ACOG - Lesotho  - IBM

Geography

Location: Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa

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


People

Population: 1,992,960 (July 1995 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 41% (female 407,213; male 416,709)
15-64 years: 54% (female 558,106; male 520,961)
65 years and over: 5% (female 51,809; male 38,162)

Population growth rate: 2.44% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 33.39 births/1,000 population

Death rate: 8.96 deaths/1,000 population

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population

Infant mortality rate: 67.4 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 62.56 years
male: 60.74 years
female: 64.43 years

Total fertility rate: 4.41 children born/woman

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%


Government

Names:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho
conventional short form: Lesotho

Type: constitutional monarchy

Capital: Maseru

Independence: 4 October 1966 (from UK)

Constitution: 2 April 1993


Economy

National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $2.6 billion

National product real growth rate: 6%

National product per capita: $1,340

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 13.9%

Unemployment rate:

Electricity:
capacity:
production:
consumption per capita:



Olympic Factoid
Closing Ceremony of the 1996 Games involved a crew of 2,100 who worked with more than 3,500 performers as well as thousands of athletes who celebrated on the field of Olympic Stadium.