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Compare Montserrat (2007) - Lesotho (2002)

Compare Montserrat (2007) z Lesotho (2002)

 Montserrat (2007)Lesotho (2002)
 MontserratLesotho
Administrative divisions 3 parishes; Saint Anthony, Saint Georges, Saint Peter 10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohales Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka
Age structure 0-14 years: 23.5% (male 1,144/female 1,094)


15-64 years: 65.7% (male 2,989/female 3,281)


65 years and over: 10.8% (male 527/female 503) (2007 est.)
0-14 years: 39% (male 433,229; female 427,926)


15-64 years: 56.3% (male 600,476; female 642,538)


65 years and over: 4.7% (male 43,691; female 60,094) (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products cabbages, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers; livestock products corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock
Airports 2 (2007) 28 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways total: 2


under 914 m: 2 (2007)
total: 4


over 3,047 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 2 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways - total: 24


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 20 (2002)
Area total: 102 sq km


land: 102 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total: 30,355 sq km


land: 30,355 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative about 0.6 times the size of Washington, DC slightly smaller than Maryland
Background English and Irish colonists from St. Kitts first settled on Montserrat in 1632; the first African slaves arrived three decades later. The British and French fought for possession of the island for most of the 18th century, but it finally was confirmed as a British possession in 1783. The island's sugar plantation economy was converted to small farm landholdings in the mid 19th century. Much of this island was devastated and two-thirds of the population fled abroad because of the eruption of the Soufriere Hills Volcano that began on 18 July 1995. Montserrat has endured volcanic activity since, with the last eruption occurring in July 2003. 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.
Birth rate 17.51 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 30.72 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget revenues: $31.4 million


expenditures: $31.6 million (1997 est.)
revenues: $76 million


expenditures: $80 million, including capital expenditures of $15 million
Capital name: Plymouth


geographic coordinates: 16 42 N, 62 13 W


time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


note: Plymouth was abandoned in 1997 because of volcanic activity; interim government buildings have been built at Brades Estate in the Carr's Bay/Little Bay vicinity at the northwest end of Montserrat
Maseru
Climate tropical; little daily or seasonal temperature variation temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers
Coastline 40 km 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution effective 19 December 1989 2 April 1993
Country name conventional long form: none


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


conventional short form: Lesotho


former: Basutoland
Currency - loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR)
Death rate 7.02 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 16.81 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external $8.9 million (1997) $715 million (2001 est.)
Dependency status overseas territory of the UK -
Diplomatic representation from the US none (overseas territory of the UK) 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 none (overseas territory of the UK) chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Lebohang Kenneth MOLEKO


chancery: 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 797-5533 through 5536


FAX: [1] (202) 234-6815
Disputes - international none none
Economic aid - recipient Country Policy Plan (2001) is a three-year program for spending $122.8 million in British budgetary assistance (2002 est.) $123.7 million (1995) (1995)
Economy - overview Severe volcanic activity, which began in July 1995, has put a damper on this small, open economy. A catastrophic eruption in June 1997 closed the airports and seaports, causing further economic and social dislocation. Two-thirds of the 12,000 inhabitants fled the island. Some began to return in 1998, but lack of housing limited the number. The agriculture sector continued to be affected by the lack of suitable land for farming and the destruction of crops. Prospects for the economy depend largely on developments in relation to the volcanic activity and on public sector construction activity. The UK has launched a three-year $122.8 million aid program to help reconstruct the economy. Half of the island is expected to remain uninhabitable for another decade. Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho's primary natural resource is water. Its economy is based on subsistence agriculture, livestock, remittances from miners employed in South Africa, and a rapidly growing apparel-assembly sector. The number of mineworkers has declined steadily over the past several years. A small manufacturing base depends largely on farm products that support the milling, canning, leather, and jute industries. Agricultural products are exported primarily to South Africa. Proceeds from membership in a common customs union with South Africa form the majority of government revenue. Although drought has decreased agricultural activity over the past few years, completion of a major hydropower facility in January 1998 now permits the sale of water to South Africa, generating royalties for Lesotho. The pace of privatization has increased in recent years. In December 1999, the government embarked on a nine-month IMF staff-monitored program aimed at structural adjustment and stabilization of macroeconomic fundamentals. The government is in the process of applying for a three-year successor program with the IMF under its Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility. Lesotho has a marked inequality in income distribution and serious unemployment/underemployment problems that will not yield to short-run solutions.
Electricity - consumption 18.6 million kWh (2005) 100 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2005) 100 million kWh


note: electricity supplied by South Africa (2000)
Electricity - production 20 million kWh (2005) 0 kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2000)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: lava dome in English's Crater (in the Soufriere Hills volcanic complex) estimated at over 930 m (2006)
lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m


highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m
Environment - current issues land erosion occurs on slopes that have been cleared for cultivation 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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection


signed, but not ratified: Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping
Ethnic groups black, white Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%,
Exchange rates East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002)


note: fixed rate since 1976
maloti per US dollar - 11.58786 (January 2002), 8.60918 (2001), 6.93983 (2000), 6.10948 (1999), 5.52828 (1998), 4.60796 (1997); note - the Lesotho loti is at par with the South African rand which is also legal tender; maloti is the plural form of loti
Executive branch chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Peter A. WATERWORTH (since 27 July 2007)


head of government: Chief Minister Lowell LEWIS (since 2 June 2006)


cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, the chief minister, three other ministers, the attorney general, and the finance secretary


elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party usually becomes chief minister
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 bbl/day $250 million f.o.b. (2001 est.)
Exports - commodities electronic components, plastic bags, apparel; hot peppers, limes, live plants; cattle manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals
Exports - partners US, Antigua and Barbuda (2006) South African Customs Union 53.9%, North America 45.6% (1999)
Fiscal year 1 April - 31 March 1 April - 31 March
Flag description blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Montserratian coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms features a woman standing beside a yellow harp with her arm around a black cross 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 - $5.3 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 1.2%


industry: 23.1%


services: 75.7% (1999 est.)
agriculture: 18%


industry: 38%


services: 44% (2001)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $2,450 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate -1% (2002 est.) 2.6% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates 16 45 N, 62 12 W 29 30 S, 28 30 E
Geography - note the island is entirely volcanic in origin and comprised of three major volcanic centers of differing ages landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 meters above sea level
Highways - total: 4,955 km


paved: 887 km


unpaved: 4,068 km (1996)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: 1%


highest 10%: 43% (1986-87)
Illicit drugs transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe -
Imports NA bbl/day $720 million f.o.b. (2001 est.)
Imports - commodities machinery and transportation equipment, foodstuffs, manufactured goods, fuels, lubricants, and related materials food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products
Imports - partners US, UK, Trinidad and Tobago, Japan, Canada (2006) South African Customs Union 89.5%, Asia 7% (1999)
Independence none (overseas territory of the UK) 4 October 1966 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate NA% 15.5% (1999 est.)
Industries tourism, rum, textiles, electronic appliances food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts; construction; tourism
Infant mortality rate total: 7.03 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 8.15 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 5.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
82.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2.6% (2002 est.) 6.9% (2001 est.)
International organization participation Caricom, CDB, Interpol (subbureau), OECS, UPU ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 1 (2000)
Irrigated land NA 10 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint Lucia, one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court) High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch); Court of Appeal; Magistrate's Court; customary or traditional court
Labor force 4,521


note: lowered by flight of people from volcanic activity (2000 est.)
700,000 economically active
Labor force - by occupation - 86% of resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture; roughly 35% of the active male wage earners work in South Africa
Land boundaries 0 km total: 909 km


border countries: South Africa 909 km
Land use arable land: 20%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 80% (2005)
arable land: 10.71%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 89.29% (1998 est.)
Languages English Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa
Legal system English common law and statutory law 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 Legislative Council (11 seats, 9 popularly elected; members serve five-year terms)


note: expanded in 2001 from 7 to 9 elected members with attorney general and financial secretary sitting as ex-officio members


elections: last held 31 May 2006 (next to be held by 2011)


election results: percent of vote by party - MCAP 36.1%, NPLM 29.4%, MDP 24.4%, independents 10.1%; seats by party - MCAP 4, NPLM 3, MDP 1, independents 1


note: in 2001, the Elections Commission instituted a single constituency/voter-at-large system whereby all eligible voters cast ballots for all nine seats of the Legislative Council
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: 79 years


male: 76.8 years


female: 81.31 years (2007 est.)
total population: 47 years


male: 46.3 years


female: 47.8 years (2002 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school


total population: 97%


male: 97%


female: 97% (1970 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 83%


male: 72%


female: 93% (1999 est.)
Location Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of Puerto Rico Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa
Map references Central America and the Caribbean Africa
Maritime claims territorial sea: 3 nm


exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
none (landlocked)
Military - note defense is the responsibility of the UK 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 no regular military forces; Royal Montserrat Police Force (2005) Lesotho Defense Force (LDF; including Army and Air Wing), Royal Lesotho Mounted Police
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $34 million (1999)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - NA%
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 526,332 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 283,203 (2002 est.)
National holiday Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926) Independence Day, 4 October (1966)
Nationality noun: Montserratian(s)


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


adjective: Basotho
Natural hazards severe hurricanes (June to November); volcanic eruptions (Soufriere Hills volcano has erupted continuously since 1995) periodic droughts
Natural resources NEGL water, agricultural and grazing land, some diamonds and other minerals
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) -0.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Political parties and leaders Montserrat Democratic Party or MDP [Lowell LEWIS]; Movement for Change and Prosperity or MCAP [Roselyn CASSELL-SEALY]; New People's Liberation Movement or NPLM [John A. OSBORNE] 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 9,538


note: an estimated 8,000 refugees left the island following the resumption of volcanic activity in July 1995; some have returned (July 2007 est.)
2,207,954


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 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 49% (1999 est.)
Population growth rate 1.048% (2007 est.) 1.33% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors - none
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios - NA (2002)
Railways - total: 2.6 km; note - owned by, operated by, and included in the statistics of South Africa


narrow gauge: 2.6 km 1.067-m gauge (1995)
Religions Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Seventh-Day Adventist, other Christian denominations Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.046 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.911 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 1.048 male(s)/female


total population: 0.955 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female


total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: modern and fully digitalized


domestic: NA


international: country code - 1-664
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: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use NA 22,200 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular NA 21,600 (2000)
Television broadcast stations 1 (1997) 1 (2000)
Terrain volcanic island, mostly mountainous, with small coastal lowland mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains
Total fertility rate 1.77 children born/woman (2007 est.) 4.01 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate 6% (1998 est.) 45% (2000 est.)
Waterways - none
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