Compare Moldova (2005) - Lesotho (2004)

Compare Moldova (2005) z Lesotho (2004)

	Moldova (2005)	Lesotho (2004)

Administrative divisions	32 raions (raioane, singular - raionul), 3 municipalities (municipiul), 1 autonomous territorial unit (unitatea teritoriala autonoma), and 1 territorial unit (unitatea teritoriala) counties: Anenii Noi, Basarabeasca, Briceni, Cahul, Cantemir, Calarasi, Causeni, Cimislia, Criuleni, Donduseni, Drochia, Dubasari, Edinet, Falesti, Floresti, Glodeni, Hincesti, Ialoveni, Leova, Nisporeni, Ocnita, Orhei, Rezina, Riscani, Singerei, Soldanesti, Soroca, Stefan-Voda, Straseni, Taraclia, Telenesti, Ungheni municipalities: Balti, Bender, Chisinau autonomous territorial unit: Gagauzia territorial unit: Stinga Nistrului	10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohale's Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka
Age structure	0-14 years: 20.2% (male 459,452/female 442,725) 15-64 years: 69.5% (male 1,489,813/female 1,606,202) 65 years and over: 10.3% (male 169,038/female 288,191) (2005 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	vegetables, fruits, wine, grain, sugar beets, sunflower seed, tobacco; beef, milk	corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock
Airports	23 (2004 est.)	28 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 6 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 under 914 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: 17 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 11 (2004 est.)	total: 25 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 33,843 sq km land: 33,371 sq km water: 472 sq km	total: 30,355 sq km land: 30,355 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly larger than Maryland	slightly smaller than Maryland
Background	Formerly part of Romania, Moldova was incorporated into the Soviet Union at the close of World War II. Although independent from the USSR since 1991, Russian forces have remained on Moldovan territory east of the Dniester River supporting the Slavic majority population, mostly Ukrainians and Russians, who have proclaimed a "Transnistria" republic. The poorest nation in Europe, Moldova became the first former Soviet state to elect a Communist as its president in 2001.	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	15.27 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)	26.91 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget	revenues: $648.1 million expenditures: $634.8 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)	revenues: $625.4 million expenditures: $675.2 million, including capital expenditures of $15 million (2003 est.)
Capital	Chisinau	Maseru
Climate	moderate winters, warm summers	temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers
Coastline	0 km (landlocked)	0 km (landlocked)
Constitution	new constitution adopted 29 July 1994, effective 27 August 1994; replaced old Soviet constitution of 1979	2 April 1993
Country name	conventional long form: Republic of Moldova conventional short form: Moldova local long form: Republica Moldova local short form: none former: Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic; Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic	conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho conventional short form: Lesotho former: Basutoland
Currency	-	loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR)
Death rate	12.79 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)	24.79 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external	$1.4 billion (2004 est.)	$735 million (2002)
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Heather M. HODGES embassy: 103 Mateevici Street, Chisinau MD-2009 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [373] (22) 408-300 FAX: [373] (22) 23-30-44	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 Mihail MANOLI chancery: 2101 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 667-1130 FAX: [1] (202) 667-1204	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	Moldova and Ukraine have established joint customs posts to monitor transit through Moldova's break-away Transnistria Region which remains under OSCE supervision	none
Economic aid - donor	-	ODA $4.4 million
Economic aid - recipient	$100 million (2000)	$41.5 million (2000)
Economy - overview	Moldova remains one of the poorest countries in Europe despite recent progress from its small economic base. It enjoys a favorable climate and good farmland but has no major mineral deposits. As a result, the economy depends heavily on agriculture, featuring fruits, vegetables, wine, and tobacco. Moldova must import almost all of its energy supplies from Russia. Energy shortages contributed to sharp production declines after the breakup of the Soviet Union in December 1991. As part of an ambitious reform effort after independence, Moldova introduced a convertible currency, freed prices, stopped issuing preferential credits to state enterprises, backed steady land privatization, removed export controls, and freed interest rates. The government entered into agreements with the World Bank and the IMF to promote growth and reduce poverty. The economy returned to positive growth of 2.1% in 2000, 6.1% in 2001, 7.2% in 2002, 6.3% in 2003, and 6.8% in 2004. Further reforms will come slowly because of strong political forces backing government controls. The economy remains vulnerable to higher fuel prices, poor agricultural weather, and the skepticism of foreign investors.	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	4.605 billion kWh (2002)	40 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2002)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	1 billion kWh (2002)	40 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2001)
Electricity - production	3.876 billion kWh (2002)	0 kWh NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2001)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Dniester River 2 m highest point: Dealul Balanesti 430 m	lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m
Environment - current issues	heavy use of agricultural chemicals, including banned pesticides such as DDT, has contaminated soil and groundwater; extensive soil erosion from poor farming methods	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: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected 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	Moldovan/Romanian 64.5%, Ukrainian 13.8%, Russian 13%, Jewish 1.5%, Bulgarian 2%, Gagauz and other 5.2% (1989 est.) note: internal disputes with ethnic Slavs in the Transnistrian region	Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%,
Exchange rates	lei per US dollar - 12.33 (2004), 13.945 (2003), 13.571 (2002), 12.865 (2001), 12.434 (2000)	maloti per US dollar - 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002), 8.6092 (2001), 6.9398 (2000), 6.1095 (1999)
Executive branch	chief of state: President Vladimir VORONIN (since 4 April 2001) head of government: Prime Minister Vasile TARLEV (since 15 April 2001), First Deputy Prime Minister Vasile IOVV (since 29 January 2002) cabinet: selected by president, subject to approval of Parliament elections: president elected by Parliament for a four-year term; election last held 4 April 2005 (next to be held NA 2009); note - prime minister designated by the president, upon consultation with Parliament; within 15 days from designation, the prime minister-designate must request a vote of confidence from the Parliament regarding his/her work program and entire cabinet; prime minister designated 15 April 2001, cabinet received a vote of confidence 19 April 2001 election results: Vladimir VORONIN reelected president; parliamentary votes - Vladimir VORONIN 75, Gheorghe DUCA 1; Vasile TARLEV designated prime minister; parliamentary votes of confidence - 75 of 101	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	NA	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	foodstuffs, textiles, machinery	manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (2000)
Exports - partners	Russia 35.8%, Italy 13.9%, Romania 10%, Germany 7.3%, Ukraine 6.6%, Belarus 6%, US 4.6% (2004)	US 97.6%, Canada 1.5%, France 0.5% (2003)
Fiscal year	calendar year	1 April - 31 March
Flag description	same color scheme as Romania - three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red; emblem in center of flag is of a Roman eagle of gold outlined in black with a red beak and talons carrying a yellow cross in its beak and a green olive branch in its right talons and a yellow scepter in its left talons; on its breast is a shield divided horizontally red over blue with a stylized ox head, star, rose, and crescent all in black-outlined yellow	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 - $5.583 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 22.4% industry: 24.8% services: 52.8% (2004 est.)	agriculture: 15.3% industry: 43.3% services: 41.4% (2003)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $1,900 (2004 est.)	purchasing power parity - $3,000 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	6.8% (2004 est.)	4% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates	47 00 N, 29 00 E	29 30 S, 28 30 E
Geography - note	landlocked; well endowed with various sedimentary rocks and minerals including sand, gravel, gypsum, and limestone	landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 meters above sea level
Highways	total: 12,719 km paved: 10,977 km unpaved: 1,742 km (2002)	total: 5,940 km paved: 1,087 km unpaved: 4,853 km (1999)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: 2.2% highest 10%: 30.7% (1997)	lowest 10%: 0.9% highest 10%: 43.4%
Illicit drugs	limited cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis, mostly for CIS consumption; transshipment point for illicit drugs from Southwest Asia via Central Asia to Russia, Western Europe, and possibly the US; widespread crime and underground economic activity	-
Imports	NA	NA (2001)
Imports - commodities	mineral products and fuel, machinery and equipment, chemicals, textiles (2000)	food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products (2000)
Imports - partners	Ukraine 24.6%, Russia 12.2%, Romania 9.3%, Germany 8.5%, Italy 7.4% (2004)	Hong Kong 36.6%, Taiwan 36.2%, China 12%, Germany 9.9% (2003)
Independence	27 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)	4 October 1966 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate	17% (2003 est.)	15.5% (1999)
Industries	food processing, agricultural machinery, foundry equipment, refrigerators and freezers, washing machines, hosiery, sugar, vegetable oil, shoes, textiles	food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts; construction; tourism
Infant mortality rate	total: 40.42 deaths/1,000 live births male: 43.11 deaths/1,000 live births female: 37.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 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)	11.5% (2004 est.)	6.1% (2003 est.)
International organization participation	ACCT, BSEC, CE, CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GUUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO	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	3,070 sq km (1998 est.)	10 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	Supreme Court; Constitutional Court (the sole authority for constitutional judicature)	High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch); Court of Appeal; Magistrate's Court; customary or traditional court
Labor force	1.36 million (2004 est.)	838,000 (2000)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture 40%, industry 14%, services 46% (1998)	86% of resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture; roughly 35% of the active male wage earners work in South Africa
Land boundaries	total: 1,389 km border countries: Romania 450 km, Ukraine 939 km	total: 909 km border countries: South Africa 909 km
Land use	arable land: 55.3% permanent crops: 10.79% other: 33.91% (2001)	arable land: 10.87% permanent crops: 0.13% other: 89% (2001)
Languages	Moldovan (official, virtually the same as the Romanian language), Russian, Gagauz (a Turkish dialect)	Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa
Legal system	based on civil law system; Constitutional Court reviews legality of legislative acts and governmental decisions of resolution; it is unclear if Moldova accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction but accepts many UN and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) documents	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	unicameral Parliament or Parlamentul (101 seats; parties and electoral blocs elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 6 March 2005 (next to be held NA 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - PCRM 46.1%, Democratic Moldova Bloc 28.4%, PPCD 9.1%, other parties 16.4%; seats by party - PCRM 56, Democratic Moldova Bloc 34, PPCD 11	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: 65.18 years male: 61.12 years female: 69.43 years (2005 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: 99.1% male: 99.6% female: 98.7% (2003 est.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 84.8% male: 74.5% female: 94.5% (2003 est.)
Location	Eastern Europe, northeast of Romania	Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa
Map references	Europe	Africa
Maritime claims	none (landlocked)	none (landlocked)
Merchant marine	total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,636 GRT/1,088 DWT by type: cargo 2 (2005)	-
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	National Army: Ground Forces, Air Force	Lesotho Defense Force (LDF; with Army and Air Wing)
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$8.7 million (2004)	$32.5 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	0.4% (FY02)	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, 27 August (1991)	Independence Day, 4 October (1966)
Nationality	noun: Moldovan(s) adjective: Moldovan	noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural) adjective: Basotho
Natural hazards	landslides (57 cases in 1998)	periodic droughts
Natural resources	lignite, phosphorites, gypsum, arable land, limestone	water, agricultural and grazing land, some diamonds and other minerals
Net migration rate	-0.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)	-0.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Pipelines	gas 606 km (2004)	-
Political parties and leaders	Democratic Modova Bloc [Serafim URECHEANU] includes: Democratic Party [Dumitru DIACOV], Our Moldova Alliance [Dumitru BRAGHIS, Serafim URECHEANU], Social Liberal Party [Oleg SEREBRIAN]; Communist Party of the Republic of Moldova or PCRM [Vladimir VORONIN, first chairman]; Popular Christian Democratic Party or PPCD [Iurie ROSCA]	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	4,455,421 (July 2005 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% (2001 est.)	49% (1999)
Population growth rate	0.22% (2005 est.)	0.14% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	none
Radio broadcast stations	AM 7, FM 50, shortwave 3 (1998)	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)
Railways	total: 1,138 km broad gauge: 1,124 km 1.520-m gauge standard gauge: 14 km 1.435-m gauge (2004)	-
Religions	Eastern Orthodox 98%, Jewish 1.5%, Baptist and other 0.5% (2000)	Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2005 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: inadequate, outmoded, poor service outside Chisinau; some effort to modernize is under way domestic: new subscribers face long wait for service; mobile cellular telephone service being introduced international: country code - 373; service through Romania and Russia via landline; satellite earth stations - Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Intersputnik	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	706,900 (2002)	28,600 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	338,200 (2002)	92,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations	1 (plus 30 repeaters) (1995)	1 (2000)
Terrain	rolling steppe, gradual slope south to Black Sea	mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains
Total fertility rate	1.81 children born/woman (2005 est.)	3.44 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate	8% (roughly 25% of working age Moldovans are employed abroad) (2002 est.)	45% (2002)
Waterways	424 km (2004)	-

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.