Overview:
Since 1975 civil war has seriously damaged Lebanon's economic
infrastructure, cut national output by half, and all but ended
Lebanon's position as a Middle Eastern entrepot and banking hub.
Following October 1990, however, a tentative peace has enabled the
central government to begin restoring control in Beirut, collect
taxes, and regain access to key port and government facilities. The
battered economy has also been propped up by a financially sound
banking system and resilient small- and medium-scale manufacturers.
Family remittances, banking transactions, manufactured and farm
exports, the narcotics trade, and international emergency aid are the
main sources of foreign exchange. In the relatively settled year of
1991, industrial production, agricultural output, and exports showed
substantial gains. The further rebuilding of the war-ravaged country
was delayed in 1992 because of an upturn in political wrangling. In
October 1992, Rafiq HARIRI was appointed Prime Minister. HARIRI, a
wealthy entrepreneur, has announced ambitious plans for Lebanon's
reconstruction which involve a substantial influx of foreign aid and
investment. Progress on restoring basic services is limited. Since
Prime Minister HARIRI's appointment, the most significant improvement
lies in the stabilization of the Lebanese pound, which had gained over
30% in value by yearend 1993. The year 1993 was marked by efforts of
the new administration to encourage domestic and foreign investment
and to obtain additional international assistance.
National product:
GDP - exchange rate conversion - $6.1 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
4.2% (1992)
National product per capita:
$1,720 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
35% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
35% (1993 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
$990 million
expenditures:
$1.98 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1993 est.)
Exports:
$925 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
agricultural products, chemicals, textiles, precious and semiprecious
metals and jewelry, metals and metal products
partners:
Saudi Arabia 21%, Switzerland 9.5%, Jordan 6%, Kuwait 12%, US 5%
Imports:
$4.1 billion (c.i.f., 1993 est.)
commodities:
Consumer goods, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products
partners:
Italy 14%, France 12%, US 6%, Turkey 5%, Saudi Arabia 3%
External debt:
$700 million (1993 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate 25% (1993 est.)
Electricity:
capacity:
1,300,000 kW
production:
3.413 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
990 kWh (1992)
Industries:
banking, food processing, textiles, cement, oil refining, chemicals,
jewelry, some metal fabricating
Agriculture:
accounts for about one-third of GDP; principal products - citrus
fruits, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco, hemp (hashish), sheep,
goats; not self-sufficient in grain
Illicit drugs:
illicit producer of hashish and heroin for the international drug
trade; hashish production is shipped to Western Europe, the Middle
East, and North and South America; increasingly a key locus of cocaine
processing and trafficking
Economic aid:
aid for Lebanon's reconstruction programs currently totals $1.3
billion since October 1992, including a $175 million loan from the
World Bank
Currency:
1 Lebanese pound (#L) = 100 piasters
Exchange rates:
Lebanese pounds (#L) per US$1 - 1,713.00 (December 1993), 2,200.00
(1992), 928.23 (1991), 695.09 (1990), 496.69 (1989)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
@Lebanon, Communications
Railroads:
system in disrepair, considered inoperable
Highways:
total:
7,300 km
paved:
6,200 km
unpaved:
gravel 450 km; improved earth 650 km
Pipelines:
crude oil 72 km (none in operation)
Ports:
Beirut, Tripoli, Ra'Sil'ata, Juniyah, Sidon, Az Zahrani, Tyre, Jubayl,
Shikka Jadidah
Merchant marine:
63 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 268,268 GRT/399,054 DWT, bulk 4,
cargo 39, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 1, container 2,
livestock carrier 9, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 2,
specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 2, combination ore/oil 1
Airports:
total:
9
usable:
7
with permanent-surface runways:
5
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
3
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
1
Telecommunications:
telecommunications system severely damaged by civil war; rebuilding
still underway; 325,000 telephones (95 telephones per 1,000 persons);
domestic traffic carried primarily by microwave radio relay and a
small amount of cable; international traffic by satellite - 1 Indian
Ocean INTELSAT earth station and 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth
station (erratic operations), coaxial cable to Syria; microwave radio
relay to Syria but inoperable beyond Syria to Jordan, 3 submarine
coaxial cables; broadcast stations - 5 AM, 3 FM, 13 TV (numerous AM
and FM stations are operated sporadically by various factions)
@Lebanon, Defense Forces
Branches:
Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF; including Army, Navy, and Air Force)
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 827,267; fit for military service 514,291
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $271 million, 8.2% of GDP (1992 budget)
@Lesotho, Geography
Location:
Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa
Map references:
Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
30,350 sq km
land area:
30,350 sq km
comparative area:
slightly larger than Maryland
Land boundaries:
total 909 km, South Africa 909 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none; landlocked
International disputes:
none
Climate:
temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers
Terrain:
mostly highland with some plateaus, hills, and mountains
Natural resources:
water, agricultural and grazing land, some diamonds and other minerals
Land use:
arable land:
10%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
66%
forest and woodland:
0%
other:
24%
Irrigated land:
NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
population pressure forcing settlement in marginal areas results in
overgrazing, severe soil erosion, soil exhaustion; desertification
natural hazards:
subject to periods of drought
international agreements:
party to - Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands;
signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered
Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping
Note:
landlocked; surrounded by South Africa; Highlands Water Project will
control, store, and redirect water to South Africa
Population:
1,944,493 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.48% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
34 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
9.19 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
69.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
62.14 years
male:
60.32 years
female:
64.01 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.5 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)
adjective:
Basotho
Ethnic divisions:
Sotho 99.7%, Europeans 1,600, Asians 800
Religions:
Christian 80%, rest indigenous beliefs
Languages:
Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1966)
total population:
59%
male:
44%
female:
68%
Labor force:
689,000 economically active
by occupation:
86.2% of resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture;
roughly 60% of active male labor force works in South Africa
@Lesotho, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Kingdom of Lesotho
conventional short form:
Lesotho
former:
Basutoland
Digraph:
LT
Type:
constitutional monarchy
Capital:
Maseru
Administrative divisions:
10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohale's
Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka
Independence:
4 October 1966 (from UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 4 October (1966)
Constitution:
2 April 1993
Legal system:
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
Suffrage:
21 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
King LETSIE III (since 12 November 1990)
head of government:
Prime Minister Ntsu MOKHEHLE (since 2 April 1993 )
cabinet:
Cabinet
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consisting of the Assembly or lower house whose
members are chosen by popular election and the Senate or upper house
whose members consist of the 22 principal chiefs and 10 other members
appointed by the ruling party; election held in March 1993 (first
since 1971); all 65 seats in the Assembly were won by the BCP
Judicial branch:
High Court, Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders:
Basotho National Party (BNP), Evaristus SEKHONYANA; Basutholand
Congress Party (BCP), Ntsu MOKHEHLE; National Independent Party (NIP),
A. C. MANYELI; Marematlou Freedom Party (MFP), Vincent MALEBO; United
Democratic Party, Charles MOFELI; Communist Party of Lesotho (CPL),
Jacob M. KENA
Member of:
ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, ITU,
LORCS, NAM, OAU, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU,
WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Teboho KITLELI
chancery:
2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
(202) 797-5533 through 5536
FAX:
(202) 234-6815
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
(vacant); Charge d'Affaires Karl HOFMANN
embassy:
address NA, Maseru
mailing address:
P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho
telephone:
[266] 312-666
FAX:
[266] 310-116
Flag:
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
@Lesotho, Economy