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Compare West Bank (2001) - Lesotho (2006)

Compare West Bank (2001) z Lesotho (2006)

 West Bank (2001)Lesotho (2006)
 West BankLesotho
Administrative divisions - 10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohale's Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka
Age structure 0-14 years:
44.61% (male 478,232; female 454,439)

15-64 years:
51.8% (male 552,661; female 530,230)

65 years and over:
3.59% (male 32,629; female 42,522) (2001 est.)
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.)
Agriculture - products olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy products corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock
Airports 3 (2000 est.) 28 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways total:
3

2,438 to 3,047 m:
1

1,524 to 2,437 m:
1

under 914 m:
1 (2000 est.)
total: 3


over 3,047 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways - total: 25


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 21 (2006)
Area total:
5,860 sq km

land:
5,640 sq km

water:
220 sq km

note:
includes West Bank, Latrun Salient, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus; East Jerusalem and Jerusalem No Man's Land are also included only as a means of depicting the entire area occupied by Israel in 1967
total: 30,355 sq km


land: 30,355 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Delaware slightly smaller than Maryland
Background The Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements (the DOP), signed in Washington on 13 September 1993, provided for a transitional period not exceeding five years of Palestinian interim self-government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Under the DOP, Israel agreed to transfer certain powers and responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority, which includes the Palestinian Legislative Council elected in January 1996, as part of interim self-governing arrangements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A transfer of powers and responsibilities for the Gaza Strip and Jericho took place pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4 May 1994 Cairo Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area and in additional areas of the West Bank pursuant to the Israel-PLO 28 September 1995 Interim Agreement, the Israel-PLO 15 January 1997 Protocol Concerning Redeployment in Hebron, the Israel-PLO 23 October 1998 Wye River Memorandum, and the 4 September 1999 Sharm el-Sheikh Agreement. The DOP provides that Israel will retain responsibility during the transitional period for external security and for internal security and public order of settlements and Israeli citizens. Permanent status is to be determined through direct negotiations, which resumed in September 1999 after a three-year hiatus. An intifadah broke out in September 2000; the resulting widespread violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israel's military response, and instability in the Palestinian Authority are undermining progress toward a permanent settlement. 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.
Birth rate 35.83 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 24.75 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget revenues:
$1.6 billion

expenditures:
$1.73 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA

note:
includes Gaza Strip (1999 est.)
revenues: $738.5 million


expenditures: $792.1 million; including capital expenditures of NA (2005 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)
Climate temperate, temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution - 2 April 1993
Country name conventional long form:
none

conventional short form:
West Bank
conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho


conventional short form: Lesotho


local long form: Kingdom of Lesotho


local short form: Lesotho


former: Basutoland
Currency new Israeli shekel (ILS); Jordanian dinar (JOD) -
Death rate 4.37 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 28.71 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external $108 million (includes Gaza Strip) (1997 est.) $735 million (2002)
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
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
Disputes - international West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation none
Economic aid - donor - ODA, $4.4 million
Economic aid - recipient $121 million disbursed (includes Gaza Strip) (2000) $41.5 million (2000)
Economy - overview Economic output in the West Bank is governed by the Paris Economic Protocol of April 1994 between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Real per capita GDP for the West Bank and Gaza Strip (WBGS) declined by 36.1% between 1992 and 1996 owing to the combined effect of falling aggregate incomes and rapid population growth. The downturn in economic activity was largely the result of Israeli closure policies - the imposition of border closures in response to security incidents in Israel - which disrupted established labor and commodity market relationships between Israel and the WBGS. The most serious social effect of this downturn was rising unemployment; unemployment in the WBGS during the 1980s was generally under 5%; by 1995 it had risen to over 20%. Since 1997 Israel's use of comprehensive closures has decreased and, in 1998, Israel implemented new policies to reduce the impact of closures and other security procedures on the movement of Palestinian goods and labor. These changes fueled an almost three-year long economic recovery in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; real GDP grew by 5% in 1998 and 6% in 1999. Recovery was upended in the last quarter of 2000 with the outbreak of Palestinian violence, which triggered tight Israeli closures of Palestinian self-rule areas and a severe disruption of trade and labor movements. 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.
Electricity - consumption NA kWh 363.5 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports - 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports NA kWh 38 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2003)
Electricity - production NA kWh; note - most electricity imported from Israel; East Jerusalem Electric Company buys and distributes electricity to Palestinians in East Jerusalem and its concession in the West Bank; the Israel Electric Company directly supplies electricity to most Jewish residents and military facilities; at the same time, some Palestinian municipalities, such as Nablus and Janin, generate their own electricity from small power plants 350 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2003)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
NA%

hydro:
NA%

nuclear:
NA%

other:
NA%
-
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Dead Sea -408 m

highest point:
Tall Asur 1,022 m
lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m


highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m
Environment - current issues adequacy of fresh water supply; sewage treatment 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, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection


signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Ethnic groups Palestinian Arab and other 83%, Jewish 17% Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%,
Exchange rates new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.0810 (December 2000), 4.0773 (2000), 4.1397 (1999), 3.8001 (1998), 3.4494 (1997), 3.1917 (1996); Jordanian dinars per US dollar - fixed rate of 0.7090 (from 1996) maloti per US dollar - 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002), 8.6092 (2001)
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
Exports $682 million (includes Gaza Strip) (f.o.b., 1998 est.) NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities olives, fruit, vegetables, limestone manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (2000)
Exports - partners Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip Hong Kong 43.6%, China 35.4%, Germany 8.4% (2005)
Fiscal year calendar year (since 1 January 1992) 1 April - 31 March
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
GDP purchasing power parity - $3.1 billion (2000 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
9%

industry:
28%

services:
63%

note:
includes Gaza Strip (1999 est.)
agriculture: 16.3%


industry: 44.3%


services: 39.4% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,500 (2000 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate -7.5% (2000 est.) 1.2% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates 32 00 N, 35 15 E 29 30 S, 28 30 E
Geography - note landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are 231 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the West Bank and 29 in East Jerusalem (August 1999 est.) landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 meters above sea level
Highways total:
4,500 km

paved:
2,700 km

unpaved:
1,800 km (1997 est.)

note:
Israelis have developed many highways to service Jewish settlements
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
NA%

highest 10%:
NA%
lowest 10%: 0.9%


highest 10%: 43.4%
Imports $2.5 billion (includes Gaza Strip) (c.i.f., 1998 est.) NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities food, consumer goods, construction materials food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products (2000)
Imports - partners Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip US 84%, Belgium 12.8%, Canada 2.4% (2005)
Independence - 4 October 1966 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate NA% 15.5% (1999)
Industries generally small family businesses that produce cement, textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale, modern industries in the settlements and industrial centers food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts, construction, tourism
Infant mortality rate 21.78 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) 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.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3% (includes Gaza Strip) (2000 est.) 4.7% (2005 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
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 8 (1999) -
Irrigated land NA sq km 30 sq km (2003)
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
Labor force NA 838,000 (2000)
Labor force - by occupation services 66%, industry 21%, agriculture 13% (1996) 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%
Land boundaries total:
404 km

border countries:
Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km
total: 909 km


border countries: South Africa 909 km
Land use arable land:
27%

permanent crops:
0%

permanent pastures:
32%

forests and woodland:
1%

other:
40%
arable land: 10.87%


permanent crops: 0.13%


other: 89% (2005)
Languages Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many Palestinians), English (widely understood) Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa
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
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
Life expectancy at birth total population:
72.28 years

male:
70.58 years

female:
74.07 years (2001 est.)
total population: 34.4 years


male: 35.55 years


female: 33.21 years (2006 est.)
Literacy definition:
NA

total population:
NA%

male:
NA%

female:
NA%
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 84.8%


male: 74.5%


female: 94.5% (2003 est.)
Location Middle East, west of Jordan Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa
Map references Middle East Africa
Maritime claims none (landlocked) none (landlocked)
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 NA Lesotho Defense Force (LDF): Army and Air Wing
Military expenditures - dollar figure $NA $41.1 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA% 2.1% (2005 est.)
National holiday - Independence Day, 4 October (1966)
Nationality noun:
NA

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


adjective: Basotho
Natural hazards droughts periodic droughts
Natural resources arable land water, agricultural and grazing land, diamonds, sand, clay, building stone
Net migration rate 3.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) -0.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 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]; 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 pressure groups and leaders - NA
Population 2,090,713 (July 2001 est.)

note:
in addition, there are some 176,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and about 173,000 in East Jerusalem (August 1999 est.)
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.)
Population below poverty line NA% 49% (1999)
Population growth rate 3.48% (2001 est.) -0.46% (2006 est.)
Ports and harbors none -
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0

note:
the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation broadcasts from an AM station in Ramallah on 675 kHz; numerous local, private stations are reported to be in operation (2000)
AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios NA; note - most Palestinian households have radios (1999) -
Railways 0 km -
Religions Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%, Christian and other 8% Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%
Sex ratio at birth:
1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.05 male(s)/female

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

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

total population:
1.04 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
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.)
Suffrage - 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment:
NA

domestic:
NA

international:
NA

note:
Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for communication services in the West Bank
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)
Telephones - main lines in use 95,729 (total for West Bank and Gaza Strip) (1997) 48,000 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular NA 245,100 (2005)
Television broadcast stations NA 1 (2000)
Terrain mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but barren in east mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains
Total fertility rate 4.9 children born/woman (2001 est.) 3.28 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate 40% (includes Gaza Strip) (yearend 2000) 45% (2002)
Waterways none -
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