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Compare Lesotho (2006) - Bahrain (2002)
Compare Lesotho (2006) z Bahrain (2002)
| Lesotho (2006) | Bahrain (2002) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | 10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohale's Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka | 12 municipalities (manatiq, singular - mintaqah); Al Hadd, Al Manamah, Al Mintaqah al Gharbiyah, Al Mintaqah al Wusta, Al Mintaqah ash Shamaliyah, Al Muharraq, Ar Rifa' wa al Mintaqah al Janubiyah, Jidd Hafs, Madinat Hamad, Madinat 'Isa, Juzur Hawar, Sitrah
note: all municipalities administered from Manama |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: 36.8% (male 374,102/female 369,527)
15-64 years: 58.3% (male 572,957/female 606,846) 65 years and over: 4.9% (male 39,461/female 59,438) (2006 est.) |
0-14 years: 29.2% (male 97,022; female 94,605)
15-64 years: 67.7% (male 261,919; female 182,727) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 10,230; female 9,894) (2002 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock | fruit, vegetables; poultry, dairy products; shrimp, fish |
| Airports | 28 (2006) | 4 (2001) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total: 3
over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) |
total: 3
over 3,047 m: 2 (2002) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 25
914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 21 (2006) |
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002) |
| Area | total: 30,355 sq km
land: 30,355 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 665 sq km
land: 665 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Maryland | 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC |
| Background | Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence from the UK in 1966. The Basuto National Party ruled for the first two decades. King MOSHOESHOE was exiled in 1990, but returned to Lesotho in 1992 and reinstated in 1995. Constitutional government was restored in 1993 after 7 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. | Bahrain's small size and central location among Persian Gulf countries require it to play a delicate balancing act in foreign affairs among its larger neighbors. Possessing minimal oil reserves, Bahrain has turned to petroleum processing and refining, and has transformed itself into an international banking center. The new amir, installed in 1999, has pushed economic and political reforms, and has worked to improve relations with the Shi'a community. In February 2001, Bahraini voters approved a referendum on the National Action Charter - the centerpiece of the amir's political liberalization program. In February 2002, Amir HAMAD bin Isa Al Khalifa proclaimed himself king. In local elections held in May 2002, Bahraini women were allowed to vote and run for office for the first time. |
| Birth rate | 24.75 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 19.53 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Budget | revenues: $738.5 million
expenditures: $792.1 million; including capital expenditures of NA (2005 est.) |
revenues: $1.8 billion
expenditures: $2.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $700 million (2002 est.) |
| Capital | name: Maseru
geographic coordinates: 29 28 S, 27 30 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Manama |
| Climate | temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers | arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers |
| Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 161 km |
| Constitution | 2 April 1993 | adopted late December 2000; Bahrani voters approved on 13-14 February 2001 a referendum on legislative changes (revised constitution calls for a partially elected legislature, a constitutional monarchy, and an independent judiciary) |
| Country name | conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho
conventional short form: Lesotho local long form: Kingdom of Lesotho local short form: Lesotho former: Basutoland |
conventional long form: Kingdom of Bahrain
conventional short form: Bahrain local long form: Mamlakat al Bahrayn local short form: Al Bahrayn former: Dilmun |
| Currency | - | Bahraini dinar (BHD) |
| Death rate | 28.71 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 3.95 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Debt - external | $735 million (2002) | $2.8 billion (2000) |
| 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 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Ronald E. NEUMANN
embassy: Building #979, Road 3119 (next to Al-Ahli Sports Club), Block 321, Zinj District, Manama mailing address: American Embassy Manama, PSC 451, FPO AE 09834-5100; international mail: American Embassy, Box 26431, Manama telephone: [973] 273-300 FAX: [973] 272-594 |
| 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 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Khalifa bin Ali bin Rashid AL KHALIFA
chancery: 3502 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 342-0741 FAX: [1] (202) 362-2192 consulate(s) general: New York |
| Disputes - international | none | none |
| Economic aid - donor | ODA, $4.4 million | - |
| Economic aid - recipient | $41.5 million (2000) | $48.4 million (1995) (1995) |
| 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. However, the government has recently 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, as well as a rapidly expanding apparel-assembly sector. The latter 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. | In Bahrain, petroleum production and refining account for about 60% of export receipts, 60% of government revenues, and 30% of GDP. With its highly developed communication and transport facilities, Bahrain is home to numerous multinational firms with business in the Gulf. Bahrain is dependent on Saudi Arabia for oil revenue granted as aid. A large share of exports consists of petroleum products made from refining imported crude. Construction proceeds on several major industrial projects. Unemployment, especially among the young, and the depletion of oil and underground water resources are major long-term economic problems. |
| Electricity - consumption | 363.5 million kWh (2003) | 5,361.45 million kWh (2000) |
| Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2003) | 0 kWh (2000) |
| Electricity - imports | 38 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2003) | 0 kWh (2000) |
| Electricity - production | 350 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2003) | 5.765 billion kWh (2000) |
| Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m
highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m |
lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Jabal ad Dukhan 122 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 | desertification resulting from the degradation of limited arable land, periods of drought, and dust storms; coastal degradation (damage to coastlines, coral reefs, and sea vegetation) resulting from oil spills and other discharges from large tankers, oil refineries, and distribution stations; lack of freshwater resources, groundwater and seawater are the only sources for all water needs |
| 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 |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Ethnic groups | Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%, | Bahraini 63%, Asian 19%, other Arab 10%, Iranian 8% |
| Exchange rates | maloti per US dollar - 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002), 8.6092 (2001) | Bahraini dinars per US dollar - 0.3760 (fixed rate pegged to the US dollar) |
| 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 depose the monarch, determine who is next in the line of succession, or who shall serve as regent in the event that the successor is not of mature age |
chief of state: King HAMAD bin Isa Al Khalifa (since 6 March 1999); Heir Apparent Crown Prince SALMAN bin Hamad (son of the monarch, born 21 October 1969)
head of government: Prime Minister KHALIFA bin Salman Al Khalifa (since NA 1971) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch |
| Exports | NA bbl/day | $5.5 billion (2001) |
| Exports - commodities | manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (2000) | petroleum and petroleum products, aluminum, textiles |
| Exports - partners | Hong Kong 43.6%, China 35.4%, Germany 8.4% (2005) | India 8.4%, US 3.9%, Saudi Arabia 3.4%, Japan 2.8%, South Korea 2.1% (2000) |
| Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | calendar year |
| Flag description | three horizontal stripes of blue (top), white, and green in the proportions of 3:4:3; the colors represent rain, peace, and prosperity respectively; centered in the white stripe is a black Basotho hat representing the indigenous people; the flag was unfurled in October 2006 to celebrate 40 years of independence | red with a white serrated band (eight white points) on the hoist side |
| GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $8.4 billion (2001 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 16.3%
industry: 44.3% services: 39.4% (2005 est.) |
agriculture: 1%
industry: 35% services: 64% (2001 est.) |
| GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $13,000 (2001 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate | 1.2% (2005 est.) | 4% (2001 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 29 30 S, 28 30 E | 26 00 N, 50 33 E |
| Geography - note | landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 meters above sea level | close to primary Middle Eastern petroleum sources; strategic location in Persian Gulf, which much of Western world's petroleum must transit to reach open ocean |
| Heliports | - | 1 (2002) |
| Highways | - | total: 3,164 km
paved: 2,433 km unpaved: 731 km note: a paved causeway links Bahrain and Saudi Arabia |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 0.9%
highest 10%: 43.4% |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Imports | NA bbl/day | $4.5 billion (2001) |
| Imports - commodities | food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products (2000) | crude oil, machinery, chemicals |
| Imports - partners | US 84%, Belgium 12.8%, Canada 2.4% (2005) | Saudi Arabia 28.7%, US 12.5%, UK 6.6%, France 6%, Japan 4% (2000) |
| Independence | 4 October 1966 (from UK) | 15 August 1971 (from UK) |
| Industrial production growth rate | 15.5% (1999) | 2% (2000 est.) |
| Industries | food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts, construction, tourism | petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, offshore banking, ship repairing; tourism |
| Infant mortality rate | total: 87.24 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 92.04 deaths/1,000 live births female: 82.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
19.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 4.7% (2005 est.) | 1.5% (2001 est.) |
| 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 | ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 1 (2000) |
| Irrigated land | 30 sq km (2003) | 50 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 | High Civil Appeals Court |
| Labor force | 838,000 (2000) | 295,000
note: 44% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (July 1998 est.) (1998 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 86% of resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture; roughly 35% of the active male wage earners work in South Africa
industry and services: 14% |
industry, commerce, and service 79%, government 20%, agriculture 1% (1997 est.) |
| 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% (2005) |
arable land: 4.35%
permanent crops: 4.35% other: 91.3% (1998 est.) |
| Languages | Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa | Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu |
| Legal system | based on English common law and Roman-Dutch law; judicial review of legislative acts in High Court and Court of Appeal; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations | based on Islamic law and 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 by 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 |
bicameral Parliament consists of Shura Council (40 members appointed by the King) and House of Deputies (40 members elected by restricted vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: House of Deputies - last held 31 October 2002 (next election to be held NA 2006) election results: House of Deputies - percent of vote - NA%; seats by party - independents 21, Sunni Islamists 9, other 10 note: first elections since 7 December 1973; unicameral National Assembly dissolved 26 August 1975; National Action Charter created bicameral legislature on 23 December 2000; approved by referendum 14 February 2001; first legislative session of Parliament held on 25 December 2002 |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 34.4 years
male: 35.55 years female: 33.21 years (2006 est.) |
total population: 73.47 years
male: 71.05 years female: 75.96 years (2002 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 can read and write
total population: 88.5% male: 91.6% female: 84.2% (2002 est.) |
| Location | Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa | Middle East, archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia |
| Map references | Africa | Middle East |
| Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: extending to boundaries to be determined territorial sea: 12 NM |
| Merchant marine | - | total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 270,784 GRT/384,561 DWT
ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 4, container 2, includes a foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of convenience: Kuwait 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 | - |
| Military branches | Lesotho Defense Force (LDF): Army and Air Wing | Bahrain Defense Forces (BDF) comprising Ground Force (includes Air Defense), Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Police Force, Amiri Guards, National Guard |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | $41.1 million (2005 est.) | $526.2 million (FY01) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 2.1% (2005 est.) | 6.7% (FY01) |
| Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49: 222,572 (2002 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49: 121,955 (2002 est.) |
| Military manpower - military age | - | 15 years of age (2002 est.) |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males: 5,926 (2002 est.) |
| National holiday | Independence Day, 4 October (1966) | National Day, 16 December (1971); note - 15 August 1971 is the date of independence from the UK, 16 December 1971 is the date of independence from British protection |
| Nationality | noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)
adjective: Basotho |
noun: Bahraini(s)
adjective: Bahraini |
| Natural hazards | periodic droughts | periodic droughts; dust storms |
| Natural resources | water, agricultural and grazing land, diamonds, sand, clay, building stone | oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish, pearls |
| Net migration rate | -0.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 1.09 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Pipelines | - | crude oil 56 km; petroleum products 16 km; natural gas 32 km |
| 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]; Kopanang Basotho Party or KPB [MOSALA]; Lesotho Congress for Democracy or LCD [Pakalitha MOSISILI] (the governing party); Lesotho Education Party or LEP [Thabo PITSO]; 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 Union or SDU [Bofihla NKUEBE]; Social Democratic Party of SDP [Masitise SELESO]; United Democratic Party or UDP [C.D. MOFELI]; United Party or UP [Makara SEKAUTU] | political parties prohibited but politically oriented nongovernment organizations are allowed |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | Shi'a activists fomented unrest sporadically in 1994-97, demanding the return of an elected National Assembly and an end to unemployment; several small, clandestine leftist and Islamic fundamentalist groups are active |
| Population | 2,022,331
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 2006 est.) |
656,397
note: includes 228,424 non-nationals (July 2002 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | 49% (1999) | NA% |
| Population growth rate | -0.46% (2006 est.) | 1.67% (2002 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | - | Manama, Mina' Salman, Sitrah |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998) | AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Radios | - | 338,000 (1997) |
| Railways | - | 0 km |
| Religions | Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20% | Shi'a Muslim 70%, Sunni Muslim 30% |
| Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.43 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.03 male(s)/female total population: 1.29 male(s)/female (2002 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: modern system
domestic: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use of mobile cellular telephones international: tropospheric scatter to Qatar and UAE; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; submarine cable to Qatar, UAE, and Saudi Arabia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat (1997) |
| Telephones - main lines in use | 48,000 (2005) | 152,000 (1997) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 245,100 (2005) | 58,543 (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations | 1 (2000) | 4 (1997) |
| Terrain | mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains | mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment |
| Total fertility rate | 3.28 children born/woman (2006 est.) | 2.75 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | 45% (2002) | 15% (1998 est.) |
| Waterways | - | none |
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