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Compare Lesotho (2002) - Christmas Island (2004)
Compare Lesotho (2002) z Christmas Island (2004)
| Lesotho (2002) | Christmas Island (2004) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | 10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohales Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka | none (territory of Australia) |
| Age structure | 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.) |
0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2004 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock | NA |
| Airports | 28 (2001) | 1 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2002) |
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 24
914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 20 (2002) |
- |
| Area | total: 30,355 sq km
land: 30,355 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 135 sq km
land: 135 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Maryland | about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC |
| Background | 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. | Named in 1643 for the day of its discovery, the island was annexed and settlement was begun by the UK in 1888. Phosphate mining began in the 1890s. The UK transferred sovereignty to Australia in 1958. Almost two-thirds of the island has been declared a national park. |
| Birth rate | 30.72 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) | NA births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Budget | revenues: $76 million
expenditures: $80 million, including capital expenditures of $15 million |
revenues: NA
expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA |
| Capital | Maseru | The Settlement |
| Climate | temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers | tropical with a wet and dry season; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds; wet season December to April |
| Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 80 km |
| Constitution | 2 April 1993 | NA |
| Country name | conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho
conventional short form: Lesotho former: Basutoland |
conventional long form: Territory of Christmas Island
conventional short form: Christmas Island |
| Currency | loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR) | Australian dollar (AUD) |
| Death rate | 16.81 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) | NA deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Debt - external | $715 million (2001 est.) | NA |
| Dependency status | - | territory of Australia; administered by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | 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 |
none (territory of Australia) |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | 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 |
none (territory of Australia) |
| Disputes - international | none | none |
| Economic aid - recipient | $123.7 million (1995) (1995) | NA |
| Economy - overview | 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. | Phosphate mining had been the only significant economic activity, but in December 1987 the Australian Government closed the mine. In 1991, the mine was reopened. With the support of the government, a $34 million casino opened in 1993. The casino closed in 1998. The Australian Government in 2001 agreed to support the creation of a commercial space-launching site on the island, projected to begin operations in mid-2004 |
| Electricity - consumption | 100 million kWh (2000) | NA kWh |
| Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2000) | - |
| Electricity - imports | 100 million kWh
note: electricity supplied by South Africa (2000) |
- |
| Electricity - production | 0 kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2000) | NA kWh |
| 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: Murray Hill 361 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%, | Chinese 70%, European 20%, Malay 10%
note: no indigenous population (2001) |
| Exchange rates | 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 | Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.5419 (2003), 1.9354 (2002), 1.9320 (2001), 1.7173(2000), 1.5497 (1999) |
| 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 the Australian governor general
head of government: Administrator Evan WILLIAMS (since 1 November 2003) elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and Australia |
| Exports | $250 million f.o.b. (2001 est.) | NA |
| Exports - commodities | manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals | phosphate |
| Exports - partners | South African Customs Union 53.9%, North America 45.6% (1999) | Australia, NZ |
| Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | 1 July - 30 June |
| 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 | the flag of Australia is used; note - in early 1986, the Christmas Island Assembly held a design competition for an island flag, however, the winning design has never been formally adopted as the official flag of the territory |
| GDP | purchasing power parity - $5.3 billion (2001 est.) | purchasing power parity - NA |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 18%
industry: 38% services: 44% (2001) |
agriculture: NA
industry: NA services: NA |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $2,450 (2001 est.) | purchasing power parity - NA |
| GDP - real growth rate | 2.6% (2001 est.) | NA |
| Geographic coordinates | 29 30 S, 28 30 E | 10 30 S, 105 40 E |
| Geography - note | landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 meters above sea level | located along major sea lanes of Indian Ocean |
| Highways | total: 4,955 km
paved: 887 km unpaved: 4,068 km (1996) |
total: 240 km
paved: 30 km unpaved: 210 km (2000) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 1%
highest 10%: 43% (1986-87) |
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
| Imports | $720 million f.o.b. (2001 est.) | NA |
| Imports - commodities | food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products | consumer goods |
| Imports - partners | South African Customs Union 89.5%, Asia 7% (1999) | principally Australia |
| Independence | 4 October 1966 (from UK) | none (territory of Australia) |
| Industrial production growth rate | 15.5% (1999 est.) | NA |
| Industries | food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts; construction; tourism | tourism, phosphate extraction (near depletion) |
| Infant mortality rate | 82.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) | total: NA
male: NA female: NA (2004 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 6.9% (2001 est.) | NA |
| International organization participation | 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 | none |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 1 (2000) | - |
| Irrigated land | 10 sq km (1998 est.) | NA sq km |
| Judicial branch | High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch); Court of Appeal; Magistrate's Court; customary or traditional court | Supreme Court; District Court; Magistrate's Court |
| 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 | NA |
| Land boundaries | total: 909 km
border countries: South Africa 909 km |
0 km |
| Land use | arable land: 10.71%
permanent crops: 0% other: 89.29% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% note: mainly tropical rainforest; 63% of the island is a national park (2001) |
| Languages | Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa | English (official), Chinese, Malay |
| 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 | under the authority of the governor general of Australia and Australian 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 (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 |
unicameral Christmas Island Shire Council (9 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: held every two years with half the members standing for election; last held 3 May 2003 (next to be held NA 2005) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 9 |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 47 years
male: 46.3 years female: 47.8 years (2002 est.) |
total population: NA years
male: NA years female: NA years (2004 est.) |
| Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83% male: 72% female: 93% (1999 est.) |
NA |
| Location | Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa | Southeastern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of Indonesia |
| Map references | Africa | Southeast Asia |
| Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 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 Australia |
| Military branches | 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 | 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, 4 October (1966) | Australia Day, 26 January (1788) |
| Nationality | noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)
adjective: Basotho |
noun: Christmas Islander(s)
adjective: Christmas Island |
| Natural hazards | periodic droughts | the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard |
| Natural resources | water, agricultural and grazing land, some diamonds and other minerals | phosphate, beaches |
| Net migration rate | -0.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) | NA migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| People - note | - | The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports a population of 1508 as of the 2001 Census |
| 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; 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] | none |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | none |
| Population | 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.) |
396 (July 2004 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | 49% (1999 est.) | NA |
| Population growth rate | 1.33% (2002 est.) | -9% (2004 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | none | Flying Fish Cove |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998) | AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (2004) |
| Radios | NA (2002) | - |
| 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% | Buddhist 36%, Muslim 25%, Christian 18%, other 21% (1997) |
| 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 (2002 est.) |
NA (2004 est.) |
| Suffrage | 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; a cellular mobile telephone system is growing international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
general assessment: service provided by the Australian network
domestic: only analog mobile telephone service is available international: country code - 61-891; satellite earth stations - one Intelsat earth station provides telephone and telex service (2000) |
| Telephones - main lines in use | 22,200 (2000) | NA |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 21,600 (2000) | NA |
| Television broadcast stations | 1 (2000) | NA |
| Terrain | mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains | steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central plateau |
| Total fertility rate | 4.01 children born/woman (2002 est.) | NA children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | 45% (2000 est.) | NA |
| Waterways | none | - |
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