Compare Lesotho (2004) - Turks and Caicos Islands (2004)

Compare Lesotho (2004) z Turks and Caicos Islands (2004)

	Lesotho (2004)	Turks and Caicos Islands (2004)

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)
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: 32.5% (male 3,301; female 3,184) 15-64 years: 63.8% (male 6,696; female 6,036) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 327; female 412) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products	corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock	corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), citrus fruits; fish
Airports	28 (2003 est.)	8 (2003 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: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 25 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.)	total: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 30,355 sq km land: 30,355 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 430 sq km land: 430 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. 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.	The islands were part of the UK's Jamaican colony until 1962, when they assumed the status of a separate crown colony upon Jamaica's independence. The governor of The Bahamas oversaw affairs from 1965 to 1973. With Bahamian independence, the islands received a separate governor in 1973. Although independence was agreed upon for 1982, the policy was reversed and the islands remain a British overseas territory.
Birth rate	26.91 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)	22.85 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget	revenues: $625.4 million expenditures: $675.2 million, including capital expenditures of $15 million (2003 est.)	revenues: $47 million expenditures: $33.6 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1997-98 est.)
Capital	Maseru	Grand Turk (Cockburn Town)
Climate	temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers	tropical; marine; moderated by trade winds; sunny and relatively dry
Coastline	0 km (landlocked)	389 km
Constitution	2 April 1993	introduced 30 August 1976; suspended in 1986; restored and revised 5 March 1988
Country name	conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho conventional short form: Lesotho former: Basutoland	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Turks and Caicos Islands
Currency	loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR)	US dollar (USD)
Death rate	24.79 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)	4.26 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external	$735 million (2002)	NA (2002 est.)
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 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)
Disputes - international	none	have received Haitians fleeing economic collapse and civil unrest
Economic aid - donor	ODA $4.4 million	-
Economic aid - recipient	$41.5 million (2000)	$4.1 million (1997)
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 Turks and Caicos economy is based on tourism, fishing, and offshore financial services. Most capital goods and food for domestic consumption are imported. The US is the leading source of tourists, accounting for more than half of the 93,000 visitors in the late 1990s. Major sources of government revenue include fees from offshore financial activities and customs receipts. Tourism fell by 6% in 2002.
Electricity - consumption	40 million kWh (2001)	4.65 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2001)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	40 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2001)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	0 kWh NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2001)	5 million kWh (2001)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Blue Hills 49 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	limited natural fresh water resources, private cisterns collect rainwater
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%,	black 90%, mixed, European, or North American 10%
Exchange rates	maloti per US dollar - 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002), 8.6092 (2001), 6.9398 (2000), 6.1095 (1999)	the US dollar is used
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 1953), represented by Governor Jim POSTON (since 16 December 2002) head of government: Chief Minister Michael Eugene MISICK (since 15 August 2003) cabinet: Executive Council consists of three ex officio members and five appointed by the governor from among the members of the Legislative Council elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is appointed chief minister by the governor
Exports	NA (2001)	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (2000)	lobster, dried and fresh conch, conch shells
Exports - partners	US 97.6%, Canada 1.5%, France 0.5% (2003)	US, UK
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	blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the colonial shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield is yellow and contains a conch shell, lobster, and cactus
GDP	purchasing power parity - $5.583 billion (2003 est.)	purchasing power parity - $231 million (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 15.3% industry: 43.3% services: 41.4% (2003)	agriculture: NA industry: NA services: NA (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $3,000 (2003 est.)	purchasing power parity - $9,600 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	4% (2003 est.)	4.9% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates	29 30 S, 28 30 E	21 45 N, 71 35 W
Geography - note	landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 meters above sea level	about 40 islands (eight inhabited)
Highways	total: 5,940 km paved: 1,087 km unpaved: 4,853 km (1999)	total: 121 km paved: 24 km unpaved: 97 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: 0.9% highest 10%: 43.4%	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA
Illicit drugs	-	transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe
Imports	NA (2001)	NA (2001)
Imports - commodities	food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products (2000)	food and beverages, tobacco, clothing, manufactures, construction materials
Imports - partners	Hong Kong 36.6%, Taiwan 36.2%, China 12%, Germany 9.9% (2003)	US, UK
Independence	4 October 1966 (from UK)	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate	15.5% (1999)	NA
Industries	food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts; construction; tourism	tourism, offshore financial services
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: 16.27 deaths/1,000 live births male: 18.79 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	6.1% (2003 est.)	4% (1995)
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	Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), 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
Labor force	838,000 (2000)	4,848 (1990 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	about 33% in government and 20% in agriculture and fishing; significant numbers in tourism, financial, and other services
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: 2.33% permanent crops: 0% other: 97.67% (2001)
Languages	Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa	English (official)
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 laws of England and Wales, with a few adopted from Jamaica and The Bahamas
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 (19 seats of which 13 are popularly elected; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 24 April 2003 (next to be held in 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - PDM 53.8%, PNP 46.2%; seats by party - PDM 7, PNP 6; note - in by-elections held 7 August 2003, the PNP gained two seats for a majority of 8 seats; PDM now has 5
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 36.81 years male: 36.81 years female: 36.81 years (2004 est.)	total population: 74.25 years male: 72.05 years female: 76.57 years (2004 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 84.8% male: 74.5% female: 94.5% (2003 est.)	definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 98% male: 99% female: 98% (1970 est.)
Location	Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa	Caribbean, two island groups in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of The Bahamas, north of Haiti
Map references	Africa	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	none (landlocked)	territorial sea: 12 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)	-
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$32.5 million (2003)	-
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	2.6% (2003)	-
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)	Constitution Day, 30 August (1976)
Nationality	noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural) adjective: Basotho	noun: none adjective: none
Natural hazards	periodic droughts	frequent hurricanes
Natural resources	water, agricultural and grazing land, some diamonds and other minerals	spiny lobster, conch
Net migration rate	-0.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)	11.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
People - note	-	destination and transit point for illegal Haitian immigrants bound for the Turks and Caicos Islands, Bahamas, and US
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]	People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Derek H. TAYLOR]; Progressive National Party or PNP [Michael Eugene MISICK]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Wendal SWANN]
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	NA
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.)	19,956 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line	49% (1999)	NA
Population growth rate	0.14% (2004 est.)	3.03% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors	none	Grand Turk, Providenciales
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)	AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2004)
Religions	Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%	Baptist 40%, Methodist 16%, Anglican 18%, Church of God 12%, other 14% (1990)
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.)	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.11 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 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: fair cable and radiotelephone services domestic: NA international: country code - 1-649; 2 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use	28,600 (2002)	5,700 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	92,000 (2002)	1,700 (1999)
Television broadcast stations	1 (2000)	0 (broadcasts from The Bahamas are received; 2 cable television networks) (2004)
Terrain	mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains	low, flat limestone; extensive marshes and mangrove swamps
Total fertility rate	3.44 children born/woman (2004 est.)	3.11 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate	45% (2002)	10% (1997 est.)

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