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Compare Liberia (2004) - Lesotho (2004)

Compare Liberia (2004) z Lesotho (2004)

 Liberia (2004)Lesotho (2004)
 LiberiaLesotho
Administrative divisions 15 counties; Bomi, Bong, Gbarpolu, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba, River Cess, River Gee, Sinoe 10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohale's Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka
Age structure 0-14 years: 43.4% (male 742,508; female 730,677)


15-64 years: 52.9% (male 875,951; female 918,570)


65 years and over: 3.6% (male 61,867; female 61,062) (2004 est.)
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.)
Agriculture - products rubber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, sugarcane, bananas; sheep, goats; timber corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock
Airports 53 (2003 est.) 28 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 2


over 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)
total: 3


over 3,047 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 51


1,524 to 2,437 m: 5


914 to 1,523 m: 8


under 914 m: 38 (2004 est.)
total: 25


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.)
Area total: 111,370 sq km


land: 96,320 sq km


water: 15,050 sq km
total: 30,355 sq km


land: 30,355 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than Tennessee slightly smaller than Maryland
Background In August 2003, a comprehensive peace agreement ended 14 years of civil war and prompted the resignation of former president Charles TAYLOR, who was exiled to Nigeria. The National Transitional Government of Liberia (NTGL) - which is composed of rebel, government, and civil society groups - assumed control in October 2003. Chairman Gyude BRYANT, who was given a two-year mandate to oversee efforts to rebuild Liberia, heads the new government. The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), which maintains a strong presence throughout the country, completed a disarmament program for former combatants in late 2004, but the security situation is still volatile and the process of rebuilding the social and economic structure of this war-torn country remains sluggish. 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.
Birth rate 44.81 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) 26.91 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget revenues: $85.4 million


expenditures: $90.5 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2000 est.)
revenues: $625.4 million


expenditures: $675.2 million, including capital expenditures of $15 million (2003 est.)
Capital Monrovia Maseru
Climate tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers
Coastline 579 km 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution 6 January 1986 2 April 1993
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Liberia


conventional short form: Liberia
conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho


conventional short form: Lesotho


former: Basutoland
Currency Liberian dollar (LRD) loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR)
Death rate 17.86 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) 24.79 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external $2.1 billion (2000 est.) $735 million (2002)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador John William BLANEY III


embassy: 111 United Nations Drive, P. O. Box 10-0098, Mamba Point, 1000 Monrovia, 10 Liberia


mailing address: use embassy street address


telephone: [231] 226-370 through 226-380


FAX: [231] 226-148
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
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Aaron B. KOLLIE


chancery: 5201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011


telephone: [1] (202) 723-0437


FAX: [1] (202) 723-0436


consulate(s) general: New York
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
Disputes - international domestic fighting among disparate rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone have created insurgencies, street violence, looting, arms trafficking, and ethnic conflicts and refugees in border areas; the Cote d'Ivoire Government accuses Liberia of supporting Ivorian rebels none
Economic aid - donor - ODA $4.4 million
Economic aid - recipient $94 million (1999) $41.5 million (2000)
Economy - overview Civil war and misgovernment have destroyed much of Liberia's economy, especially the infrastructure in and around Monrovia. Many businessmen have fled the country, taking capital and expertise with them. Some have returned, many will not. Richly endowed with water, mineral resources, forests, and a climate favorable to agriculture, Liberia had been a producer and exporter of basic products - primarily raw timber and rubber. Local manufacturing, mainly foreign owned, had been small in scope. The departure of the former president, Charles TAYLOR, to Nigeria in August 2003, the establishment of the all-inclusive National Transition Government of Liberia (NTGL), and the arrival of a UN mission are all encouraging signs that the political crisis is coming to an end. The restoration of infrastructure and the raising of incomes in this ravaged economy depend on the implementation of sound macro- and micro-economic policies, including the encouragement of foreign investment, and generous support from donor countries. 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.
Electricity - consumption 435.9 million kWh (2001) 40 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2001) 40 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2001)
Electricity - production 468.8 million kWh (2001) 0 kWh NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mount Wuteve 1,380 m
lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m


highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m
Environment - current issues tropical rain forest deforestation; soil erosion; loss of biodiversity; pollution of coastal waters from oil residue and raw sewage 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
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94


signed, but not ratified: Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation
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 indigenous African tribes 95% (including Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, Dei, Bella, Mandingo, and Mende), Americo-Liberians 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from the US who had been slaves), Congo People 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from the Caribbean who had been slaves) Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%,
Exchange rates Liberian dollars per US dollar - NA (2003), 61.7542 (2002), 48.5833 (2001), 40.9525 (2000), 41.9025 (1999) maloti per US dollar - 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002), 8.6092 (2001), 6.9398 (2000), 6.1095 (1999)
Executive branch chief of state: Chairman Gyude BRYANT (since 14 October 2003); note - this is an interim position until presidential elections in 2005; the chairman is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: Chairman Gyude BRYANT (since 14 October 2003); note - this is an interim position until presidential elections in 2005; the chairman is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate; note - current cabinet positions are divided among groups participating in the Liberian peace process


elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (renewable); election last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held NA October 2005)


election results: Charles Ghankay TAYLOR elected president; percent of vote - Charles Ghankay TAYLOR (NPP) 75.3%, Ellen Johnson SIRLEAF (UP) 9.6%, Alhaji KROMAH (ALCOP) 4%, other 11.1%; note - Taylor stepped down in August 2003


note:: a UN-brokered cease-fire among warring factions and the Liberian government resulted in the August 2003 resignation of former president Charles TAYLOR; a jointly agreed upon replacement, Chairman Gyude BRYANT, assumed office as head of the National Transitional Government on 14 October 2003
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
Exports $1.079 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities rubber, timber, iron, diamonds, cocoa, coffee manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (2000)
Exports - partners Germany 43.3%, Poland 10.9%, Greece 9.1%, US 6%, France 5.5%, Thailand 4.9%, China 4.1% (2003) US 97.6%, Canada 1.5%, France 0.5% (2003)
Fiscal year calendar year 1 April - 31 March
Flag description 11 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a white five-pointed star on a blue square in the upper hoist-side corner; the design was based on the US flag 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
GDP purchasing power parity - $3.261 billion (2003 est.) purchasing power parity - $5.583 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 76.9%


industry: 5.4%


services: 17.7% (2002 est.)
agriculture: 15.3%


industry: 43.3%


services: 41.4% (2003)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,000 (2003 est.) purchasing power parity - $3,000 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 3% (2003 est.) 4% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates 6 30 N, 9 30 W 29 30 S, 28 30 E
Geography - note facing the Atlantic Ocean, the coastline is characterized by lagoons, mangrove swamps, and river-deposited sandbars; the inland grassy plateau supports limited agriculture landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 meters above sea level
Highways total: 10,600 km


paved: 657 km


unpaved: 9,943 km (1999 est.)
total: 5,940 km


paved: 1,087 km


unpaved: 4,853 km (1999)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
lowest 10%: 0.9%


highest 10%: 43.4%
Illicit drugs transshipment point for Southeast and Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine for the European and US markets; corruption, criminal activity, arms-dealing, and diamond trade provide significant potential for money laundering, but the lack of well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a major money-laundering center -
Imports NA (2001) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods; foodstuffs food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products (2000)
Imports - partners South Korea 39.2%, Japan 16.2%, Singapore 12.4%, Germany 9.9%, Spain 4.1% (2003) Hong Kong 36.6%, Taiwan 36.2%, China 12%, Germany 9.9% (2003)
Independence 26 July 1847 4 October 1966 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate NA 15.5% (1999)
Industries rubber processing, palm oil processing, timber, diamonds food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts; construction; tourism
Infant mortality rate total: 130.51 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 137.32 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 123.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
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.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 15% (2003 est.) 6.1% (2003 est.)
International organization participation ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO 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
Irrigated land 30 sq km (1998 est.) 10 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch); Court of Appeal; Magistrate's Court; customary or traditional court
Labor force - 838,000 (2000)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 70%, industry 8%, services 22% (2000 est.) 86% of resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture; roughly 35% of the active male wage earners work in South Africa
Land boundaries total: 1,585 km


border countries: Guinea 563 km, Cote d'Ivoire 716 km, Sierra Leone 306 km
total: 909 km


border countries: South Africa 909 km
Land use arable land: 3.95%


permanent crops: 2.28%


other: 93.77% (2001)
arable land: 10.87%


permanent crops: 0.13%


other: 89% (2001)
Languages English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages, of which a few can be written and are used in correspondence Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa
Legal system dual system of statutory law based on Anglo-American common law for the modern sector and customary law based on unwritten tribal practices for indigenous sector 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
Legislative branch bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (26 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve nine-year terms) and the House of Representatives (64 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)


elections: Senate - last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held NA 2006); House of Representatives - last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held NA October 2005)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NPP 21, UP 3, ALCOP 2; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NPP 49, UP 7, ALCOP 3, Alliance of Political Parties 2, UPP 2, LPP 1
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
Life expectancy at birth total population: 47.93 years


male: 46.9 years


female: 48.99 years (2004 est.)
total population: 36.81 years


male: 36.81 years


female: 36.81 years (2004 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 57.5%


male: 73.3%


female: 41.6%


note: (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 84.8%


male: 74.5%


female: 94.5% (2003 est.)
Location Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa
Map references Africa Africa
Maritime claims territorial sea: 200 nm none (landlocked)
Merchant marine total: 1,449 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 50,555,752 GRT/79,125,329 DWT


by type: bulk 278, cargo 67, chemical tanker 161, combination bulk 10, combination ore/oil 20, container 388, liquefied gas 77, multi-functional large load carrier 3, passenger 3, petroleum tanker 317, refrigerated cargo 62, roll on/roll off 14, short-sea/passenger 3, specialized tanker 13, vehicle carrier 33


foreign-owned: Argentina 9, Australia 3, Austria 16, Belgium 8, Bermuda 1, Brazil 5, Chile 7, China 40, Croatia 11, Cyprus 4, Denmark 4, Estonia 1, France 3, Germany 510, Greece 142, Hong Kong 56, Iceland 1, India 3, Indonesia 1, Israel 4, Italy 8, Japan 81, South Korea 7, Latvia 22, Isle of Man 5, Mexico 1, Monaco 59, Netherlands 11, Nigeria 2, Norway 54, Panama 1, Poland 2, Portugal 6, Russia 68, Saudi Arabia 23, Singapore 43, Slovenia 1, Spain 1, Sri Lanka 1, Sweden 9, Switzerland 7, Taiwan 36, Turkey 3, Ukraine 3, United Kingdom 36, United States 95, Uruguay 3


registered in other countries: 35 (2004 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 Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL): Army, Navy, Air Force Lesotho Defense Force (LDF; with Army and Air Wing)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $10 million (2003) $32.5 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.3% (2003) 2.6% (2003)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 752,943 (2004 est.) males age 15-49: 465,827 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 406,293 (2004 est.) males age 15-49: 253,974 (2004 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 26 July (1847) Independence Day, 4 October (1966)
Nationality noun: Liberian(s)


adjective: Liberian
noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)


adjective: Basotho
Natural hazards dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to March) periodic droughts
Natural resources iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower water, agricultural and grazing land, some diamonds and other minerals
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population


note: at least 200,000 Liberian refugees are in surrounding countries; the uncertain security situation has hindered their ability to return (2004 est.)
-0.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Political parties and leaders Alliance of Political Parties (a coalition of LAP and LUP) [leader NA]; All Liberia Coalition Party or ALCOP [Peter KERBAY]; Liberian Action Party or LAP [C. Gyude BRYANT]; Liberian People's Party or LPP [Koffa NAGBE]; Liberia Unification Party or LUP [leader NA]; National Patriotic Party or NPP [Cyril ALLEN] - governing party; United People's Party or UPP [Wesley JOHNSON]; Unity Party or UP [Charles CLARKE] 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]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA NA
Population 3,390,635 (July 2004 est.) 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.)
Population below poverty line 80% 49% (1999)
Population growth rate 2.7% (2004 est.) 0.14% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors Buchanan, Greenville, Harper, Monrovia, Robertsport none
Radio broadcast stations AM 0, FM 7, shortwave 2 (2001) AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)
Railways total: 490 km


standard gauge: 345 km 1.435-m gauge


narrow gauge: 145 km 1.067-m gauge


note: none of the railways are in operation (2003)
-
Religions indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20% Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
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: telephone and telegraph service via microwave radio relay network; main center is Monrovia


domestic: NA


international: country code - 231; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
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)
Telephones - main lines in use 7,000 (2001) 28,600 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 2,000 (2001) 92,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations 1 (plus four low-power repeaters) (2001) 1 (2000)
Terrain mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and low mountains in northeast mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains
Total fertility rate 6.16 children born/woman (2004 est.) 3.44 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate 85% (2003 est.) 45% (2002)
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