(Arabic) or Assemblee Nationale (French) (128 seats; members elected
by popular vote on the basis of sectarian proportional representation
to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held in the summer of 1996 (next to be held NA 2000)
election results: percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-NA
(one-half Christian and one-half Muslim)
Judicial branch: four Courts of Cassation (three courts for civil and
commercial cases and one court for criminal cases); Constitutional
Council (called for in Ta'if Accord-rules on constitutionality of
laws); Supreme Council (hears charges against the president and prime
minister as needed)
Political parties and leaders: political party activity is organized
along largely sectarian lines; numerous political groupings exist,
consisting of individual political figures and followers motivated by
religious, clan, and economic considerations
International organization participation: ABEDA, ACCT, AFESD, AL, AMF,
CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol,
IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mohamad Baha CHATAH
chancery: 2560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 939-6300
FAX: [1] (202) 939-6324
consulate(s) general: Detroit, New York, and Los Angeles
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador-designate David SATTERFIELD
embassy: Antelias, Beirut
mailing address: P. O. Box 70-840, Beirut; PSC 815, Box 2, FPO AE
09836-0002
telephone: [961] (1) 402200, 403300, 426183, 417774, 889926
FAX: [961] (1) 407112
Flag description: three horizontal bands of red (top), white (double
width), and red with a green and brown cedar tree centered in the
white band
@Lebanon:Economy
Economy-overview: The 1975-91 civil war 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.
Peace has enabled the central government to restore control in Beirut,
begin collecting taxes, and regain access to key port and government
facilities. Economic recovery has been helped by a financially sound
banking system and resilient small- and medium-scale manufacturers,
with family remittances, banking services, manufactured and farm
exports, and international aid as the main sources of foreign
exchange. Lebanon's economy has made impressive gains since Prime
Minister HARIRI launched his $18 billion "Horizon 2000" reconstruction
program in 1993. Real GDP grew 8% in 1994 and 7% in 1995 before
Israel's Operation Grapes of Wrath in April 1996 stunted economic
activity. During 1992-97, annual inflation fell from more than 170% to
9%, and foreign exchange reserves jumped to more than $4 billion from
$1.4 billion. Burgeoning capital inflows have generated foreign
payments surpluses, and the Lebanese pound has remained relatively
stable. Progress also has been made in rebuilding Lebanon's war-torn
physical and financial infrastructure. Solidere, a $2-billion firm, is
managing the reconstruction of Beirut's central business district; the
stock market reopened in January 1996; and international banks and
insurance companies are returning. The government nonetheless faces
serious challenges in the economic arena. It has had to fund
reconstruction by tapping foreign exchange reserves and boosting
borrowing. The stalled peace process and ongoing violence in southern
Lebanon could lead to wider hostilities that would disrupt vital
capital inflows. Furthermore, the gap between rich and poor has
widened since HARIRI took office, resulting in grassroots
dissatisfaction over the skewed distribution of the reconstruction's
benefits and leading the government to shift its focus from rebuilding
infrastructure to improving living conditions.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$15.2 billion (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 4% (1997 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$4,400 (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector:
agriculture: 4%
industry: 23%
services: 73% (1997 est.)
Inflation rate-consumer price index: 9% (1997 est.)
Labor force:
total: 1 million plus as many as 1 million foreign workers (1996 est.)
by occupation: services 62%, industry 31%, agriculture 7% (1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: 18% (1997 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $2.4 billion
expenditures: $5.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1997 est.)
Industries: banking; food processing; jewelry; cement; textiles;
mineral and chemical products; wood and furniture products; oil
refining; metal fabricating
Industrial production growth rate: 25% (1993 est.)
Electricity-capacity: 1.35 million kW (1997)
Electricity-production: 5 billion kWh (1995)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 1,380 kWh (1995)
Agriculture-products: citrus, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco,
hemp (hashish); sheep, goats
Exports:
total value: $1.018 billion (f.o.b., 1996)
commodities: paper and paper products 26%, food stuffs 16%, textiles
and textile products 10%, jewelry 8%, metals and metal products 8%,
electrical equipment and products 8%, chemical products 6%, transport
vehicles 4% (1995)
partners: UAE 23%, Saudi Arabia 14%, Kuwait 8%, Syria 7%, Jordan 5%,
France 5%, Italy 4%, US 3% (1996)
Imports:
total value: $7.559 billion (c.i.f., 1996)
commodities: machinery and transport equipment 28%, foodstuffs 20%,
consumer goods 19%, chemicals 9%, textiles 5%, metals 5%, fuels 3%
(1995)
partners: Italy 12%, US 11%, Germany 9%, France 8%, Syria 4%, UK 4%,
Japan 4% (1996)
Debt-external: $2.3 billion (1997 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient: aid pledges of $3.5 billion for 1997-2001
Currency: 1 Lebanese pound (£L) = 100 piasters
Exchange rates: Lebanese pounds (£L) per US$1-1,526.1 (January 1998),
1,539.5 (1997), 1,571.4 (1996), 1,621.4 (1995), 1,680.1 (1994),
1,741.4 (1993)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 150,000 (1990 est.)
Telephone system: telecommunications system severely damaged by civil
war; rebuilding well underway
domestic: primarily microwave radio relay and cable
international: satellite earth stations-2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and
1 Atlantic Ocean) (erratic operations); coaxial cable to Syria;
microwave radio relay to Syria but inoperable beyond Syria to Jordan;
3 submarine coaxial cables
Radio broadcast stations: AM 5, FM 3, shortwave 1
note: government is licensing a limited number of the more than 100 AM
and FM stations operated sporadically by various factions that sprang
up during the civil war
Radios: 2.37 million (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 13
note: government is licensing a limited number of TV stations operated
by various factions
Televisions: 1.1 million (1993 est.)
@Lebanon:Transportation
Railways:
total: 222 km
standard gauge: 222 km 1.435-m (from Beirut to the Syrian border)
Highways:
total: 6,350 km
paved: 6,032 km
unpaved: 318 km (1996 est.)
Pipelines: crude oil 72 km (none in operation)
Ports and harbors: Al Batrun, Al Mina', An Naqurah, Antilyas, Az
Zahrani, Beirut, Jubayl, Juniyah, Shikka, Sidon, Tripoli, Tyre
Merchant marine:
total: 62 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 258,383 GRT/392,087 DWT
ships by type: bulk 5, cargo 40, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk
1, combination ore/oil 1, container 2, livestock carrier 5, oil tanker
1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 2, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 3
(1997 est.)
Airports: 9 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways:
total: 7
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (1997 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways:
total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (1997 est.)
@Lebanon:Military
Military branches: Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF; includes Army, Navy,
and Air Force)
Military manpower-availability:
males age 15-49: 901,603 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service:
males: 558,774 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: $445 million (1997)
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: 5% (1997)
@Lebanon:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: Israeli troops in southern Lebanon since June
1982; Syrian troops in northern, central, and eastern Lebanon since
October 1976
Illicit drugs: small illicit producer of hashish and heroin; hashish
production is shipped to Western Europe, the Middle East, and North
and South America; some cocaine processing and trafficking; a
Lebanese/Syrian eradication campaign started in the early 1990s has
practically eliminated the opium and cannabis crops
______________________________________________________________________
LESOTHO
@Lesotho:Geography
Location: Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa
Geographic coordinates: 29 30 S, 28 30 E
Map references: Africa
Area:
total: 30,350 sq km
land: 30,350 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area-comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries:
total: 909 km
border countries: South Africa 909 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers
Terrain: mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains
Elevation extremes:
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: 11%
permanent crops: NA%
permanent pastures: 66%
forests and woodland: NA%
other: 23% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 30 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: periodic droughts
Environment-current issues: population pressure forcing settlement in
marginal areas results in overgrazing, severe soil erosion, and soil
exhaustion; desertification; Highlands Water Project controls, stores,
and redirects water to South Africa
Environment-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
Geography-note: landlocked; surrounded by South Africa
@Lesotho:People
Population: 2,089,829 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 40% (male 420,526; female 419,059)
15-64 years: 55% (male 558,068; female 596,598)
65 years and over: 5% (male 39,782; female 55,796) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.91% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 31.84 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 12.76 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 78.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 53.97 years
male: 52.18 years
female: 55.81 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.13 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)
adjective: Basotho
Ethnic groups: Sotho 99.7%, Europeans 1,600, Asians 800
Religions: Christian 80%, rest indigenous beliefs
Languages: Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 71.3%
male: 81.1%
female: 62.3% (1995 est.)
@Lesotho:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho
conventional short form: Lesotho
former: Basutoland
Data code: LT
Government type: parliamentary constitutional monarchy
National 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: 18 years of age; universal (constitutional amendment, July
1997)
Executive branch:
chief of state: King LETSIE III (since 7 February 1996, succeeded to
the throne following the death of his father, King MOSHOESHOE II, on
16 January 1996); note-King LETSIE III formerly occupied the throne
(November 1990 to February 1995) while his father was in exile
head of government: Prime Minister Ntsu MOKHEHLE (since 2 April 1993)
cabinet: Cabinet
elections: none; the king is a hereditary monarch, but, under the
terms of the constitution which came into effect after the March 1993
election, he has no executive or legislative powers; moreover, under
traditional law the king can be elected or deposed by a majority vote
of the College of Chiefs; following legislative elections, the leader
of the party that wins the most seats usually becomes prime minister
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (33
members-22 principal chiefs and 11 other members appointed by the
ruling party) and the Assembly (65 seats; members elected for a
five-year term by popular vote)
elections: last held 27 March 1993 (next to be held in May 1998)
election results: percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-BCP 65
note: due to a schism in the BCP, Prime Minister Ntsu MOKHEHLE formed
the new Lesotho Congress for Democracy or LCD in June 1997, taking 42
seats away from the BCP, reducing it to 23 seats and the role of an
opposition party
Judicial branch: High Court, Chief Justice appointed by the king;
Court of Appeal; Magistrate's Court; customary or traditional court
Political parties and leaders:
ruling party: Lesotho Congress for Democracy or LCD [Dr. Ntsu
MOKHEHLE, leader; Shakhane MOKHEHLE, secretary general]
opposition party: Basotho National Party or BNP [Evaristus
SEKHONYANA]; Basotholand Congress Party or BCP [Molapo QHOBELA]; Ha
Reeng ('Let's Go') Basotho Party or HBP [Khauta KHASU]; Lesotho Labor
Party or LLP [Mamolefi RANTHIMO]; Marematlou Freedom Party or MFP
[Vincent MALEBO]; National Progressive Party or NPP [Chief Peete
Nkoebe PEETE, leader]; Sefate Democratic Union or SDU [Bofihla
NKUEBE]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Charles MOFELI]
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO,
G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFCTU, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, SACU,
SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Eunice M. BULANE
chancery: 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 797-5533 through 5536
FAX: [1] (202) 234-6815
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Bismarck MYRICK
embassy: 254 Kingsway, Maseru West (Consular Section)
mailing address: P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho
telephone: [266] 312666
FAX: [266] 310116
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 has no
important natural resources other than water. Its economy is based on
agriculture, light manufacturing, and remittances from miners employed
in South Africa. The number of such mine workers has declined steadily
over the past five years; in 1996 their remittances added about 33% to
GDP compared with the addition of roughly 67% in 1990. Manufacturing
depends largely on farm products which support the milling, canning,
leather, and jute industries. Recent foreign investments will enable
Lesotho to export garments made from imported textiles. 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 and will support the economy's
continued expansion. The pace of the privatization of state-owned
firms increased toward the end of 1994.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$5.1 billion (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 9% (1997 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$2,500 (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector:
agriculture: 10%
industry: 53%
services: 37% (1997)
Inflation rate-consumer price index: 8.7% (1996 est.)
Labor force:
total: 689,000 economically active
by occupation: 86% of resident population engaged in subsistence
agriculture; roughly 35% of the active male wage earners work in South
Africa
Unemployment rate: substantial unemployment and underemployment
effecting more than half of the labor force (1996 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $507 million
expenditures: $487 million, including capital expenditures of $170
million (FY96/97 est.)
Industries: food, beverages, textiles, handicrafts; construction;
tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 19.7% (1995)
Electricity-capacity: 0 kW (1995)
note: electricity supplied by South Africa
Electricity-production: 0 kWh (1995)
note: electricity supplied by South Africa
Electricity-consumption per capita: 163 kWh (1995)
Agriculture-products: corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock
Exports:
total value: $218 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities: clothing, wool, footwear, road vehicles, mohair (1995)
partners: South African Customs Union 52%, North America 38%, EU 9%
(1995)
Imports:
total value: $1.1 billion (c.i.f., 1996 est.)
commodities: corn, clothing, building materials, vehicles, machinery,
medicines, petroleum products (1993)
partners: South African Customs Union 90%, Asia 6%, EU 2% (1995)
Debt-external: $517 million (FY95/96 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $NA
Currency: 1 loti (L) = 100 lisente
note: maloti (M) is the plural form of loti
Exchange rates: maloti (M) per US$1-4.94193 (January 1998), 4.60796
(1997), 4.29935 (1996), 3.62709 (1995), 3.55080 (1994), 3.26774
(1993); note-the Basotho loti is at par with the South African rand
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
Communications
Telephones: 12,000 (1991 est.)
Telephone system: 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 3, FM 4, shortwave 0
Radios: 66,000
Television broadcast stations: 1
Televisions: 11,000 (1992 est.)
@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 est.)
Ports and harbors: none
Airports: 29 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways:
total: 3
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (1997 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways:
total: 26
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 22 (1997 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: 490,128 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service:
males: 264,255 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: NA%
@Lesotho:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: none
______________________________________________________________________
LIBERIA
Introduction
Current issues: The Abuja Peace Accords ended seven years of civil
warfare in Liberia. More than 20,000 of the estimated 33,000 factional
fighters gave up their arms to the Cease-Fire Monitoring Group of the
Economic Community of West African States (ECOMOG). Free and open
presidential and legislative elections were held 19 July 1997; former
faction leader, Charles TAYLOR, and his National Patriotic Party won
overwhelming victories. The years of civil strife coupled with the
flight of most business people disrupted formal economic activity, but
with peace restored and a popularly-elected government installed, the
difficult task of rebuilding the social and economic structure of this
war-torn country can proceed.
@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
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 rivers
from the dumping of iron ore tailings and of coastal waters from oil
residue and raw sewage
Environment-international agreements:
party to: Desertification, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber
94
signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental
Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation
@Liberia:People
Population: 2,771,901 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 45% (male 622,797; female 616,902)
15-64 years: 52% (male 734,425; female 700,124)
65 years and over: 3% (male 47,099; female 50,554) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 5.76% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 41.88 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 11.28 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 27.02 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
note: until domestic peace is restored, many Liberian refugees will
not return from exile
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 103.13 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 59.45 years
male: 56.81 years
female: 62.16 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.09 children born/woman (1998 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)
Religions: traditional 70%, Muslim 20%, Christian 10%
Languages: English 20% (official), about 20 tribal 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.)
@Liberia:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Liberia
conventional short form: Liberia
Data code: LI