Overview:
Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho has no important natural
resources other than water. Its economy is based on agriculture, light
manufacturing, and remittances from laborers employed in South Africa
(recently equal to about 45% of GDP). The great majority of households
gain their livelihoods from subsistence farming and migrant labor; a
large portion of the adult male workforce is employed in South African
mines. Manufacturing depends largely on farm products to support the
milling, canning, leather, and jute industries; other industries
include textile, clothing, and construction (in particular, a major
water improvement project which will permit the sale of water to South
Africa). Industry's share of GDP rose from 6% in 1982 to 13% in 1991.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $2.8 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
2.4% (FY 93)
National product per capita:
$1,500 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
17% (FY93)
Unemployment rate:
at least 55% among adult males (1991 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
$438 million
expenditures:
$430 million, including capital expenditures of $155 million (1994
est.)
Exports:
$109 million (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
wool, mohair, wheat, cattle, peas, beans, corn, hides, skins, baskets
partners:
South Africa 42%, EC 28%, North and South America 25% (1991)
Imports:
$964 million (c.i.f., 1992)
commodities:
mainly corn, building materials, clothing, vehicles, machinery,
medicines, petroleum
partners:
South Africa 94%, Asia 3%, EC 1% (1991)
External debt:
$428 million (1991)
Industrial production:
growth rate 5% (1991 est.); accounts for 13% of GDP
Electricity:
power supplied by South Africa
Industries:
food, beverages, textiles, handicrafts, tourism
Agriculture:
accounts for 15% of GDP (1991 est.) and employs 60-70% of all
households; exceedingly primitive, mostly subsistence farming and
livestock; principal crops corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley
Economic aid:
recipient:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $268 million; US (1992),
$10.3 million; US (1993 est.), $10.1 million; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $819 million;
OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $4 million; Communist countries
(1970-89), $14 million
Currency:
1 loti (L) = 100 lisente
Exchange rates:
maloti (M) per US$1 - 3.4096 (January 1994), 3.2636 (1993), 2.8497
(1992), 2.7563 (1991), 2.5863 (1990), 2.6166 (1989); note - the
Basotho loti is at par with the South African rand
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March
@Lesotho, Communications
Railroads:
2.6 km; owned, operated by, and included in the statistics of South
Africa
Highways:
total:
7,215 km
paved:
572 km
unpaved:
gravel, stabilized earth 2,337 km; improved earth 1,806 km; unimproved
earth 2,500 km (1988)
Airports:
total:
28
usable:
28
with permanent-surface runways:
3
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
1
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
2
Telecommunications:
rudimentary system consisting of a few landlines, a small microwave
system, and minor radio communications stations; 5,920 telephones;
broadcast stations - 3 AM, 2 FM, 1 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth
station
@Lesotho, Defense Forces
Branches:
Royal Lesotho Defense Force (RLDF; including Army, Air Wing), Royal
Lesotho Mounted Police
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 438,096; fit for military service 236,324
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $55 million, 13% of GDP (1990 est.)
@Liberia, Geography
Location:
Western Africa, bordering the North Pacific Ocean between Cote
d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone
Map references:
Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
111,370 sq km
land area:
96,320 sq km
comparative area:
slightly larger than Tennessee
Land boundaries:
total 1,585 km, Guinea 563 km, Cote d'Ivoire 716 km, Sierra Leone 306
km
Coastline:
579 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
territorial sea:
200 nm
International disputes:
none
Climate:
tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold
nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers
Terrain:
mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and
low mountains in northeast
Natural resources:
iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold
Land use:
arable land:
1%
permanent crops:
3%
meadows and pastures:
2%
forest and woodland:
39%
other:
55%
Irrigated land:
20 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
West Africa's largest tropical rain forest, subject to deforestation;
soil erosion; loss of biodiversity
natural hazards:
dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to March)
international agreements:
party to - Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
Marine Life Conservation
@Liberia, People
Population:
2,972,766 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
3.33% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
43.48 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
12.34 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
2.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
113.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
57.73 years
male:
55.27 years
female:
60.25 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
6.36 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Liberian(s)
adjective:
Liberian
Ethnic divisions:
indigenous African tribes 95% (including Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru,
Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, and Bella),
Americo-Liberians 5% (descendants of repatriated slaves)
Religions:
traditional 70%, Muslim 20%, Christian 10%
Languages:
English 20% (official), Niger-Congo language group about 20 local
languages come from this group
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
40%
male:
50%
female:
29%
Labor force:
510,000 including 220,000 in the monetary economy
by occupation:
agriculture 70.5%, services 10.8%, industry and commerce 4.5%, other
14.2%
note:
non-African foreigners hold about 95% of the top-level management and
engineering jobs; 52% of population of working age
@Liberia, Government