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Compare Lesotho (2002) - Saint Helena (2005)

Compare Lesotho (2002) z Saint Helena (2005)

 Lesotho (2002)Saint Helena (2005)
 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% (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: 18.8% (male 715/female 691)


15-64 years: 71.3% (male 2,745/female 2,575)


65 years and over: 9.8% (male 330/female 404) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock corn, potatoes, vegetables; timber; fish, crawfish (on Tristan da Cunha)
Airports 28 (2001) 1 (2004 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


over 3,047 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: 410 sq km


land: 410 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: includes Saint Helena Island, Ascension, and the island group of Tristan da Cunha, which consists of Tristan da Cunha Island, Gough Island, Inaccessible Island, and the three Nightingale Islands
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. King MOSHOESHOE was exiled in 1990. Constitutional government was restored in 1993 after 23 years of military rule. 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. Ascension Island is the site of a US Air Force auxiliary airfield; Gough Island has a meteorological station.
Birth rate 30.72 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) 12.33 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues: $76 million


expenditures: $80 million, including capital expenditures of $15 million
revenues: $11.2 million


expenditures: $11 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY92/93)
Capital Maseru Jamestown
Climate temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers Saint Helena - tropical; marine; mild, tempered by trade winds; Tristan da Cunha - temperate; marine, mild, tempered by trade winds (tends to be cooler than Saint Helena)
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 60 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 16.81 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) 6.43 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external $715 million (2001 est.) NA (1996)
Dependency status - overseas territory of the UK
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 (overseas territory of the UK)
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 (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international none none
Economic aid - recipient $123.7 million (1995) (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, 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. 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 100 million kWh (2000) 4.65 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2000) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports 100 million kWh


note: electricity supplied by South Africa (2000)
0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production 0 kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2000) 5 million kWh (2002)
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 2,060 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 - 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 Saint Helenian pounds per US dollar - 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001), 0.6609 (2000)


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, two ex officio officers, and six elected members of the Legislative Council


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor is appointed by the monarch
Exports $250 million f.o.b. (2001 est.) NA
Exports - commodities manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals fish (frozen, canned, and salt-dried skipjack, tuna), coffee, handicrafts
Exports - partners South African Customs Union 53.9%, North America 45.6% (1999) Tanzania 30.3%, US 23.8%, Japan 10.4%, UK 7.1%, Spain 6.3% (2004)
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 - $5.3 billion (2001 est.) -
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 - $2,500 (1998 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 2.6% (2001 est.) NA
Geographic coordinates 29 30 S, 28 30 E 15 56 S, 5 42 W
Geography - note landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 meters above sea level harbors at least 40 species of plants unknown anywhere else in the world; Ascension is a breeding ground for sea turtles and sooty terns
Highways total: 4,955 km


paved: 887 km


unpaved: 4,068 km (1996)
total: 198 km (Saint Helena 138 km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da Cunha 20 km)


paved: 168 km (Saint Helena 118km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da Cunha 10 km)


unpaved: 30 km (Saint Helena 20 km, Ascension 0 km, Tristan da Cunha 10 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 food, beverages, tobacco, fuel oils, animal feed, building materials, motor vehicles and parts, machinery and parts
Imports - partners South African Customs Union 89.5%, Asia 7% (1999) UK 35.7%, US 17.6%, South Africa 17.5%, Tanzania 10.4%, Australia 5.5%, Spain 4.1% (2004)
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, apparel assembly, handicrafts; construction; tourism construction, crafts (furniture, lacework, fancy woodwork), fishing
Infant mortality rate 82.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) total: 19 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 22.74 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 15.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 6.9% (2001 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, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO ICFTU, UPU
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; Magistrate's Court; Small Debts Court; Juvenile Court
Labor force 700,000 economically active 3,500


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 and fishing 6%, industry (mainly construction) 48%, services 46% (1987 est.)
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: 12.9%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 87.1% (2001)
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 NA
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 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 27 June 2001 (next to be held June 2005)


election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 15
Life expectancy at birth total population: 47 years


male: 46.3 years


female: 47.8 years (2002 est.)
total population: 77.76 years


male: 74.86 years


female: 80.81 years (2005 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
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; 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) 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
Natural hazards periodic droughts active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha
Natural resources water, agricultural and grazing land, some diamonds and other minerals fish
Net migration rate -0.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) 0 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; 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.)
7,460 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line 49% (1999 est.) NA
Population growth rate 1.33% (2002 est.) 0.59% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors none Georgetown (on Ascension), Jamestown
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
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% 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 (2002 est.)
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female


total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2005 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; a cellular mobile telephone system is growing


international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
general assessment: can communicate worldwide


domestic: automatic network


international: country code - 290; HF radiotelephone from Saint Helena to Ascension Island, which is a major coaxial submarine cable relay point between South Africa, Portugal, and UK; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 22,200 (2000) 2,200 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 21,600 (2000) 0 (1997)
Television broadcast stations 1 (2000) 0


note: television programs are received in Saint Helena via satellite and distributed by cable (2002)
Terrain mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains Saint Helena - rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plains


note: the other islands of the group have a volcanic origin
Total fertility rate 4.01 children born/woman (2002 est.) 1.54 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate 45% (2000 est.) 14% (1998 est.)
Waterways none -
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