Quick Facts

INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS AND SOCIAL INDICATORS

Country Names:
Conventional long form: The Kingdom of Lesotho
Conventional short form: Lesotho
Former: Basutoland

Capital: Maseru

Districts: Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Berea, Maseru, Mafeteng, Mohales Hoek, Quthing, Qacha's Nek, Mokhotlong, Thaba-Tseka

Area: 30,355 km2

Altitude: lowest 1388m; height 3482m

Independence: 4 October 1966 (from Great Britain)

Nationality: Basotho (plural); Mosotho (singular)

EXECUTIVE BRANCH

Head of State: His Majesty King Letsie III

Head of Government: The Right Honourable Prime Minister
Pakalitha Mosisili

Minister For Foreign Affairs and International Relations: The Honourable Mohlabi Tsekoa

Elections: 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 that came into effect after the March 1993 election, the monarch is a "living symbol of national unity" with no executive or legislative powers.
Last held: 17 February 2007
Next Elections: Parliamentary 2012
Local Government: 2010

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 popular vote and 40 by proportional vote; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms)

JUDICIAL BRANCH

High Court, Court of Appeal, Magistrate’s Court, customary or traditional court

Political Parties and Leaders:

• All Basotho Convention or ABC (Thomas THABANE);
  
• Alliance of Congress Parties or ACP; (Kelebone MAOPE)
  
• Basotholand African Congress or BAC (Khauhelo RALITAPOLE);
  
• Basotho Congress Party or BCP (Sekola TOLOANE);
  
• Basotho National Party or BNP (Maj. Gen. Justin Metsing LEKHANYA);
  
• Kopanang Basotho Party or KPB (Pheelo MOSALA);
  
• Lesotho Congress for Democracy or LCD (the governing party) (Pakalitha MOSISILI);
  
• Lesotho Education Party or LEP (Thabo PITSO);
  
• Lesotho Workers Party or LWP (Macaefa BILLY);
  
• Marematlou Freedom Party or MFP (Vincent MALEBO);
  
• National Independent Party or NIP (Dominic MOTIKOE);
  
• New Lesotho Freedom Party or NLFP (Manapo MAJARA);
  
• Popular Front for Democracy or PFD (Lekhetho RAKUOANE);
  
• Sefate Democratic Union or SDU (Bofihla NKUEBE);
  
• Social Democratic Party of SDP (Masitise SELESO)

Legal System: based on English Common Law and Roman-Dutch Law.

Constitution: 2 April 1993

Population: 2, 012, 649 (2007est)

Literacy: 85% (2007 est)

Ethninicity/Race: Sotho 99.7 %; Europeans , Asians and other 0.3%

Languages: Sotho, English (both official)

Religions: Christians 80%, indegineous beliefs 20%

Monetary Unit: Loti (Plural Maloti) pegged to the South African rand

Standard Power: 220/240volts AC 50Hz

Time: GMT +2 hours

International Telephone Code: +266

International Disputes: None

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

• 1 January New Year's Day
  
• 11 March Moshoeshoe's Day
  
• 21 March Good Friday
  
• 24 March Easter Monday
  
• 1 May Workers' Day
  
• 17 July King's Birthday
  
• 25 May Africa Hero’s Day
  
• 4 October Independence Day
  
• 25 December Christmas Day
  
• 26 December Boxing Day

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

GDP (purchasing power parity): $3.088 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): $1.588 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.8% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,500 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 15.2%
industry: 45%
services: 39.7% (2007 est.)

Labor force: 838,000 (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 0.9%
highest 10%: 43.4% (2002 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 12% (2007 est.)

Investment (gross fixed): 48.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $951.4 million
expenditures: $855.4 million (2007 est.)

Natural Resources: water, agricultural and grazing land, diamonds, sand, clay, building stone

Agriculture - products: corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock

Arable land: 11%

Agricultural land 77%

Industries: food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts, construction, tourism

Industrial production growth rate: 12% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production: 350 million kWh; (2005)

Exports: $905 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities: manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (2000)

Exports - partners: US 81.9%, Belgium 15%, Canada 1.9% (2006)

Imports: $1.584 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities: food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products

Imports - partners: Hong Kong 33.4%, China 31.2%, Germany 7.7%, India 7.3% (2006)

Economic aid - recipient: $68.82 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange: $889 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external: $693 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Exchange rates: maloti per US dollar - 7.25 (2007), 6.85 (2006), 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003)

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

USEFUL WORDS & PHRASES IN SESOTHO

• Greetings (singular) — Khotso (literally ‘peace) or lumela
• Greetings (plural) — Khotsong or lumelang
• Welcome (singular) — Kena ka khotso (sing
• Welcome (plural) — Kenang ka khotso (ph
• Excuse me — Ntsoarele
• Thank you — Kea leboha
• Help! — Thusa!
• No—Chee
• Yes—Ee
• Please — ka kopo / ako.../...hle
• What is the time? — Ke nako mang?
• What is your name? — Lebitso Ia hau ke mang?
• My name is — Lebitso Ia ka ke
• How much is this? — Ke bokae?
• Why? — Hobaneng