FAX: 310116

FAX: (202) 234-6815

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Katherine H. PETERSON

embassy: 254 Kingsway, Maseru West (Consular Section)

mailing address: P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho

telephone: 312666

Flag description: 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

Economy - overview: Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho's primary natural resource is water. Its economy is based on subsistence agriculture, livestock, and remittances from miners employed in South Africa. The number of such mineworkers has declined steadily over the past several years. A small manufacturing base depends largely on farm products that support the milling, canning, leather, and jute industries. Agricultural products are exported primarily to South Africa. Proceeds from membership in a common customs union with South Africa form the majority of government revenue. Although drought has decreased agricultural activity over the past few years, completion of a major hydropower facility in January 1998 now permits the sale of water to South Africa, generating royalties for Lesotho. The pace of substantial privatization has increased in recent years. In December 1999, the government embarked on a nine-month IMF staff-monitored program aimed at structural adjustment and stabilization of macroeconomic fundamentals. The government is in the process of applying for a three-year successor program with the IMF under its Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $5.1 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 2.5% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,400 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 18%

industry: 38%

services: 44% (1999)

Population below poverty line: 49.2% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 0.9%

highest 10%: 43.4% (1986-87)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6% (2000 est.)

Labor force: 700,000 economically active

Labor force - by occupation: 86% of resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture; roughly 35% of the active male wage earners work in South Africa

Unemployment rate: 45% (2000 est.)

Budget: revenues: $76 million

expenditures: $80 million, including capital expenditures of $15 million (FY99/00 est.)

Industries: food, beverages, textiles, handicrafts; construction; tourism

Industrial production growth rate: 15.5% (1999 est.)

Electricity - production: 0 kWh; note - electricity supplied by
South Africa (1999)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 0%

hydro: 0%

nuclear: 0%

other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: 55 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: 55 million kWh

note: electricity supplied by South Africa (1999)

Agriculture - products: corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock

Exports: $175 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Exports - commodities: manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (1998)

Exports - partners: South African Customs Union 65%, North America 34% (1998)

Imports: $700 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Imports - commodities: food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products (1995)

Imports - partners: South African Customs Union 90%, Asia 7% (1998)

Debt - external: $720 million (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient: $123.7 million (1995)

Currency: loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR)

Currency code: LSL; ZAR

Exchange rates: maloti per US dollar - 7.78307 (January 2001), 6.93983 (2000), 6.10948 (1999), 5.52828 (1998), 4.60796 (1997), 4.29935 (1996); note - the Lesotho loti is at par with the South African rand which is also legal tender; maloti is the plural form of loti

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Lesotho Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 20,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 1,262 (1996)

Telephone system: general assessment: rudimentary system

domestic: consists of a few landlines, a small microwave radio relay system, and a minor radiotelephone communication system

international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios: 104,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 1 (2000)

Televisions: 54,000 (1997)

Internet country code: .ls

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)

Internet users: 1,000 (2000)

Lesotho Transportation

Railways: total: 2.6 km; note - owned by, operated by, and included in the statistics of South Africa

narrow gauge: 2.6 km 1.067-m gauge (1995)

Highways: total: 4,955 km

paved: 887 km

unpaved: 4,068 km (1996)

Waterways: none

Ports and harbors: none

Airports: 29 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 4

over 3,047 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 1

under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 25

914 to 1,523 m: 4

under 914 m: 21 (2000 est.)

Lesotho Military

Military branches: Lesotho Defense Force (LDF; includes Army and Air
Wing), Royal Lesotho Mounted Police (RLMP)

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 515,464 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 277,369 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $34 million (1999)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%

Military - note: The Lesotho Government in 1999 began an open debate on the future structure, size, and role of the armed forces, especially considering the Lesotho Defense Force's (LDF) history of intervening in political affairs.

Lesotho Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: none

@Liberia

Liberia Introduction

Background: Seven years of civil strife were brought to a close in 1996 when free and open presidential and legislative elections were held. President TAYLOR now holds strong executive power with no real political opposition. The years of fighting coupled with the flight of most businesses have disrupted formal economic activity. A still unsettled domestic security situation has slowed the process of rebuilding the social and economic structure of this war-torn country.

Liberia Geography

Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone

Geographic coordinates: 6 30 N, 9 30 W

Map references: Africa

Area: total: 111,370 sq km

land: 96,320 sq km

water: 15,050 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly larger than Tennessee

Land boundaries: total: 1,585 km

border countries: Guinea 563 km, Cote d'Ivoire 716 km, Sierra Leone 306 km

Coastline: 579 km

Maritime claims: territorial sea: 200 NM

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

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mount Wuteve 1,380 m

Natural resources: iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower

Land use: arable land: 1%

permanent crops: 3%

permanent pastures: 59%

forests and woodland: 18%

other: 19% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 20 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara
(December to March)

Environment - current issues: tropical rain forest subject to deforestation; soil erosion; loss of biodiversity; pollution of coastal waters from oil residue and raw sewage

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94

signed, but not ratified: Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation

Liberia People

Population: 3,225,837 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 43.21% (male 698,178; female 695,599)

15-64 years: 53.34% (male 840,103; female 880,403)

65 years and over: 3.45% (male 56,073; female 55,481) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.92% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 46.55 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 16.36 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: -11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

note: by the end of 1999, all Liberian refugees, who had fled the domestic strife, were assumed to have returned

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 132.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 51.41 years

male: 49.96 years

female: 52.91 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.36 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 2.8% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 39,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 4,500 (1999 est.)

Nationality: noun: Liberian(s)

adjective: Liberian

Ethnic groups: indigenous African tribes 95% (including Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, and Bella), Americo-Liberians 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from the US who had been slaves), Congo People 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from the Caribbean who had been slaves)

Religions: indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%

Languages: English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages, of which a few can be written and are used in correspondence

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 38.3%

male: 53.9%

female: 22.4% (1995 est.)

note: these figures are increasing because of the improving school system

Liberia Government

Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Liberia

conventional short form: Liberia

Government type: republic

Capital: Monrovia

Administrative divisions: 13 counties; Bomi, Bong, Grand Bassa,
Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland,
Montserrado, Nimba, River Cess, Sinoe

Independence: 26 July 1847

National holiday: Independence Day, 26 July (1847)

Constitution: 6 January 1986

Legal system: dual system of statutory law based on Anglo-American common law for the modern sector and customary law based on unwritten tribal practices for indigenous sector

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: President Charles Ghankay TAYLOR (since 2 August 1997); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

head of government: President Charles Ghankay TAYLOR (since 2 August 1997); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate

elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (renewable); election last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held NA July 2003)

election results: Charles Ghankay TAYLOR elected president; percent of vote - Charles Ghankay TAYLOR (NPP) 75.3%, Ellen Johnson SIRLEAF (UP) 9.6%, Alhaji KROMAH (ALCOP) 4%, other 11.1%

Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (26 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve nine-year terms) and the House of Representatives (64 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)

elections: Senate - last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held in NA 2006); House of Representatives - last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held in NA 2003)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NPP 21, UP 3, ALCOP 2; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NPP 49, UP 7, ALCOP 3, Alliance of Political Parties 2, UPP 2, LPP 1; note - the Alliance of Political Parties was a coalition of the LAP and the Liberia Unification Party or LUP

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders: All Liberia Coalition Party or ALCOP
[Lusinee KAMARA]; Liberian Action Party or LAP [Cletus WOTORSON];
Liberian National Union or LINU [Henry MONIBA, chairman]; Liberian
People's Party or LPP [Togba-Nah TIPOTEH, chairman]; National
Democratic Party of Liberia or NDPL [Isaac DAKINAH]; National
Patriotic Party or NPP [Charles Ghankay TAYLOR] - governing party;
People's Progressive Party or PPP [Chea CHEAPOO, chairman];
Reformation Alliance Party or RAP [Henry Boimah FAHNBULLEH,
chairman]; True Whig Party or TWP [Rudolph SHERMAN, chairman];
United People's Party or UPP [Gabriel Baccus MATTHEWS, chairman];
Unity Party or UP [Charles Clarke]

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA,
ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat (nonsignatory user),
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
William BULL

chancery: 5201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011

telephone: (202) 723-0437