Compare Lesotho (2004) - Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) (2005)

Compare Lesotho (2004) z Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) (2005)

	Lesotho (2004)	Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) (2005)

Administrative divisions	10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohale's Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka	none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)
Age structure	0-14 years: 37.3% (male 350,288; female 345,815) 15-64 years: 57.2% (male 521,434; female 545,183) 65 years and over: 5.5% (male 41,903; female 60,417) (2004 est.)	0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products	corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock	fodder and vegetable crops; sheep, dairy products
Airports	28 (2003 est.)	5 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)	total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 25 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.)	total: 3 under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 30,355 sq km land: 30,355 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 12,173 sq km land: 12,173 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the two main islands of East and West Falkland and about 200 small islands
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Maryland	slightly smaller than Connecticut
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. In 1998, violent protests and a military mutiny following a contentious election prompted a brief but bloody South African military intervention. Constitutional reforms have since restored political stability; peaceful parliamentary elections were held in 2002.	Although first sighted by an English navigator in 1592, the first landing (English) did not occur until almost a century later in 1690, and the first settlement (French) was not established until 1764. The colony was turned over to Spain two years later and the islands have since been the subject of a territorial dispute, first between Britain and Spain, then between Britain and Argentina. The UK asserted its claim to the islands by establishing a naval garrison there in 1833. Argentina invaded the islands on 2 April 1982. The British responded with an expeditionary force that landed seven weeks later and after fierce fighting forced Argentine surrender on 14 June 1982.
Birth rate	26.91 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)	NA births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget	revenues: $625.4 million expenditures: $675.2 million, including capital expenditures of $15 million (2003 est.)	revenues: $66.2 million expenditures: $67.9 million, including capital expenditures of $23.2 million (FY98/99 est.)
Capital	Maseru	Stanley
Climate	temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers	cold marine; strong westerly winds, cloudy, humid; rain occurs on more than half of days in year; average annual rainfall is 24 inches in Stanley; occasional snow all year, except in January and February, but does not accumulate
Coastline	0 km (landlocked)	1,288 km
Constitution	2 April 1993	3 October 1985; amended 1997 and 1998
Country name	conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho conventional short form: Lesotho former: Basutoland	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Currency	loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR)	-
Death rate	24.79 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)	NA deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external	$735 million (2002)	$NA
Dependency status	-	overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina
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; also claimed by Argentina)
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Molelekeng E. RAPOLAKI 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; also claimed by Argentina)
Disputes - international	none	Argentina, which claims the islands in its constitution and briefly occupied the islands by force in 1982, agreed in 1995 to no longer seek settlement by force; UK continues to reject Argentine requests for sovereignty talks
Economic aid - donor	ODA $4.4 million	-
Economic aid - recipient	$41.5 million (2000)	$0 (1997 est.)
Economy - overview	Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho relies on remittances from miners employed in South Africa and customs duties from the Southern Africa Customs Union for the majority of government revenue, but the government has strengthened its tax system to reduce dependency on customs duties. Completion of a major hydropower facility in January 1998 now permits the sale of water to South Africa, also generating royalties for Lesotho. As the number of mineworkers has declined steadily over the past several years, a small manufacturing base has developed based on farm products that support the milling, canning, leather, and jute industries and a rapidly growing apparel-assembly sector. The economy is still primarily based on subsistence agriculture, especially livestock, although drought has decreased agricultural activity. The extreme inequality in the distribution of income remains a major drawback. Lesotho has signed an Interim Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility with the IMF.	The economy was formerly based on agriculture, mainly sheep farming, but today fishing contributes the bulk of economic activity. In 1987 the government began selling fishing licenses to foreign trawlers operating within the Falklands exclusive fishing zone. These license fees total more than $40 million per year, which goes to support the island's health, education, and welfare system. Squid accounts for 75% of the fish taken. Dairy farming supports domestic consumption; crops furnish winter fodder. Exports feature shipments of high-grade wool to the UK and the sale of postage stamps and coins. The islands are now self-financing except for defense. The British Geological Survey announced a 200-mile oil exploration zone around the islands in 1993, and early seismic surveys suggest substantial reserves capable of producing 500,000 barrels per day; to date no exploitable site has been identified. An agreement between Argentina and the UK in 1995 seeks to defuse licensing and sovereignty conflicts that would dampen foreign interest in exploiting potential oil reserves. Tourism, especially eco-tourism, is increasing rapidly, with about 30,000 visitors in 2001. Another large source of income is interest paid on money the government has in the bank. The British military presence also provides a sizeable economic boost.
Electricity - consumption	40 million kWh (2001)	17.72 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2001)	0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports	40 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2001)	0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production	0 kWh NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2001)	19.06 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: Mount Usborne 705 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	overfishing by unlicensed vessels is a problem; reindeer were introduced to the islands in 2001 for commercial reasons; this is the only commercial reindeer herd in the world unaffected by the Chornobyl disaster
Environment - international agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea	-
Ethnic groups	Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%,	British
Exchange rates	maloti per US dollar - 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002), 8.6092 (2001), 6.9398 (2000), 6.1095 (1999)	Falkland pounds per US dollar - 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001), 0.6609 (2000) note: the Falkland pound is at 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 Howard PEARCE (since 3 December 2002); Chief Executive Chris SIMPKINS (since NA March 2003); Financial Secretary Derek F. HOWATT (since NA) cabinet: Executive Council; three members elected by the Legislative Council, two ex officio members (chief executive and the financial secretary), and the governor elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch
Exports	NA (2001)	NA
Exports - commodities	manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (2000)	wool, hides, meat
Exports - partners	US 97.6%, Canada 1.5%, France 0.5% (2003)	Spain 77.4%, UK 9.4%, US 4.9% (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 Falkland Island coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms contains a white ram (sheep raising was once the major economic activity) above the sailing ship Desire (whose crew discovered the islands) with a scroll at the bottom bearing the motto DESIRE THE RIGHT
GDP	purchasing power parity - $5.583 billion (2003 est.)	-
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 15.3% industry: 43.3% services: 41.4% (2003)	agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $3,000 (2003 est.)	purchasing power parity - $25,000 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	4% (2003 est.)	NA%
Geographic coordinates	29 30 S, 28 30 E	51 45 S, 59 00 W
Geography - note	landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 meters above sea level	deeply indented coast provides good natural harbors; short growing season
Highways	total: 5,940 km paved: 1,087 km unpaved: 4,853 km (1999)	total: 440 km paved: 50 km unpaved: 390 km (2002)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: 0.9% highest 10%: 43.4%	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports	NA (2001)	NA
Imports - commodities	food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products (2000)	fuel, food and drink, building materials, clothing
Imports - partners	Hong Kong 36.6%, Taiwan 36.2%, China 12%, Germany 9.9% (2003)	UK 63.2%, Spain 30.3%, France 3.6% (2004)
Independence	4 October 1966 (from UK)	none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)
Industrial production growth rate	15.5% (1999)	NA%
Industries	food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts; construction; tourism	fish and wool processing; tourism
Infant mortality rate	total: 85.22 deaths/1,000 live births male: 90.19 deaths/1,000 live births female: 80.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)	total: NA male: NA female: NA (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	6.1% (2003 est.)	3.6% (1998)
International organization participation	ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO	ICFTU, UPU
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 (chief justice is a nonresident); Magistrates Court (senior magistrate presides over civil and criminal divisions); Court of Summary Jurisdiction
Labor force	838,000 (2000)	1,100 (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 95% (mostly sheepherding and fishing)
Land boundaries	total: 909 km border countries: South Africa 909 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 10.87% permanent crops: 0.13% other: 89% (2001)	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (99% permanent pastures, 1% other) (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	English common 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 Legislative Council (10 seats - 2 ex officio, 8 elected by popular vote, members serve four-year terms); presided over by the governor elections: last held 22 November 2001 (next to be held November 2005) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 8; note - 71% voter turnout
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 36.81 years male: 36.81 years female: 36.81 years (2004 est.)	total population: NA years male: NA years female: NA years (2005 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 84.8% male: 74.5% female: 94.5% (2003 est.)	-
Location	Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa	Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of southern Argentina
Map references	Africa	South America
Maritime claims	none (landlocked)	territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine	-	none
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; with Army and Air Wing)	no regular military forces
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$32.5 million (2003)	NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	2.6% (2003)	NA
Military manpower - availability	males age 15-49: 465,827 (2004 est.)	-
Military manpower - fit for military service	males age 15-49: 253,974 (2004 est.)	-
National holiday	Independence Day, 4 October (1966)	Liberation Day, 14 June (1982)
Nationality	noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural) adjective: Basotho	noun: Falkland Islander(s) adjective: Falkland Island
Natural hazards	periodic droughts	strong winds persist throughout the year
Natural resources	water, agricultural and grazing land, some diamonds and other minerals	fish, squid, wildlife, calcified seaweed, sphagnum moss
Net migration rate	-0.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)	NA 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; all independents
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	none
Population	1,865,040 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 2004 est.)	2,967 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line	49% (1999)	NA
Population growth rate	0.14% (2004 est.)	2.44% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors	none	Stanley
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)	AM 1, FM 7, shortwave 0 (1998)
Religions	Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%	primarily Anglican, Roman Catholic, United Free Church, Evangelist Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, Lutheran, Seventh-Day Adventist
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2004 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; a cellular mobile telephone system is growing international: country code - 266; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)	general assessment: NA domestic: government-operated radiotelephone and private VHF/CB radiotelephone networks provide effective service to almost all points on both islands international: country code - 500; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) with links through London to other countries
Telephones - main lines in use	28,600 (2002)	2,400 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	92,000 (2002)	0 (2001)
Television broadcast stations	1 (2000)	2 (operated by the British Forces Broadcasting Service) note: cable television is available in Stanley (2002)
Terrain	mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains	rocky, hilly, mountainous with some boggy, undulating plains
Total fertility rate	3.44 children born/woman (2004 est.)	NA children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate	45% (2002)	full employment; labor shortage (2001)

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