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| CIA Background Information |
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 was reinstated in 1995. Constitutional government was restored in 1993 after seven 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. Subsequent constitutional reforms restored relative political stability. Peaceful parliamentary elections were held in 2002, but the National Assembly elections of February 2007 were hotly contested and aggrieved parties continue to periodically demonstrate their distrust of the results.
| U.S. State Department Description |
Country Description:
Lesotho is a constitutional monarchy with a democratically elected lower house of parliament. The upper house, the Senate, is comprised of appointed hereditary chiefs and politicians. A Prime Minister is the head of the government. Geographically, Lesotho is an extremely mountainous developing nation completely surrounded by the country of South Africa. The capital, Maseru, is at 5,000 feet (1,500M) above sea level, and the mountains reach to 11,400 feet (3,500M). Facilities for tourism are limited. A limited number of restaurants are available in Maseru. Read the Department of State Background Notes
on Lesotho for additional information.
ENTRY/EXIT ... Read this Article
People
Nationality: Noun--Mosotho (sing.); Basotho (pl.). Adjective--Basotho.
Population (2007 est.): 1.88 million.
Annual growth rate (2004 est.): 1.4%. (Note: the population growth rate is depressed by an HIV/AIDS prevalence rate estimated to be at approximately23.2%.)
Ethnic groups: Basotho 99.7%; Europeans, Asians, and other (including Xhosa) 0.3%.
Religions: 80% Christian, including Roman Catholic (majority), Lesotho Evangelical, Anglican, ... Read this Article
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Location: Lesotho is Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa See Map
Capital: name: Maseru
geographic coordinates: 29 19 S, 27 29 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Currency (Code): loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR) ...More
Area: total: 30,355 sq km , land: 30,355 sq km , water: 0 sq km ( 1 sq km is approximately 0.4 sq miles or 250 acres)
Area Comparison: slightly smaller than Maryland
Elevation Extremes: lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m , highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m (1 meter = 3.28 feet)
Population: 2,128,180
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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)
Unemployment: 45% (2002)
Ethnic Groups: Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%,
Religion: Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%
Languages: Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa
More Statistics
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| History
Lesotho gained independence from Britain on October 4, 1966. In January 1970 the ruling Basotho National Party (BNP) appeared set to lose the first post-independence general elections when Prime Minister Leabua Jonathan annulled the election. He refused to cede power to the Basotho Congress Party (BCP) and imprisoned its leadership.
The BNP ... Read this Article
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| Geographic Info for Lesotho : |
Geography
Area: 30,355 sq. km. (11,718 sq. mi.), about the size of Maryland.
Cities: Capital--Maseru (173,700). Other cities-- Leribe (35,000), Mafeteng (32,900), Teyateyaneng (22,800), Mohale's Hoek (18,400).
Terrain: High veld, plateau, and mountains.
Climate: Temperate; summers hot, winters cool to cold; humidity generally low and evenings cool year round. Rainy season in summer, winters dry. Southern hemisphere ... Read this Article
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