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Compare Lesotho (2001) - Saint Helena (2006)

Compare Lesotho (2001) z Saint Helena (2006)

 Lesotho (2001)Saint Helena (2006)
 LesothoSaint Helena
Administrative divisions 10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohales Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka 1 administrative area and 2 dependencies*; Ascension*, Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha*
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: 18.8% (male 717/female 692)


15-64 years: 71.2% (male 2,751/female 2,593)


65 years and over: 10% (male 342/female 407) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock coffee, corn, potatoes, vegetables; timber; fish, lobster (on Tristan da Cunha)
Airports 29 (2000 est.) 1


note: Wideawake Field on Ascension Island (2006)
Airports - with paved runways total:
4

over 3,047 m:
1

914 to 1,523 m:
1

under 914 m:
2 (2000 est.)
total: 1


over 3,047 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways total:
25

914 to 1,523 m:
4

under 914 m:
21 (2000 est.)
-
Area total:
30,355 sq km

land:
30,355 sq km

water:
0 sq km
total: 413 sq km


land: Saint Helena Island 122 sq km; Ascension Island 90 sq km; Tristan da Cunha island group 201 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Maryland slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC
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. Saint Helena is a British Overseas Territory consisting of Saint Helena and Ascension Islands, and the island group of Tristan da Cunha.


Saint Helena: Uninhabited when first discovered by the Portuguese in 1502, Saint Helena was garrisoned by the British during the 17th century. It acquired fame as the place of Napoleon BONAPARTE's exile, from 1815 until his death in 1821, but its importance as a port of call declined after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. During the Anglo-Boer War in South Africa, several thousand Boer prisoners were confined on the island between 1900 and 1903.


Ascension Island: This barren and uninhabited island was discovered and named by the Portuguese in 1503. The British garrisoned the island in 1815 to prevent a rescue of Napoleon from Saint Helena and it served as a provisioning station for the Royal Navy's West Africa Squadron on anti-slavery patrol. The island remained under Admiralty control until 1922, when it became a dependency of Saint Helena. During World War II, the UK permitted the US to construct an airfield on Ascension in support of trans-Atlantic flights to Africa and anti-submarine operations in the South Atlantic. In the 1960s the island became an important space tracking station for the US. In 1982, Ascension was an essential staging area for British forces during the Falklands War, and it remains a critical refueling point in the air-bridge from the UK to the South Atlantic.


Tristan da Cunha: The island group consists of the islands of Tristan da Cunha, Nightingale, Inaccessible, and Gough. Tristan da Cunha is named after its Portuguese discoverer (1506); it was garrisoned by the British in 1816 to prevent any attempt to rescue Napoleon from Saint Helena. Gough and Inaccessible Islands have been designated World Heritage Sites. South Africa leases the site for a meteorological station on Gough Island.
Birth rate 31.24 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 12.13 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget revenues:
$76 million

expenditures:
$80 million, including capital expenditures of $15 million (FY99/00 est.)
revenues: $11.2 million


expenditures: $11 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY92/93)
Capital Maseru name: Jamestown


geographic coordinates: 15 56 S, 5 44 W


time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers Saint Helena: tropical marine; mild, tempered by trade winds


Ascension Island: tropical marine; mild, semi-arid


Tristan da Cunha: temperate marine; mild, tempered by trade winds (tends to be cooler than Saint Helena)
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) Saint Helena: 60 km


Ascension Island: NA


Tristan da Cunha: 40 km
Constitution 2 April 1993 1 January 1989
Country name conventional long form:
Kingdom of Lesotho

conventional short form:
Lesotho

former:
Basutoland
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Saint Helena
Currency loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR) -
Death rate 15.7 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 6.53 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external $720 million (2000 est.) $NA
Dependency status - overseas territory of the UK
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
none (overseas territory of the UK)
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
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international none none
Economic aid - recipient $123.7 million (1995) $12.6 million (1995); note - $5.3 million from UK (1997)
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 depends largely on financial assistance from the UK, which amounted to about $5 million in 1997 or almost one-half of annual budgetary revenues. The local population earns income from fishing, raising livestock, and sales of handicrafts. Because there are few jobs, 25% of the work force has left to seek employment on Ascension Island, on the Falklands, and in the UK.
Electricity - consumption 55 million kWh (1999) 4.65 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports 55 million kWh

note:
electricity supplied by South Africa (1999)
0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - production 0 kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (1999) 5 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
0%

hydro:
0%

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: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha 2,062 m; Green Mountain on Ascension Island 859 m; Mount Actaeon on Saint Helena Island 818 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 NA
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
-
Ethnic groups Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%, African descent 50%, white 25%, Chinese 25%
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 Saint Helenian pounds per US dollar - 0.55 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001)


note: the Saint Helenian pound is on par with the British pound
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)


head of government: Governor and Commander in Chief Michael CLANCY (since 15 October 2004)


cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, three ex-officio officers, and five elected members of the Legislative Council


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor is appointed by the monarch
Exports $175 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (1998) fish (frozen, canned, and salt-dried skipjack, tuna), coffee, handicrafts
Exports - partners South African Customs Union 65%, North America 34% (1998) Tanzania 37.7%, US 17.4%, Japan 15.2%, UK 8.4%, Nigeria 4.8%, Spain 4.5% (2005)
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 the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Saint Helenian shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield features a rocky coastline and three-masted sailing ship
GDP purchasing power parity - $5.1 billion (2000 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
18%

industry:
38%

services:
44% (1999)
agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA%
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $2,400 (2000 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 2.5% (2000 est.) NA%
Geographic coordinates 29 30 S, 28 30 E Saint Helena: 15 57 S 5 42 W


Ascension Island: 7 57 S 14 22 W


Tristan da Cunha island group: 37 15 S 12 30 W
Geography - note landlocked; surrounded by South Africa Saint Helena harbors at least 40 species of plants unknown anywhere else in the world; Ascension is a breeding ground for sea turtles and sooty terns; Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha is the highest island mountain in the South Atlantic and a prominent landmark on the sea lanes around southern Africa
Highways total:
4,955 km

paved:
887 km

unpaved:
4,068 km (1996)
-
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 bbl/day
Imports - commodities food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products (1995) food, beverages, tobacco, fuel oils, animal feed, building materials, motor vehicles and parts, machinery and parts
Imports - partners South African Customs Union 90%, Asia 7% (1998) UK 53.5%, South Africa 14.3%, Spain 10.3%, Tanzania 8.5%, US 4.6% (2005)
Independence 4 October 1966 (from UK) none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate 15.5% (1999 est.) NA%
Industries food, beverages, textiles, handicrafts; construction; tourism construction, crafts (furniture, lacework, fancy woodwork), fishing, philatelic sales
Infant mortality rate 82.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) total: 18.34 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 21.96 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 14.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 6% (2000 est.) 3.2% (1997 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 ICFTU, UPU
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 1 (2000) -
Irrigated land 30 sq km (1993 est.) NA
Judicial branch High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch); Court of Appeal; Magistrate's Court; customary or traditional court Magistrate's Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal
Labor force 700,000 economically active 2,486


note: 1,200 work offshore (1998 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: 6%


industry: 48%


services: 46% (1987 est.)
Land boundaries total:
909 km

border countries:
South Africa 909 km
0 km
Land use arable land:
11%

permanent crops:
0%

permanent pastures:
66%

forests and woodland:
0%

other:
23% (1993 est.)
arable land: 12.9%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 87.1% (2005)
Languages Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa English
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 British common law and statutes, supplemented by local statutes
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.
unicameral Legislative Council (16 seats, including the speaker, 3 ex officio and 12 elected members; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 31 August 2005 (next to be held NA 2009)


election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 12
Life expectancy at birth total population:
48.84 years

male:
47.97 years

female:
49.74 years (2001 est.)
total population: 77.93 years


male: 75.02 years


female: 80.98 years (2006 est.)
Literacy definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
83%

male:
72%

female:
93% (1999 est.)
definition: age 20 and over can read and write


total population: 97%


male: 97%


female: 98% (1987 est.)
Location Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, about midway between South America and Africa; Ascension Island lies 700 nm northwest of Saint Helena; Tristan da Cunha lies 2300 nm southwest of Saint Helena
Map references Africa Africa
Maritime claims none (landlocked) territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive fishing zone: 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. defense is the responsibility of the UK
Military branches Lesotho Defense Force (LDF; includes Army and Air Wing), Royal Lesotho Mounted Police (RLMP) -
Military expenditures - dollar figure $34 million (1999) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA% -
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
515,464 (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
277,369 (2001 est.)
-
National holiday Independence Day, 4 October (1966) Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926)
Nationality noun:
Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)

adjective:
Basotho
noun: Saint Helenian(s)


adjective: Saint Helenian


note: referred to locally as "Saints"
Natural hazards periodic droughts active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha, last eruption in 1961
Natural resources water, agricultural and grazing land, some diamonds and other minerals fish, lobster
Net migration rate -0.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 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] none
Political pressure groups and leaders NA none
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.)
7,502


note: only Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha islands are inhabited (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line 49.2% (1999 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 1.49% (2001 est.) 0.56% (2006 est.)
Ports and harbors none -
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998) Saint Helena: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0


Ascension: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (2005)
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)
-
Religions Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20% Anglican (majority), Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic
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: 1.06 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female


total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal NA years of age
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: can communicate worldwide


domestic: automatic digital network


international: country code - 290; international direct dialing; satellite voice and data communications; satellite earth stations - 5 (Ascension Island - 4, Saint Helena - 1)
Telephones - main lines in use 20,000 (1997) 2,200 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 1,262 (1996) NA
Television broadcast stations 1 (2000) 0


note: three television channels are received in Saint Helena via satellite and distributed by UHF (2005)
Terrain mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains the islands of this group result from volcanic activity associated with the Atlantic Mid-Ocean Ridge


Saint Helena: rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plains


Ascension: surface covered by lava flows and cinder cones of 44 dormant volcanoes; ground rises to the east


Tristan da Cunha: sheer cliffs line the coastline of the nearly circular island; the flanks of the central volcanic peak are deeply dissected; narrow coastal plain lies between The Peak and the coastal cliffs
Total fertility rate 4.08 children born/woman (2001 est.) 1.55 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Transportation - note - there is no air connection to Saint Helena or Tristan da Cunha; an international airport for Saint Helena is in development for 2010
Unemployment rate 45% (2000 est.) 14% (1998 est.)
Waterways none -
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