Main page Compare countries Index countries Index fields

Query:
##ciekawa_strona##

Compare Lesotho (2001) - Congo, Republic of the (2003)

Compare Lesotho (2001) z Congo, Republic of the (2003)

 Lesotho (2001)Congo, Republic of the (2003)
 LesothoCongo, Republic of the
Administrative divisions 10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohales Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka 9 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 commune*; Bouenza, Brazzaville*, Cuvette, Kouilou, Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pool, Sangha
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: 38.4% (male 570,491; female 563,079)


15-64 years: 58% (male 844,655; female 868,851)


65 years and over: 3.6% (male 44,166; female 63,016) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock cassava (tapioca), sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, coffee, cocoa; forest products
Airports 29 (2000 est.) 31 (2002)
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


over 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total:
25

914 to 1,523 m:
4

under 914 m:
21 (2000 est.)
total: 27


1,524 to 2,437 m: 6


914 to 1,523 m: 10


under 914 m: 11 (2002)
Area total:
30,355 sq km

land:
30,355 sq km

water:
0 sq km
total: 342,000 sq km


land: 341,500 sq km


water: 500 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Maryland slightly smaller than Montana
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. Upon independence in 1960, the former French region of Middle Congo became the Republic of the Congo. A quarter century of experimentation with Marxism was abandoned in 1990 and a democratically elected government installed in 1992. A brief civil war in 1997 restored former Marxist President SASSOU-NGUESSO, but ushered in a period of ethnically based unrest. Southern-based rebel groups agreed to a final peace accord in March 2003. The Republic of Congo is one of Africa's largest petroleum producers with significant potential for offshore development.
Birth rate 31.24 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 29.46 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget revenues:
$76 million

expenditures:
$80 million, including capital expenditures of $15 million (FY99/00 est.)
revenues: $870 million


expenditures: $970 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)
Capital Maseru Brazzaville
Climate temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); constantly high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 169 km
Constitution 2 April 1993 constitution approved by referendum 20 January 2002
Country name conventional long form:
Kingdom of Lesotho

conventional short form:
Lesotho

former:
Basutoland
conventional long form: Republic of the Congo


conventional short form: Congo (Brazzaville)


local long form: Republique du Congo


local short form: none


former: Middle Congo, Congo/Brazzaville, Congo
Currency loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR) Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States
Death rate 15.7 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 14.2 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external $720 million (2000 est.) $5 billion (2000 est.)
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 Robin R. SANDERS


embassy: NA


mailing address: NA


telephone: [243] (88) 43608


note: the embassy is temporarily collocated with the US Embassy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (US Embassy Kinshasa, 310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa)
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 Serge MOMBOULI


chancery: 4891 Colorado Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20011


telephone: [1] (202) 726-5500


FAX: [1] (202) 726-1860
Disputes - international none most of the Congo River boundary with the Democratic Republic of the Congo is indefinite (no agreement has been reached on the division of the river or its islands, except in the Stanley Pool/Pool Malebo area)
Economic aid - recipient $123.7 million (1995) $159.1 million (1995)
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 economy is a mixture of village agriculture and handicrafts, an industrial sector based largely on oil, support services, and a government characterized by budget problems and overstaffing. Oil has supplanted forestry as the mainstay of the economy, providing a major share of government revenues and exports. In the early 1980s, rapidly rising oil revenues enabled the government to finance large-scale development projects with GDP growth averaging 5% annually, one of the highest rates in Africa. The government has mortgaged a substantial portion of its oil earnings, contributing to a shortage of revenues. The 12 January 1994 devaluation of Franc Zone currencies by 50% resulted in inflation of 61% in 1994, but inflation has subsided since. Economic reform efforts continued with the support of international organizations, notably the World Bank and the IMF. The reform program came to a halt in June 1997 when civil war erupted. Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, who returned to power when the war ended in October 1997, publicly expressed interest in moving forward on economic reforms and privatization and in renewing cooperation with international financial institutions. However, economic progress was badly hurt by slumping oil prices and the resumption of armed conflict in December 1998, which worsened the republic's budget deficit. The current administration presides over an uneasy internal peace and faces difficult economic problems of stimulating recovery and reducing poverty.
Electricity - consumption 55 million kWh (1999) 633 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 55 million kWh

note:
electricity supplied by South Africa (1999)
300 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 0 kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (1999) 358.1 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
0%

hydro:
0%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
fossil fuel: 0.3%


hydro: 99.7%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point:
junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m

highest point:
Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mount Berongou 903 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 air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from the dumping of raw sewage; tap water is not potable; deforestation
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, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Ethnic groups Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%, Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans and other 3%


note: Europeans estimated at 8,500, mostly French, before the 1997 civil war; may be half that in 1998, following the widespread destruction of foreign businesses in 1997
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 Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 697 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.7 (1999), 589.95 (1998)
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: President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO (since 25 October 1997, following the civil war in which he toppled elected president Pascal LISSOUBA); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO (since 25 October 1997, following the civil war in which he toppled elected president Pascal LISSOUBA); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president


elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second seven-year term); election last held 10 March 2002 (next to be held NA 2009)


election results: Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO reelected president; percent of vote - Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO 89.4%, Joseph Kignoumbi Kia MBOUNGOU 2.7%
Exports $175 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (1998) petroleum, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds
Exports - partners South African Customs Union 65%, North America 34% (1998) Taiwan 28.1%, South Korea 20.4%, China 9.3%, US 8.4%, Germany 6.6%, France 5.2% (2002)
Fiscal year 1 April - 31 March calendar year
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 divided diagonally from the lower hoist side by a yellow band; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green and the lower triangle is red; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
GDP purchasing power parity - $5.1 billion (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $2.5 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
18%

industry:
38%

services:
44% (1999)
agriculture: 10%


industry: 48%


services: 42% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $2,400 (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $900 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 2.5% (2000 est.) 0% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 29 30 S, 28 30 E 1 00 S, 15 00 E
Geography - note landlocked; surrounded by South Africa about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them
Highways total:
4,955 km

paved:
887 km

unpaved:
4,068 km (1996)
total: 12,800 km


paved: 1,242 km


unpaved: 11,558 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
0.9%

highest 10%:
43.4% (1986-87)
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Imports $700 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products (1995) capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs
Imports - partners South African Customs Union 90%, Asia 7% (1998) France 22.1%, Italy 8.5%, Belgium 6%, US 5.2%, India 4.1% (2002)
Independence 4 October 1966 (from UK) 15 August 1960 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate 15.5% (1999 est.) 0% (2002 est.)
Industries food, beverages, textiles, handicrafts; construction; tourism petroleum extraction, cement, lumber, brewing, sugar, palm oil, soap, flour, cigarettes
Infant mortality rate 82.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) total: 95.34 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 101.45 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 89.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 6% (2000 est.) 4% (2002 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 ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CEEAC, CEMAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 1 (2000) 1 (2000)
Irrigated land 30 sq km (1993 est.) 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 Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Labor force 700,000 economically active NA
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 total:
909 km

border countries:
South Africa 909 km
total: 5,504 km


border countries: Angola 201 km, Cameroon 523 km, Central African Republic 467 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 2,410 km, Gabon 1,903 km
Land use arable land:
11%

permanent crops:
0%

permanent pastures:
66%

forests and woodland:
0%

other:
23% (1993 est.)
arable land: 0.5%


permanent crops: 0.13%


other: 99.37% (1998 est.)
Languages Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo has the most users)
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 based on French civil law system and customary 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 Parliament consists of the Senate (66 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the National Assembly (137 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)


elections: Senate - last held 11 July 2002 (next to be held NA July 2007); National Assembly - last held 27 May and 26 June 2002 (next to be held by NA May 2007)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FDP 56, other 10; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FDP 83, UDR 6, UPADS 3, other 45
Life expectancy at birth total population:
48.84 years

male:
47.97 years

female:
49.74 years (2001 est.)
total population: 50.02 years


male: 49.04 years


female: 51.02 years (2003 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: 83.8%


male: 89.6%


female: 78.4% (2003 est.)
Location Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon
Map references Africa Africa
Maritime claims none (landlocked) territorial sea: 200 NM
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) Army, Air Force, Navy, Gendarmerie, National Police
Military expenditures - dollar figure $34 million (1999) $84 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA% 2.8% (FY01)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
515,464 (2001 est.)
males age 15-49: 754,814 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
277,369 (2001 est.)
males age 15-49: 381,556 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 20 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males: 31,644 (2003 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 4 October (1966) Independence Day, 15 August (1960)
Nationality noun:
Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)

adjective:
Basotho
noun: Congolese (singular and plural)


adjective: Congolese or Congo
Natural hazards periodic droughts seasonal flooding
Natural resources water, agricultural and grazing land, some diamonds and other minerals petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, natural gas, hydropower
Net migration rate -0.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines - gas 53 km; oil 673 km (2003)
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] the most important of the many parties are the Democratic and Patriotic Forces or FDP (an alliance of Convention for Alternative Democracy, Congolese Labor Party or PCT, Liberal Republican Party, National Union for Democracy and Progress, Patriotic Union for the National Reconstruction, and Union for the National Renewal) [Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, president]; Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development or MCDDI [Michel MAMPOUYA]; Pan-African Union for Social Development or UPADS [Martin MBERI]; Rally for Democracy and Social Progress or RDPS [Jean-Pierre Thystere TCHICAYA, president]; Rally for Democracy and the Republic or RDR [Raymond Damasge NGOLLO]; Union for Democracy and Republic or UDR [leader NA]; Union of Democratic Forces or UFD [Sebastian EBAO]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA Congolese Trade Union Congress or CSC; General Union of Congolese Pupils and Students or UGEEC; Revolutionary Union of Congolese Women or URFC; Union of Congolese Socialist Youth or UJSC
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.)
2,954,258


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 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line 49.2% (1999 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 1.49% (2001 est.) 1.53% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors none Brazzaville, Impfondo, Ouesso, Oyo, Pointe-Noire
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 3 (2001)
Radios 104,000 (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)
total: 894 km


narrow gauge: 894 km 1.067-m gauge (2002)
Religions Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20% Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2%
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: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2003 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: services barely adequate for government use; key exchanges are in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, and Loubomo; intercity lines frequently out of order


domestic: primary network consists of microwave radio relay and coaxial cable


international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 20,000 (1997) 22,000 (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular 1,262 (1996) 3,300 (1998)
Television broadcast stations 1 (2000) 1 (2002)
Terrain mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin
Total fertility rate 4.08 children born/woman (2001 est.) 3.65 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate 45% (2000 est.) NA%
Waterways none 1,120 km


note: the Congo and Ubangi (Oubangui) rivers provide 1,120 km of commercially navigable water transport; other rivers are used for local traffic only
Sitemap: Compare countries listing (map site) | Country listing (map site)
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.