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Compare Lesotho (2001) - Belize (2001)
Compare Lesotho (2001) z Belize (2001)
| Lesotho (2001) | Belize (2001) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | 10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohales Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka | 6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo |
| Age structure | 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.) |
0-14 years:
42.04% (male 54,876; female 52,780) 15-64 years: 54.43% (male 70,534; female 68,837) 65 years and over: 3.53% (male 4,403; female 4,632) (2001 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock | bananas, coca, citrus, sugarcane; lumber; fish, cultured shrimp |
| Airports | 29 (2000 est.) | 44 (2000 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total:
4 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
total:
4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
25 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 21 (2000 est.) |
total:
40 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 29 (2000 est.) |
| Area | total:
30,355 sq km land: 30,355 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total:
22,966 sq km land: 22,806 sq km water: 160 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Maryland | slightly smaller than Massachusetts |
| Background | 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. | Territorial disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed the independence of Belize (formerly British Honduras) until 1981. Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation until 1992. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy. The country remains plagued by high unemployment, growing involvement in the South American drug trade, and increased urban crime. |
| Birth rate | 31.24 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 31.69 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Budget | revenues:
$76 million expenditures: $80 million, including capital expenditures of $15 million (FY99/00 est.) |
revenues:
$157 million expenditures: $279 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.) |
| Capital | Maseru | Belmopan |
| Climate | temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers | tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May) |
| Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 386 km |
| Constitution | 2 April 1993 | 21 September 1981 |
| Country name | conventional long form:
Kingdom of Lesotho conventional short form: Lesotho former: Basutoland |
conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Belize former: British Honduras |
| Currency | loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR) | Belizean dollar (BZD) |
| Death rate | 15.7 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 4.7 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Debt - external | $720 million (2000 est.) | $338 million (1998) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | 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 |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Carolyn CURIEL embassy: 29 Gabourel Lane and Hutson Street, Belize City mailing address: P. O. Box 286, Unit 7401, APO AA 34025 telephone: [501] (2) 77161 FAX: [501] (2) 30802 |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | 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 |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Lisa M. SHOMAN chancery: 2535 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-9636 FAX: [1] (202) 332-6888 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles |
| Disputes - international | none | Guatemala periodically asserts claims to territory in southern Belize; to deter cross-border squatting, both states in 2000 agreed to a "line of adjacency" based on the de facto boundary, which is not recognized by Guatemala |
| Economic aid - recipient | $123.7 million (1995) | $NA |
| Economy - overview | 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. | The small, essentially private enterprise economy is based primarily on agriculture, agro-based industry, and merchandising, with tourism and construction assuming greater importance. Sugar, the chief crop, accounts for nearly half of exports, while the banana industry is the country's largest employer. The government's tough austerity program in 1997 resulted in an economic slowdown that continued in 1998. The trade deficit has been growing, mostly as a result of low export prices for sugar and bananas. The tourist and construction sectors strengthened in early 1999, supporting growth of 6% in 1999 and 4% in 2000. Aided by international donors, the government's key short-term objective remains the reduction of poverty. |
| Electricity - consumption | 55 million kWh (1999) | 172.1 million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - imports | 55 million kWh
note: electricity supplied by South Africa (1999) |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - production | 0 kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (1999) | 185 million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
0% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
fossil fuel:
56.76% hydro: 43.24% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point:
junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m |
lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Victoria Peak 1,160 m |
| Environment - current issues | 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 | deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid waste disposal |
| 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 |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Ethnic groups | Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%, | mestizo 43.7%, Creole 29.8%, Maya 10%, Garifuna 6.2%, other 10.3% |
| Exchange rates | 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 | Belizean dollars per US dollar - 2.0000 (fixed rate pegged to the US dollar) |
| Executive branch | 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 |
chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Colville YOUNG (since 17 November 1993) head of government: Prime Minister Said MUSA (since 27 August 1998); Deputy Prime Minister John BRICENO (since 1 September 1998) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; governor general appoints the member of the House of Representatives who is leader of the majority party to be prime minister |
| Exports | $175 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | $235.7 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
| Exports - commodities | manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (1998) | sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood |
| Exports - partners | South African Customs Union 65%, North America 34% (1998) | US 42%, UK 33%, EU 12%, Caricom 4.8%, Canada 2%, Mexico 1% (1999) |
| Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | 1 April - 31 March |
| Flag description | 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 | blue with a narrow red stripe along the top and the bottom edges; centered is a large white disk bearing the coat of arms; the coat of arms features a shield flanked by two workers in front of a mahogany tree with the related motto SUB UMBRA FLOREO (I Flourish in the Shade) on a scroll at the bottom, all encircled by a green garland |
| GDP | purchasing power parity - $5.1 billion (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $790 million (2000 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
18% industry: 38% services: 44% (1999) |
agriculture:
18% industry: 24% services: 58% (2000 est.) |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $2,400 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $3,200 (2000 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate | 2.5% (2000 est.) | 4% (2000 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 29 30 S, 28 30 E | 17 15 N, 88 45 W |
| Geography - note | landlocked; surrounded by South Africa | only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean |
| Highways | total:
4,955 km paved: 887 km unpaved: 4,068 km (1996) |
total:
2,872 km paved: 488 km unpaved: 2,384 km (1998 est.) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
0.9% highest 10%: 43.4% (1986-87) |
lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
| Illicit drugs | - | minor transshipment point for cocaine; small-scale illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; minor money-laundering center |
| Imports | $700 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | $413 million (c.i.f., 2000 est.) |
| Imports - commodities | food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products (1995) | machinery and transportation equipment, manufactured goods; food, beverages, tobacco; fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals |
| Imports - partners | South African Customs Union 90%, Asia 7% (1998) | US 58%, Mexico 12%, UK 5% EU 5%, Central America 5%, Caricom 4% (1998) |
| Independence | 4 October 1966 (from UK) | 21 September 1981 (from UK) |
| Industrial production growth rate | 15.5% (1999 est.) | 4.6% (1999) |
| Industries | food, beverages, textiles, handicrafts; construction; tourism | garment production, food processing, tourism, construction |
| Infant mortality rate | 82.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | 25.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 6% (2000 est.) | 2% (2000 est.) |
| International organization participation | 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 | ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 1 (2000) | 2 (2000) |
| Irrigated land | 30 sq km (1993 est.) | 20 sq km (1993 est.) |
| Judicial branch | High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch); Court of Appeal; Magistrate's Court; customary or traditional court | Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister) |
| Labor force | 700,000 economically active | 71,000
note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (1997 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation | 86% of resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture; roughly 35% of the active male wage earners work in South Africa | agriculture 38%, industry 32%, services 30% (1994) |
| Land boundaries | total:
909 km border countries: South Africa 909 km |
total:
516 km border countries: Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km |
| Land use | arable land:
11% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 66% forests and woodland: 0% other: 23% (1993 est.) |
arable land:
10% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 2% forests and woodland: 84% other: 3% (2000 est.) |
| Languages | Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa | English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole |
| Legal system | 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 | English law |
| 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 (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. |
bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (eight members, five appointed on the advice of the prime minister, two on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and one by the governor general; members are appointed for five-year terms); and the House of Representatives (29 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 27 August 1998 (next to be held by NA August 2003) election results: percent of vote by party - PUP 59.2%, UDP 40.8%; seats by party - PUP 26, UDP 3 |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population:
48.84 years male: 47.97 years female: 49.74 years (2001 est.) |
total population:
71.19 years male: 68.91 years female: 73.57 years (2001 est.) |
| Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 83% male: 72% female: 93% (1999 est.) |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 70.3% male: 70.3% female: 70.3% (1991 est.) note: other sources list the literacy rate as high as 75% |
| Location | Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa | Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico |
| Map references | Africa | Central America and the Caribbean |
| Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | exclusive economic zone:
200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM in the north, 3 NM in the south; note - from the mouth of the Sarstoon River to Ranguana Cay, Belize's territorial sea is 3 NM; according to Belize's Maritime Areas Act, 1992, the purpose of this limitation is to provide a framework for the negotiation of a definitive agreement on territorial differences with Guatemala |
| Merchant marine | - | total:
402 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,575,851 GRT/2,241,731 DWT ships by type: bulk 27, cargo 265, chemical tanker 6, combination ore/oil 1, container 14, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 56, refrigerated cargo 18, roll on/roll off 7, short-sea passenger 1, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 3 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Cuba 1, Singapore 1, US 1 (2000 est.) |
| 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 | Lesotho Defense Force (LDF; includes Army and Air Wing), Royal Lesotho Mounted Police (RLMP) | Belize Defense Force (includes Army, Maritime Wing, Air Wing, and Volunteer Guard) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | $34 million (1999) | $17 million (FY98/99) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA% | 2.4% (FY98/99) |
| Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
515,464 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49:
62,698 (2001 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
277,369 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49:
37,174 (2001 est.) |
| Military manpower - military age | - | 18 years of age |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males:
2,847 (2001 est.) |
| National holiday | Independence Day, 4 October (1966) | Independence Day, 21 September (1981) |
| Nationality | noun:
Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural) adjective: Basotho |
noun:
Belizean(s) adjective: Belizean |
| Natural hazards | periodic droughts | frequent, devastating hurricanes (September to December) and coastal flooding (especially in south) |
| Natural resources | water, agricultural and grazing land, some diamonds and other minerals | arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower |
| Net migration rate | -0.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 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; 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] | People's United Party or PUP [Said MUSA]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Manuel ESQUIVEL, Dean BARROW, Doug SINGH] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | Society for the Promotion of Education and Research or SPEAR [Diane HAYLOCK]; United Worker's Front |
| Population | 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.) |
256,062 (July 2001 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | 49.2% (1999 est.) | 33% (1999 est.) |
| Population growth rate | 1.49% (2001 est.) | 2.7% (2001 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | none | Belize City, Big Creek, Corozol, Punta Gorda |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998) | AM 1, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Radios | 104,000 (1997) | 133,000 (1997) |
| 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) |
0 km |
| Religions | Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20% | Roman Catholic 62%, Protestant 30% (Anglican 12%, Methodist 6%, Mennonite 4%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3%, Pentecostal 2%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1%, other 2%), none 2%, other 6% (1980) |
| Sex ratio | 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.) |
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
| Telephone system | 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) |
general assessment:
above-average system domestic: trunk network depends primarily on microwave radio relay international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
| Telephones - main lines in use | 20,000 (1997) | 31,000 (1997) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 1,262 (1996) | 3,023 (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations | 1 (2000) | 2 (1997) |
| Terrain | mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains | flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south |
| Total fertility rate | 4.08 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 4.05 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | 45% (2000 est.) | 12.8% (1999) |
| Waterways | none | 825 km (river network used by shallow-draft craft; seasonally navigable) |
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