##ciekawa_strona##
Compare Lesotho (2005) - Aruba (2003)
Compare Lesotho (2005) z Aruba (2003)
| Lesotho (2005) | Aruba (2003) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | 10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohale's Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka | none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: 36.9% (male 346,930/female 342,459)
15-64 years: 57.6% (male 526,642/female 548,096) 65 years and over: 5.5% (male 42,003/female 60,905) (2005 est.) |
0-14 years: 20.7% (male 7,540; female 7,121)
15-64 years: 68.3% (male 23,427; female 24,955) 65 years and over: 11% (male 3,215; female 4,586) (2003 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock | aloes; livestock; fish |
| Airports | 28 (2004 est.) | 1 (2002) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total: 3
over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
total: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2002) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 25
914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.) |
- |
| Area | total: 30,355 sq km
land: 30,355 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 193 sq km
land: 193 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Maryland | slightly larger than Washington, DC |
| Background | Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence from the UK in 1966. King MOSHOESHOE was exiled in 1990, but returned to Lesotho in 1992 and reinstated in 1995. 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 intervention by South African and Botswanan military forces under the aegis of the Southern African Development Community. Constitutional reforms have since restored political stability; peaceful parliamentary elections were held in 2002. | Discovered and claimed for Spain in 1499, Aruba was acquired by the Dutch in 1636. The island's economy has been dominated by three main industries. A 19th century gold rush was followed by prosperity brought on by the opening in 1924 of an oil refinery. The last decades of the 20th century saw a boom in the tourism industry. Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 and became a separate, autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Movement toward full independence was halted at Aruba's request in 1990. |
| Birth rate | 26.53 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 11.86 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Budget | revenues: $698.5 million
expenditures: $697.6 million, including capital expenditures of $15 million (2004 est.) |
revenues: $135.81 million
expenditures: $147 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000) |
| Capital | Maseru | Oranjestad |
| Climate | temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers | tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation |
| Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 68.5 km |
| Constitution | 2 April 1993 | 1 January 1986 |
| Country name | conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho
conventional short form: Lesotho former: Basutoland |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Aruba |
| Currency | - | Aruban guilder/florin (AWG) |
| Death rate | 25.03 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 6.38 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Debt - external | $735 million (2002) | $285 million (1996) |
| Dependency status | - | part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador June Carter PERRY
embassy: 254 Kingsway, Maseru West (Consular Section) mailing address: P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho telephone: [266] 22 312666 FAX: [266] 22 310116 |
the US does not have an embassy in Aruba; the Consul General to Netherlands Antilles is accredited to Aruba |
| 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 (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands) |
| Disputes - international | none | none |
| Economic aid - donor | ODA $4.4 million | - |
| Economic aid - recipient | $41.5 million (2000) | $26 million (1995); note - the Netherlands provided a $127 million aid package to Aruba and Suriname in 1996 |
| 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 garment industry has grown significantly, mainly due to Lesotho qualifying for the trade benefits contained in the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act. 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. | Tourism is the mainstay of the small, open Aruban economy, with offshore banking and oil refining and storage also important. The rapid growth of the tourism sector over the last decade has resulted in a substantial expansion of other activities. Construction has boomed, with hotel capacity five times the 1985 level. In addition, the reopening of the country's oil refinery in 1993, a major source of employment and foreign exchange earnings, has further spurred growth. Aruba's small labor force and low unemployment rate have led to a large number of unfilled job vacancies, despite sharp rises in wage rates in recent years. Tourist arrivals have declined in the aftermath of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the US. The government now must deal with a budget deficit and a negative trade balance. |
| Electricity - consumption | 308 million kWh (2002) | 494.7 million kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2002) | 0 kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - imports | 16 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2002) | 0 kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - production | 314 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2002) | 531.9 million kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (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: Mount Jamanota 188 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, 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%, | mixed white/Caribbean Amerindian 80% |
| Exchange rates | maloti per US dollar - 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002), 8.6092 (2001), 6.9398 (2000) | Aruban guilders/florins per US dollar - 1.79 (2002), 1.79 (2001), 1.79 (2000), 1.79 (1999), 1.79 (1998) |
| 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 BEATRIX of the Netherlands (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Olindo KOOLMAN (since 1 January 1992)
head of government: Prime Minister Nelson O. ODUBER (since 30 October 2001); Deputy Prime Minister Fredis REFUNJOL cabinet: Council of Ministers (elected by the Staten) elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed for a six-year term by the monarch; prime minister and deputy prime minister elected by the Staten for four-year terms; election last held 28 September 2001 (next to be held by December 2005) election results: Nelson O. ODUBER elected prime minister; percent of legislative vote - NA% |
| Exports | NA | NA (2001) |
| Exports - commodities | manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (2000) | live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery and electrical equipment, transport equipment |
| Exports - partners | US 97%, Canada 2.1%, UK 0.3% (2004) | Netherlands 28.6%, Colombia 21.7%, Panama 16.8%, US 12.1%, Netherlands Antilles 8.3%, Venezuela 7.6% (2002) |
| 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 two narrow, horizontal, yellow stripes across the lower portion and a red, four-pointed star outlined in white in the upper hoist-side corner |
| GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $1.94 billion (2002 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 15.2%
industry: 43.9% services: 40.9% (2004 est.) |
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $3,200 (2004 est.) | purchasing power parity - $28,000 (2002 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate | 3.3% (2004 est.) | -1.5% (2002 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 29 30 S, 28 30 E | 12 30 N, 69 58 W |
| Geography - note | landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 meters above sea level | a flat, riverless island renowned for its white sand beaches; its tropical climate is moderated by constant trade winds from the Atlantic Ocean; the temperature is almost constant at about 27 degrees Celsius (81 degrees Fahrenheit) |
| Highways | total: 5,940 km
paved: 1,087 km unpaved: 4,853 km (1999) |
total: 800 km
paved: 513 km unpaved: 287 km note: most coastal roads are paved, while unpaved roads serve large tracts of the interior (1995) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 0.9%
highest 10%: 43.4% |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Illicit drugs | - | transit point for US- and Europe-bound narcotics with some accompanying money-laundering activity |
| Imports | NA | NA (2001) |
| Imports - commodities | food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products (2000) | machinery and electrical equipment, crude oil for refining and reexport, chemicals; foodstuffs |
| Imports - partners | Hong Kong 46.8%, China 25.5%, South Korea 5.6%, Germany 4.8% (2004) | US 54.7%, Netherlands 12.7%, UK 5.7% (2002) |
| Independence | 4 October 1966 (from UK) | none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) |
| Industrial production growth rate | 15.5% (1999) | NA |
| Industries | food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts; construction; tourism | tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining |
| Infant mortality rate | total: 84.23 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 89.11 deaths/1,000 live births female: 79.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
total: 6.14 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.99 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 5.3% (2004 est.) | 3.2% (2002 est.) |
| International organization participation | ACP, AfDB, AU, C, The Commonwealth, 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 (observer), ECLAC (associate), Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), WCL, WToO (associate) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | NA |
| Irrigated land | 10 sq km (1998 est.) | 0.01 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Judicial branch | High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch acting on the advice of the Prime Minister); Court of Appeal; Magistrate's Court; customary or traditional court | Joint High Court of Justice (judges are appointed by the monarch) |
| Labor force | 838,000 (2000) | 41,501 (1997 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 | most employment is in wholesale and retail trade and repair, followed by hotels and restaurants; oil refining |
| 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: 10.53% (including aloe 0.01%)
permanent crops: 0% other: 89.47% (1998 est.) |
| Languages | Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa | Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish |
| 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 Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence |
| 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 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 Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 28 September 2001 (next to be held by NA 2005) election results: percent of vote by party - MEP 52.4%, AVP 26.7%, PPA 9.6%, OLA 5.7%, Aliansa 3.5%, other 2.1%; seats by party - MEP 12, AVP 6, PPA 2, OLA 1 |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 34.47 years
male: 35.49 years female: 33.42 years (2005 est.) |
total population: 78.83 years
male: 75.48 years female: 82.34 years (2003 est.) |
| Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 84.8% male: 74.5% female: 94.5% (2003 est.) |
definition:
total population: 97% male: NA% female: NA% |
| Location | Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa | Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela |
| Map references | Africa | Central America and the Caribbean |
| Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | territorial sea: 12 NM |
| Merchant marine | - | total: 3
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 1, petroleum tanker 1 note: there is one foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of convenience: Monaco 1 (2002 est.) |
| 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 Kingdom of the Netherlands |
| Military branches | Lesotho Defense Force (LDF): Army and Air Wing | no regular indigenous military forces; Royal Dutch Navy and Marines, Coast Guard |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | $32.3 million (2004) | - |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 2.3% (2004) | - |
| National holiday | Independence Day, 4 October (1966) | Flag Day, 18 March |
| Nationality | noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)
adjective: Basotho |
noun: Aruban(s)
adjective: Aruban; Dutch |
| Natural hazards | periodic droughts | lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt |
| Natural resources | water, agricultural and grazing land, diamonds, sand, clay, building stone | NEGL; white sandy beaches |
| Net migration rate | -0.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Political parties and leaders | Basotholand African Congress or BAC [Khauhelo RALITAPOLE]; Basotholand Congress Party or BCP [Ntsukunyane MPHANYA]; Basotho National Party or BNP [Maj. Gen. Justine Metsing LEKHANYA]; Lesotho Congress for Democracy or LCD [Pakalitha MOSISILI] - the governing party; Lesotho People's Congress or LPC [Kelebone MAOPE]; Lesotho Workers Party of LWP [Macaefa BILLY]; Marematlou Freedom Party or MFP [Vincent MALEBO]; National Independent Party or NIP [Anthony MANYELI]; National Progressive Party or NPP [Chief Peete Nkoebe PEETE]; Popular Front for Democracy or PFD [Lekhetho RAKUOANE]; Sefate Democratic Party or SDP [Bofihla NKUEBE] | Aruba Solidarity Movement or MAS [leader NA]; Aruban Democratic Alliance or Aliansa [leader NA]; Aruban Democratic Party or PDA [Leo BERLINSKI]; Aruban Liberal Party or OLA [Glenbert CROES]; Aruban Patriotic Party or PPA [Benny NISBET]; Aruban People's Party or AVP [Jan (Henny) H. EMAN]; Concentration for the Liberation of Aruba or CLA [leader NA]; People's Electoral Movement Party or MEP [Nelson O. ODUBER]; For a Restructured Aruba Now or PARA [Urbana LOPEZ]; National Democratic Action or ADN [Pedro Charro KELLY] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
| Population | 1,867,035
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 2005 est.) |
70,844 (July 2003 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | 49% (1999) | NA% |
| Population growth rate | 0.08% (2005 est.) | 0.55% (2003 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | - | Barcadera, Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998) | AM 4, FM 6, shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Railways | - | 0 km |
| Religions | Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20% | Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, Jewish |
| 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 (2005 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
| Telephone system | general assessment: rudimentary system
domestic: consists of a modest but growing number of 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: more than adequate international: 1 submarine cable to Sint Maarten (Netherlands Antilles); extensive interisland microwave radio relay links |
| Telephones - main lines in use | 28,600 (2002) | 33,000 (1997) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 92,000 (2002) | 3,402 (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations | 1 (2000) | 1 (1997) |
| Terrain | mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains | flat with a few hills; scant vegetation |
| Total fertility rate | 3.35 children born/woman (2005 est.) | 1.79 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | 45% (2002) | 0.6% |
| Waterways | - | none |
Sitemap:
Compare countries listing (map site) |
Country listing (map site)
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.