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Compare Lesotho (2001) - Seychelles (2005)

Compare Lesotho (2001) z Seychelles (2005)

 Lesotho (2001)Seychelles (2005)
 LesothoSeychelles
Administrative divisions 10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohales Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka 23 administrative districts; Anse aux Pins, Anse Boileau, Anse Etoile, Anse Louis, Anse Royale, Baie Lazare, Baie Sainte Anne, Beau Vallon, Bel Air, Bel Ombre, Cascade, Glacis, Grand' Anse (on Mahe), Grand' Anse (on Praslin), La Digue, La Riviere Anglaise, Mont Buxton, Mont Fleuri, Plaisance, Pointe La Rue, Port Glaud, Saint Louis, Takamaka
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: 26.4% (male 10,839/female 10,601)


15-64 years: 67.4% (male 26,709/female 28,025)


65 years and over: 6.2% (male 1,622/female 3,392) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock coconuts, cinnamon, vanilla, sweet potatoes, cassava (tapioca), bananas; broiler chickens; tuna fish
Airports 29 (2000 est.) 15 (2004 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: 8


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total:
25

914 to 1,523 m:
4

under 914 m:
21 (2000 est.)
total: 7


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.)
Area total:
30,355 sq km

land:
30,355 sq km

water:
0 sq km
total: 455 sq km


land: 455 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Maryland 2.5 times 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. A lengthy struggle between France and Great Britain for the islands ended in 1814, when they were ceded to the latter. Independence came in 1976. Socialist rule was brought to a close with a new constitution and free elections in 1993. The most recent presidential elections were held in 2001; President RENE, who had served since 1977, was re-elected. In April 2004 RENE stepped down and Vice President James MICHEL was sworn in as president.
Birth rate 31.24 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 16.22 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues:
$76 million

expenditures:
$80 million, including capital expenditures of $15 million (FY99/00 est.)
revenues: $318.3 million


expenditures: $298.5 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
Capital Maseru Victoria
Climate temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers tropical marine; humid; cooler season during southeast monsoon (late May to September); warmer season during northwest monsoon (March to May)
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 491 km
Constitution 2 April 1993 18 June 1993
Country name conventional long form:
Kingdom of Lesotho

conventional short form:
Lesotho

former:
Basutoland
conventional long form: Republic of Seychelles


conventional short form: Seychelles
Currency loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR) -
Death rate 15.7 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 6.34 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external $720 million (2000 est.) $218.1 million (2004 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
the US does not have an embassy in Seychelles; the ambassador to Mauritius is accredited to the Seychelles
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 Claude Sylvestre MOREL


chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400C, New York, NY 10017


telephone: [1] (212) 972-1785


FAX: [1] (212) 972-1786
Disputes - international none together with Mauritius, Seychelles claims the Chagos Archipelago (UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory)
Economic aid - recipient $123.7 million (1995) $16.4 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. Since independence in 1976, per capita output in this Indian Ocean archipelago has expanded to roughly seven times the old near-subsistence level. Growth has been led by the tourist sector, which employs about 30% of the labor force and provides more than 70% of hard currency earnings, and by tuna fishing. In recent years the government has encouraged foreign investment in order to upgrade hotels and other services. At the same time, the government has moved to reduce the dependence on tourism by promoting the development of farming, fishing, and small-scale manufacturing. A sharp drop illustrated the vulnerability of the tourist sector in 1991-92 due largely to the Gulf war, and once again following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the US. Growth slowed in 1998-2002, and fell in 2003, due to sluggish tourist and tuna sectors, but resumed in 2004, erasing a persistent budget deficit. Tight controls on exchange rates and the scarcity of foreign exchange have impaired short-term economic prospects. The black market value of the Seychelles rupee is half the official exchange rate; without a devaluation of the currency the tourist sector may remain sluggish as vacationers seek cheaper destinations such as Comoros, Mauritius, and Madagascar.
Electricity - consumption 55 million kWh (1999) 202.8 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports 55 million kWh

note:
electricity supplied by South Africa (1999)
0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production 0 kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (1999) 218 million kWh (2002)
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: Indian Ocean 0 m


highest point: Morne Seychellois 905 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 water supply depends on catchments to collect rainwater
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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%, mixed French, African, Indian, Chinese, and Arab
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 Seychelles rupees per US dollar - 5.5 (2004), 5.4007 (2003), 5.48 (2002), 5.8575 (2001), 5.7138 (2000)
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 James MICHEL (since 14 April 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President James MICHEL (since 14 April 2004); 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 five-year term; election last held 31 August-2 September 2001 (next to be held NA 2006)


election results: France Albert RENE re-elected president; percent of vote - France Albert RENE (SPPF) 54.19%, Wavel RAMKALAWAN (UO) 44.95%, Philippe BOULLE 0.86%; note - the first time that presidential elections have been held separately from legislative elections; France Albert RENE stepped down 14 April 2004 and Vice President James MICHEL was sworn in as president
Exports $175 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) NA
Exports - commodities manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (1998) canned tuna, frozen fish, cinnamon bark, copra, petroleum products (reexports)
Exports - partners South African Customs Union 65%, North America 34% (1998) UK 27.7%, France 15.8%, Spain 12.6%, Japan 8.6%, Italy 7.5%, Germany 5.6% (2004)
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 five oblique bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, red, white, and green (bottom) radiating from the bottom of the hoist side
GDP purchasing power parity - $5.1 billion (2000 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
18%

industry:
38%

services:
44% (1999)
agriculture: 2.8%


industry: 28.7%


services: 68.9% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $2,400 (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $7,800 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 2.5% (2000 est.) 1.5% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates 29 30 S, 28 30 E 4 35 S, 55 40 E
Geography - note landlocked; surrounded by South Africa 41 granitic and about 75 coralline islands
Highways total:
4,955 km

paved:
887 km

unpaved:
4,068 km (1996)
total: 373 km


paved: 315 km


unpaved: 58 km (1997 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
Imports - commodities food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products (1995) machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals
Imports - partners South African Customs Union 90%, Asia 7% (1998) Saudi Arabia 15.5%, Spain 13.3%, France 10.3%, Singapore 7%, South Africa 6.8%, Italy 6.7%, UK 4.7% (2004)
Independence 4 October 1966 (from UK) 29 June 1976 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate 15.5% (1999 est.) NA
Industries food, beverages, textiles, handicrafts; construction; tourism fishing; tourism; processing of coconuts and vanilla, coir (coconut fiber) rope, boat building, printing, furniture; beverages
Infant mortality rate 82.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) total: 15.53 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 19.65 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 11.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 6% (2000 est.) 5% (2004 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, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 1 (2000) -
Irrigated land 30 sq km (1993 est.) NA sq km
Judicial branch High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch); Court of Appeal; Magistrate's Court; customary or traditional court Court of Appeal; Supreme Court; judges for both courts are appointed by the president
Labor force 700,000 economically active 30,900 (1996)
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 10%, industry 19%, services 71% (1989)
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: 2.22%


permanent crops: 13.33%


other: 84.45% (2001)
Languages Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa Creole 91.8%, English 4.9% (official), other 3.1%, unspecified 0.2% (2002 census)
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 English common law, French civil law, 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.
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (34 seats - 25 elected by popular vote, 9 allocated on a proportional basis to parties winning at least 10% of the vote; members serve five-year terms)


elections: last held 4-6 December 2002 (next to be held by 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - SPPF 54.3%, SNP 42.6%, DP 3.1%; seats by party - SPPF 23, SNP 11


note: the 9 awarded seats are apportioned according to the percentage that each party won of the total vote
Life expectancy at birth total population:
48.84 years

male:
47.97 years

female:
49.74 years (2001 est.)
total population: 71.82 years


male: 66.41 years


female: 77.4 years (2005 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: 91.9%


male: 91.4%


female: 92.3% (2003 est.)
Location Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa archipelago in the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar
Map references Africa Africa
Maritime claims none (landlocked) territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Merchant marine - total: 5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 42,223 GRT/63,538 DWT


by type: cargo 1, chemical tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 1


foreign-owned: 1 (Nigeria 1) (2005)
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) Seychelles Defense Force: Army, Coast Guard (includes Navy Wing, Air Wing), National Guard (2005)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $34 million (1999) $12.3 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA% 1.8% (2004)
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) Constitution Day (National Day), 18 June (1993)
Nationality noun:
Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)

adjective:
Basotho
noun: Seychellois (singular and plural)


adjective: Seychellois
Natural hazards periodic droughts lies outside the cyclone belt, so severe storms are rare; short droughts possible
Natural resources water, agricultural and grazing land, some diamonds and other minerals fish, copra, cinnamon trees
Net migration rate -0.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) -5.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 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] Democratic Party or DP [James MANCHAM, Daniel BELLE]; Mouvement Seychellois pour la Democratie [Jacques HODOUL]; Seychelles National Party or SNP (formerly the United Opposition or UO) [Wavel RAMKALAWAN]; Seychelles People's Progressive Front or SPPF [France Albert RENE, James MICHEL] - the governing party
Political pressure groups and leaders NA Roman Catholic Church; trade unions
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.)
81,188 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line 49.2% (1999 est.) NA
Population growth rate 1.49% (2001 est.) 0.43% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors none Victoria
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 2 (1998)
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% Roman Catholic 82.3%, Anglican 6.4%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.1%, other Christian 3.4%, Hindu 2.1%, Muslim 1.1%, other non-Christian 1.5%, unspecified 1.5%, none 0.6% (2002 census)
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: 1.02 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.48 male(s)/female


total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 17 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: effective system


domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands in the archipelago


international: country code - 248; direct radiotelephone communications with adjacent island countries and African coastal countries; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 20,000 (1997) 21,700 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 1,262 (1996) 54,500 (2003)
Television broadcast stations 1 (2000) 2 (plus 9 repeaters) (1997)
Terrain mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains Mahe Group is granitic, narrow coastal strip, rocky, hilly; others are coral, flat, elevated reefs
Total fertility rate 4.08 children born/woman (2001 est.) 1.75 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate 45% (2000 est.) NA
Waterways none -
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