Terrain: mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m highest point: Mount Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m
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; Highlands Water Project will control, store, and
redirect water to South Africa
natural hazards: periodic droughts
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection,
Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Endangered Species, Law of the
Sea, Marine Dumping
Geographic note: landlocked; surrounded by South Africa
People ———
Population: 1,970,781 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 41% (male 404,733; female 402,813)
15-64 years: 54% (male 519,493; female 553,618)
65 years and over: 5% (male 37,237; female 52,887) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.9% (1996 est.)