landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 meters above sea level
Heliports	1 (2007)	-
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	machinery, petroleum products, food, manufactured goods	food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products
Imports - partners	Italy 15.8%, Saudi Arabia 15.7%, China 15.6%, Netherlands 6.7%, Turkey 6.2%, Germany 5.3% (2006)	South African Customs Union 89.5%, Asia 7% (1999)
Independence	24 May 1993 (from Ethiopia)	4 October 1966 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate	NA%	15.5% (1999 est.)
Industries	food processing, beverages, clothing and textiles, light manufacturing, salt, cement	food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts; construction; tourism
Infant mortality rate	total: 45.24 deaths/1,000 live births male: 51.05 deaths/1,000 live births female: 39.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)	82.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	15% (2006 est.)	6.9% (2001 est.)
International organization participation	ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (observer), IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO	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	210 sq km (2003)	10 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	High Court - regional, subregional, and village courts; also have military and special courts	High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch); Court of Appeal; Magistrate's Court; customary or traditional court
Labor force	NA	700,000 economically active
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: 80% industry and services: 20% (2004 est.)	86% of resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture; roughly 35% of the active male wage earners work in South Africa
Land boundaries	total: 1,626 km border countries: Djibouti 109 km, Ethiopia 912 km, Sudan 605 km	total: 909 km border countries: South Africa 909 km
Land use	arable land: 4.78% permanent crops: 0.03% other: 95.19% (2005)	arable land: 10.71% permanent crops: 0% other: 89.29% (1998 est.)
Languages	Afar, Arabic, Tigre and Kunama, Tigrinya, other Cushitic languages	Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa
Legal system	primary basis is the Ethiopian legal code of 1957, with revisions; new civil, commercial, and penal codes have not yet been promulgated; government also issues unilateral proclamations setting laws and policies; also relies on customary and post-independence-enacted laws and, for civil cases involving Muslims, Islamic law; does not accept 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 (150 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: in May 1997, following the adoption of the new constitution, 75 members of the PFDJ Central Committee (the old Central Committee of the EPLF), 60 members of the 527-member Constituent Assembly, which had been established in 1997 to discuss and ratify the new constitution, and 15 representatives of Eritreans living abroad were formed into a Transitional National Assembly to serve as the country's legislative body until countrywide elections to a National Assembly were held; although only 75 of 150 members of the Transitional National Assembly were elected, the constitution stipulates that once past the transition stage, all members of the National Assembly will be elected by secret ballot of all eligible voters; National Assembly elections scheduled for December 2001 were postponed indefinitely	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: 59.55 years male: 57.88 years female: 61.28 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: 58.6% male: 69.9% female: 47.6% (2003 est.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 83% male: 72% female: 93% (1999 est.)
Location	Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan	Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa
Map references	Africa	Africa
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm	none (landlocked)
Merchant marine	total: 5 ships (1000 GRT or over) 12,529 GRT/15,023 DWT by type: cargo 2, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 (2007)	-
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	Army, Navy, Air Force	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	6.3% (2006 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	Independence Day, 24 May (1993)	Independence Day, 4 October (1966)
Nationality	noun: Eritrean(s) adjective: Eritrean	noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural) adjective: Basotho
Natural hazards	frequent droughts; locust swarms	periodic droughts
Natural resources	gold, potash, zinc, copper, salt, possibly oil and natural gas, fish	water, agricultural and grazing land, some diamonds and other minerals
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)	-0.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Political parties and leaders	People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ [ISAIAS Afworki] (the only party recognized by the government); note - a National Assembly committee drafted a law on political parties in January 2001, but the full National Assembly has not yet debated or voted on it	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	Eritrean Islamic Jihad or EIJ (also including Eritrean Islamic Jihad Movement or EIJM (also known as the Abu Sihel Movement)); Eritrean Islamic Salvation or EIS (also known as the Arafa Movement); Eritrean Liberation Front or ELF [ABDULLAH Muhammed]; Eritrean National Alliance or ENA (a coalition including EIJ, EIS, ELF, and a number of ELF factions) [HERUY Tedla Biru]; Eritrean Public Forum or EPF [ARADOM Iyob]; Eritrean Democratic Party (EDP) [HAGOS, Mesfin]	NA
Population	4,906,585 (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	50% (2004 est.)	49% (1999 est.)
Population growth rate	2.461% (2007 est.)	1.33% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	none
Radio broadcast stations	AM 2, FM NA, shortwave 2 (2000)	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios	-	NA (2002)
Railways	total: 306 km narrow gauge: 306 km 0.950-m gauge (2006)	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	Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant	Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.012 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.982 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.939 male(s)/female total population: 0.993 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: inadequate domestic: inadequate; most telephones are in Asmara; government is seeking international tenders to improve the system (2002) international: country code - 291; note - international connections exist	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	37,700 (2006)	22,200 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular	62,000 (2006)	21,600 (2000)
Television broadcast stations	2 (2006)	1 (2000)
Terrain	dominated by extension of Ethiopian north-south trending highlands, descending on the east to a coastal desert plain, on the northwest to hilly terrain and on the southwest to flat-to-rolling plains	mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains
Total fertility rate	4.96 children born/woman (2007 est.)	4.01 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate	NA%	45% (2000 est.)
Waterways	-	none

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