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Lesotho

The Kingdom of Lesotho, an enclave of South Africa is situated in Southern Africa. The landlocked nation is surrounded by South Africa. Maseru is the capital of Lesotho. It is a member of Commonwealth of Nations.

HISTORY:- The Khoisan hunter-gathering people inhabited in the region before the immigration of the Bantu speaking people. Lesotho was formerly known as Basutoland. In 1843, the British recognized Basutoland and in 1968 it became one of the High Commission Territories of United Kingdom. In 1871, it was annexed to Cape Colony but in 1884 the territory became a direct British colony. In 1965 it gained autonomy and in the next year the nation achieved full independence within the Commonwealth of Nations. After independence the name of the country was changed into Lesotho. After 1970 elections, Ntsu Mokhehle, the head of Basutoland Congress Party was arrested, the constitution was suspended and King Moshoeshoe II was confined by Prime Minister Leabua Jonathan. After returning from a brief exile, King Moshoeshoe II was granted with a mere puppet-title of the head of state. But in 1987, the King was again forced into exile and his son King Letsie III became the king. The chairman of the military junta, Justin Metsing Lekhanya was replaced by Col. Ramaema in 1991. In 1995 Moshoeshoe II ascended the throne and reigned until his death in 1996 when Letsie III re-assumed the power.

GEOGRAPHY:- Lesotho is located at 29 30 S, 28 30 E in Southern Africa, spanning across 30,355 sq km land area. Lesotho is a landlocked nation to share its boundary with South Africa. The lowest point of the nation is located at the junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers (1,400 m) and the highest point is Thabana Ntlenyana (3,482 m). Lesotho is mostly consisted of highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains.

CLIMATE:- The climate of Lesotho is temperate with hot summers and cool, dry winters. The humidity is generally low and the evenings are comparatively cooler around the year. A rainy season is seen in summer.

GOVERNMENT:- Lesotho has a parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The constitution was adopted on 2nd April 1993. The legal system is based on the English common law and the Roman-Dutch law. The three major branches of the government are:

Executive branch comprises the King (chief of state), the Prime minister (head of government), and the cabinet. The Monarch is hereditary. The leader of the majority party of the Assembly is generally chosen the Prime minister.

Legislative branch comprises the bicameral Parliament which is composed of the Senate (33 members) and the Assembly (120 seats).

Judicial branch comprises the High Court, the Court of Appeal, the Magistrate Courts and the customary or traditional court. The chief justice of High Court is appointed by the monarch.

The political parties of Lesotho include Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD), All Basotho Congress (ABC), Basotho National Party (BNP), Lesotho Peoples Congress (LPC), National Independent Party (NIP), Basutoland African Congress (BAC), Basutoland Congress Party (BCP), Lesotho Workers Party (LWP), Popular Front for Democracy (PFD), Marematlou Freedom Party (MFP), Christian Democratic Party (CDP), Kopanang Basotho Party (KBP), National Progressive Party (NPP), New Lesotho's Freedom Party (NLFP), Sefate Democratic Union (SDU), Social Democratic Party (SDP), United Party (UP). Suffrage is universal at the age of 18.

King Letsie III

Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS:- Lesotho is divided into 10 districts: Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohale's Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, and Thaba-Tseka.

CULTURE:- Lekolulo, setolo-tolo, thomo are the traditional musical instruments of Lesotho. The traditional style of housing is called rondavel. The Morija Arts & Cultural Festival is a popular festival in Lesotho.

ECONOMY:- Exports of water to South Africa, manufacturing, agriculture, livestock are the basis of the economy of the small, mountainous country. It is a member of Southern African Customs Union (SACU). The United States, the World Bank, Ireland, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and Germany provide financial help to Lesotho. Tourism is a developing industry in the country.

GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $6.064 billion; per capita $3,000.

Real growth rate: 0.8%.

Inflation: 4.7%.

Unemployment: 45% (2002).

Arable land: 11%.

Agriculture: Corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock.

Labor force: 838,000 (2000); 86% of resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture; roughly 35% of the active male wage earners work in South Africa; industry and services 14%.

Budget:

Revenues: $779.9 million

Expenditures: $696.9 million (2007 est.)

Debt - external: $689 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Industries: Food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts, construction, tourism.

Natural resources: Water, agricultural and grazing land, diamonds, sand, clay, building stone.

Exports: $602.8 million f.o.b. (2005 est.): manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (2000).

Imports: $1.166 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products (2000).

Major trading partners: U.S., Canada, UK, Hong Kong, China, India, South Korea, Germany (2004).

Monetary unit: Maluti

LANGUAGE:- Southern Sotho, English are the official language of Lesotho but Zulu, Xhosa are also widely spoken.

CITIES:- The capital Maseru is the largest city of Lesotho. Other principal cities are Leribe, Mafeteng, Teyateyaneng, Mohale's Hoek.

POPULATION:- The estimated population of Lesotho is 2,012,649 with a growth rate of –0.5%.

Density per sq mi: 172

Literacy rate: 85% (2003 est.)

RACE:-

Sotho 99.7%

Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%

RELIGION:-

Christian 80%

Indigenous beliefs 20%

HEALTH:-

Birth rate: 24.41 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 22.33 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate: total: 78.59 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 40.17 years

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 29,000 (2003 est.)

Total expenditure on health per capita (Intl $, 2004): 112

UNICEF:- Over 7000 young boys and girls are being trained on HIV awareness. The government has approved UNICEF’s Poverty Reduction Strategy and also opened first public anti-retroviral therapy centre. To fight against HIV, 25% pregnant women visit clinics regularly for counselling and testing. UNICEF trained 500 teachers in HIV prevention and life skills education, distributed de-worming and vitamin A supplements to 9,000 children. A Child and Gender Protection Unit was set up with the assistance of the Ministry of Home Affairs to protect children and women rights.

TRANSPORTATION:-

Railways: total: 2.6 km; (1995).

Highways: total: 5,940 km; paved: 1,087 km; unpaved: 4,853 km (1999).

Ports and harbors: none.

Airports: 28 (2002).

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Lesotho


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