other: Palestinian militias; Maronite Christians; Sunnis and their
militias; Shi'as and their militias
International organization participation:
ABEDA, ACCT, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol,
IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF,
PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Antoine CHEDID
chancery: 2560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 939-6300
FAX: [1] (202) 939-6324
consulate(s) general: Detroit, New York, Los Angeles
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Michele J. SISON
embassy: Awkar, Lebanon; (Awkar facing the Municipality)
mailing address: P. O. Box 70-840, Antelias, Lebanon; from US: US
Embassy Beirut, 6070 Beirut Place, Washington, DC 20521-6070
telephone: [961] (4) 542600, 543600
FAX: [961] (4) 544136
Flag description:
three horizontal bands consisting of red (top), white (middle,
double width), and red (bottom) with a green cedar tree centered in
the white band
Economy
Lebanon
Economy - overview:
The 1975-90 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. In
the years since, Lebanon has rebuilt much of its war-torn physical
and financial infrastructure by borrowing heavily - mostly from
domestic banks. In an attempt to reduce the ballooning national
debt, the Rafiq HARIRI government in the 1990s began an austerity
program, reining in government expenditures, increasing revenue
collection, and privatizing state enterprises, but economic and
financial reform initiatives stalled and public debt continued to
grow despite receipt of more than $2 billion in bilateral assistance
at the 2002 Paris II Donors Conference. The Israeli-Hizballah
conflict in July-August 2006 caused an estimated $3.6 billion in
infrastructure damage, and prompted international donors to pledge
nearly $1 billion in recovery and reconstruction assistance. Donors
met again in January 2007 at the Paris III Donor Conference and
pledged more than $7.5 billion to Lebanon for development projects
and budget support, conditioned on progress on Beirut's fiscal
reform and privatization program. An 18-month political stalemate
and sporadic sectarian and political violence hampered economic
activity, particularly tourism, retail sales, and investment, until
a new government was formed in July 2008.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$40.44 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$24.64 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3.6% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$10,300 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 5.2%
industry: 19.5%
services: 75.4% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
1.5 million
note: in addition, there are as many as 1 million foreign workers
(2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Unemployment rate:
20% (2006 est.)
Population below poverty line:
28% (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Investment (gross fixed):
22% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $6.178 billion
expenditures: $8.35 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
186.6% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.2% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
12% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
10.26% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$2.374 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$57.4 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$45.51 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
citrus, grapes, tomatoes, apples, vegetables, potatoes, olives,
tobacco; sheep, goats
Industries:
banking, tourism, food processing, wine, jewelry, cement, textiles,
mineral and chemical products, wood and furniture products, oil
refining, metal fabricating
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
8.764 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
8.161 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
929 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 97.2%
hydro: 2.8%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
106,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
97,590 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
-$2.046 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$4.077 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
authentic jewelry, inorganic chemicals, miscellaneous consumer
goods, fruit and vegetables, tobacco, construction minerals,
electric power machinery and switchgear, textile fibers, paper
Exports - partners:
Syria 25.2%, UAE 11.8%, Switzerland 8.2%, Saudi Arabia 5.6% (2007)
Imports:
$11.93 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
petroleum products, cars, medicinal products, clothing, meat and
live animals, consumer goods, paper, textile fabrics, tobacco,
electrical machinery
Imports - partners:
Syria 12.1%, Italy 8.5%, France 8.3%, US 7%, China 5.9%, Germany
5.3%, Saudi Arabia 4.8% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
of the $7.6 billion in grants and loans pledged to Lebanon at the
Paris III conference in January 2007, Beirut as of mid-December 2007
had signed agreements for $3 billion, including $1 billion in
project financing, $750 million in direct budget support, $750
million in private sector credit, and $285 million in in-kind aid;
about $500 million of the $1.7 billion pledged for direct budget
support has been disbursed to Lebanon; donors in August 2006 also
pledged nearly $1.8 billion in aid to help Lebanon recover from the
2006 Israel-Hizballah war; during the conflict, Saudi Arabia and
Kuwait provided $1.5 billion in concessional loans to the Lebanese
central bank to maintain confidence in the Lebanese currency. (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$20.55 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$31.6 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$NA
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$NA
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$8.279 billion (2006)
Currency (code):
Lebanese pound (LBP)
Currency code:
LBP
Exchange rates:
Lebanese pounds (LBP) per US dollar - 1,507.5 (2007), 1,507.5
(2006), 1,507.5 (2005), 1,507.5 (2004), 1,507.5 (2003)
Communications
Lebanon
Telephones - main lines in use:
681,400 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.26 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: repair of the telecommunications system,
severely damaged during the civil war, now complete
domestic: two wireless networks provide good service; political
instability hampers privatization and deployment of new
technologies; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership
50 per 100 persons
international: country code - 961; submarine cable link to Cyprus;
satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic
Ocean); coaxial cable to Syria (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 20, FM 22, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios:
2.85 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
15 (plus 5 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions:
1.18 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.lb
Internet hosts:
36,681 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
22 (2000)
Internet users:
950,000 (2006)
Transportation
Lebanon
Airports:
7 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 5
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)
Pipelines:
gas 43 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 401 km
standard gauge: 319 km 1.435 m
narrow gauge: 82 km 1.050 m
note: rail system became unusable because of damage done during
fighting in the 1980s and in 2006 (2006)
Roadways:
total: 6,970 km (includes 170 km of expressways) (2005)
Merchant marine:
total: 33
by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 13, carrier 11, passenger/cargo 1,
refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 2, vehicle carrier 2
foreign-owned: 4 (Greece 2, Syria 2)
registered in other countries: 55 (Barbados 1, Cambodia 8, Comoros
4, Cyprus 1, Egypt 1, Georgia 4, Honduras 1, Italy 1, North Korea 1,
Liberia 2, Malta 11, Mongolia 2, Panama 5, Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines 6, Sierra Leone 1, Syria 3, Togo 1, unknown 2) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Beirut, Tripoli
Military
Lebanon
Military branches:
Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF): Army (includes Navy), Air Force (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
(2007)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,106,879
females age 16-49: 1,122,595 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 934,828
females age 16-49: 948,327 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 32,815
female: 31,610 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
3.1% of GDP (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues
Lebanon
Disputes - international:
lacking a treaty or other documentation describing the boundary,
portions of the Lebanon-Syria boundary are unclear with several
sections in dispute; since 2000, Lebanon has claimed Shab'a Farms
area in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights; the roughly 2,000-strong
UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been in place since 1978
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 405,425 (Palestinian refugees
(UNRWA)); 50,000-60,000 (Iraq)
IDPs: 17,000 (1975-90 civil war, Israeli invasions); 200,000
(July-August 2006 war) (2007)
Illicit drugs:
cannabis cultivation dramatically reduced to 2,500 hectares in 2002
despite continued significant cannabis consumption; opium poppy
cultivation minimal; small amounts of Latin American cocaine and
Southwest Asian heroin transit country on way to European markets
and for Middle Eastern consumption; money laundering of drug
proceeds fuels concern that extremists are benefiting from drug
trafficking
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Lesotho
Introduction
Lesotho
Background:
Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence from
the UK in 1966. The Basuto National Party ruled for the first two
decades. King MOSHOESHOE was exiled in 1990, but returned to Lesotho
in 1992 and was reinstated in 1995. Constitutional government was
restored in 1993 after seven years of military rule. In 1998,
violent protests and a military mutiny following a contentious
election prompted a brief but bloody intervention by South African
and Botswanan military forces under the aegis of the Southern
African Development Community. Subsequent constitutional reforms
restored relative political stability. Peaceful parliamentary
elections were held in 2002, but the National Assembly elections of
February 2007 were hotly contested and aggrieved parties continue to
periodically demonstrate their distrust of the results.
Geography
Lesotho
Location:
Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa
Geographic coordinates:
29 30 S, 28 30 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 30,355 sq km
land: 30,355 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: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m
Natural resources:
water, agricultural and grazing land, diamonds, sand, clay, building
stone
Land use:
arable land: 10.87%
permanent crops: 0.13%
other: 89% (2005)
Irrigated land:
30 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
5.2 cu km (1987)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.05 cu km/yr (40%/40%/20%)
per capita: 28 cu m/yr (2000)
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, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa; mountainous, more
than 80% of the country is 1,800 m above sea level
People
Lesotho
Population:
2,128,180
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower
population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 35.3% (male 377,784/female 372,840)
15-64 years: 59.8% (male 621,687/female 649,981)
65 years and over: 5% (male 42,348/female 63,540) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 21.2 years
male: 20.6 years
female: 21.8 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.129% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
24.41 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
22.33 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
-0.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 78.59 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 83.01 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 74.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 40.17 years
male: 40.97 years
female: 39.34 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.13 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
28.9% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
320,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
29,000 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)
adjective: Basotho
Ethnic groups:
Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%,
Religions:
Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%
Languages:
Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 84.8%
male: 74.5%
female: 94.5% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 10 years
male: 10 years
female: 10 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
13% of GDP (2006)
Government
Lesotho
Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho
conventional short form: Lesotho
local long form: Kingdom of Lesotho
local short form: Lesotho
former: Basutoland
Government type:
parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Capital:
name: Maseru
geographic coordinates: 29 19 S, 27 29 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
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; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: King LETSIE III (since 7 February 1996); note - King
LETSIE III formerly occupied the throne from November 1990 to
February 1995 while his father was in exile
head of government: Prime Minister Pakalitha MOSISILI (since 23 May
1998)
cabinet: Cabinet
elections: according to the constitution, the leader of the majority
party in the Assembly automatically becomes prime minister; the
monarch is hereditary, but, under the terms of the constitution that
came into effect after the March 1993 election, the monarch is a
"living symbol of national unity" with no executive or legislative
powers; under traditional law the college of chiefs has the power to
depose the monarch, determine who is next in the line of succession,
or who shall serve as regent in the event that the successor is not
of mature age
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 (120 seats, 80 by popular vote and 40 by
proportional vote; members elected by popular vote for five-year
terms)
elections: last held 17 February 2007 (next to be held in 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
LCD 61, NIP 21, ABC 17, LWP 10, ACP 4, BNP 3, other 4
Judicial branch:
High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch acting on the
advice of the Prime Minister); Court of Appeal; Magistrate Courts;
customary or traditional court
Political parties and leaders:
Alliance of Congress Parties or ACP; All Basotho Convention or ABC
[Thomas THABANE]; Basotholand African Congress or BAC [Khauhelo
RALITAPOLE]; Basotho Congress Party or BCP [Ntsukunyane MPHANYA];
Basotho National Party or BNP [Maj. Gen. Justin Metsing LEKHANYA];
Kopanang Basotho Party or KPB [Pheelo MOSALA]; Lesotho Congress for
Democracy or LCD (the governing party) [Pakalitha MOSISILI]; Lesotho
Education Party or LEP [Thabo PITSO]; Lesotho Workers Party or LWP
[Macaefa BILLY]; Marematlou Freedom Party or MFP [Vincent MALEBO];
National Independent Party or NIP [Anthony MANYELI]; New Lesotho
Freedom Party or NLFP [Manapo MAJARA]; Popular Front for Democracy
or PFD [Lekhetho RAKUOANE]; Sefate Democratic Union or SDU [Bofihla
NKUEBE]; Social Democratic Party of SDP [Masitise SELESO]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Media Institute of Southern Africa, Lesotho chapter [Thabang
MATJAMA] (pushes for media freedom)
International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA,
NAM, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU,
WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Mabasia
MOHOBANE
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 Robert NOLAN
embassy: 254 Kingsway, Maseru West (Consular Section)
mailing address: P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho
telephone: [266] 22 312666
FAX: [266] 22 310116
Flag description:
three horizontal stripes of blue (top), white, and green in the
proportions of 3:4:3; the colors represent rain, peace, and
prosperity respectively; centered in the white stripe is a black
Basotho hat representing the indigenous people; the flag was
unfurled in October 2006 to celebrate 40 years of independence
Economy
Lesotho
Economy - overview:
Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho relies on remittances
from miners employed in South Africa and customs duties from the
Southern Africa Customs Union for the majority of government
revenue. However, the government has recently strengthened its tax
system to reduce dependency on customs duties. Completion of a major
hydropower facility in January 1998 permitted the sale of water to
South Africa and generated royalties for Lesotho. Lesotho produces
about 90% of its own electrical power needs. As the number of
mineworkers has declined steadily over the past several years, a
small manufacturing base has developed based on farm products that
support the milling, canning, leather, and jute industries, as well
as a rapidly expanding apparel-assembly sector. The latter has grown
significantly mainly due to Lesotho qualifying for the trade
benefits contained in the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act. The
economy is still primarily based on subsistence agriculture,
especially livestock, although drought has decreased agricultural
activity. The extreme inequality in the distribution of income
remains a major drawback. Lesotho has signed an Interim Poverty
Reduction and Growth Facility with the IMF. In July 2007, Lesotho
signed a Millennium Challenge Account Compact with the US worth
$362.5 million.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$3.063 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$1.6 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
4.8% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,400 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 15.2%
industry: 45%
services: 39.7% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
838,000 (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 86% of resident population engaged in subsistence
agriculture; roughly 35% of the active male wage earners work in
South Africa
industry and services: 14% (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate:
45% (2002)
Population below poverty line:
49% (1999)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 0.9%
highest 10%: 43.4% (2002 est.)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
63.2 (1995)
Investment (gross fixed):
51.9% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $779.9 million
expenditures: $696.9 million (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
12.82% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
14.13% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$439.2 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$160.2 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
NA (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock
Industries:
food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts,
construction, tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
12% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
200 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2006
est.)
Electricity - consumption:
226 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
50 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2007
est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
1,400 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
1,500 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
$49 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$853 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and
mohair, food and live animals (2000)
Exports - partners:
US 71.5%, Belgium 25.6%, Canada 1.2% (2007)
Imports:
$1.536 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum
products
Imports - partners: