party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine
Dumping, Marine Life Conservation
Geography--note: Nahr al Litani only major river in Near East not
crossing an international boundary; rugged terrain historically
helped isolate, protect, and develop numerous factional groups based
on religion, clan, and ethnicity
People
Population: 3,562,699 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 30% (male 535,596; female 515,776)
15-64 years: 64% (male 1,084,121; female 1,196,678)
65 years and over: 6% (male 105,133; female 125,395) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.61% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 22.5 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 6.45 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 30.53 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.93 years
male: 68.34 years
female: 73.66 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.25 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Lebanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Lebanese
Ethnic groups: Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1%
Religions: Islam 70% (5 legally recognized Islamic groups--Alawite
or Nusayri, Druze, Isma'ilite, Shi'a, Sunni), Christian 30% (11
legally recognized Christian groups--4 Orthodox Christian, 6
Catholic, 1 Protestant), Judaism NEGL%
Languages: Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian widely
understood
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 86.4%
male: 90.8%
female: 82.2% (1997 est.)
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Lebanese Republic
conventional short form: Lebanon
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah
local short form: Lubnan
Data code: LE
Government type: republic
Capital: Beirut
Administrative divisions: 5 governorates (muhafazat,
singular--muhafazah); Al Biqa', Al Janub, Ash Shamal, Bayrut, Jabal
Lubnan
Independence: 22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate
under French administration)
National holiday: Independence Day, 22 November (1943)
Constitution: 23 May 1926, amended a number of times
Legal system: mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code,
and civil law; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized
for women at age 21 with elementary education
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Emile LAHUD (since 24 November 1998)
head of government: Prime Minister Salim al-HUSS (since 4 December
1998)
cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with
the president and members of the National Assembly; the current
Cabinet was formed in 1998
elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a six-year
term; election last held 15 October 1998 (next to be held NA 2004);
prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president
in consultation with the National Assembly; by custom, the president
is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim, and
the speaker of the legislature is a Shi'a Muslim
election results: Emile LAHUD elected president; National Assembly
vote--118 votes in favor, 0 against, 10 abstentions
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Majlis
Alnuwab (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, OAS (observer), OIC,
PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador-designate Farid ABBOUD
chancery: 2560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Detroit, New York, and Los Angeles
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador David SATTERFIELD
embassy: Antelias, Beirut
mailing address: P. O. Box 70-840, Beirut; PSC 815, Box 2, FPO AE
09836-0002
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
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 the launch of "Horizon 2000," the
government's $20 billion 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 1992-98,
annual inflation fell from more than 100% to 5%, and foreign
exchange reserves jumped to more than $6 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. Reducing the government budget
deficit is a major goal of the LAHUD government. 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 in the 1990's, 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--$15.8 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: 3% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$4,500 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 4%
industry: 23%
services: 73% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5% (1998 est.)
Labor force: 1 million
note: in addition, there are as many as 1 million foreign workers
(1996 est.)
Labor force--by occupation: services 62%, industry 31%,
agriculture 7% (1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: 18% (1997 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $4.9 billion
expenditures: $7.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1998 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--production: 8.4 billion kWh (1997 est.)
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 87.72%
hydro: 12.28%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 6.01 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 310 million kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: citrus, grapes, tomatoes, apples,
vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco, hemp (hashish); sheep, goats
Exports: $711 million (f.o.b., 1997)
Exports--commodities: foodstuffs and tobacco 20%, textiles 12%,
chemicals 11%, metal and metal products 11%, electrical equipment
and products 10%, jewelry 10%, paper and paper products 8% (1997)
Exports--partners: Saudi Arabia 14%, UAE 9%, France 7%, Syria 6%,
US 6%, Kuwait 4%, Jordan 4%, Turkey 4%
Imports: $7.5 billion (c.i.f., 1997)
Imports--commodities: foodstuffs 29%, machinery and transport
equipment 28%, consumer goods 18%, chemicals 9%, textiles 5%, metals
5%, fuels 3%, agricultural foods 3% (1997)
Imports--partners: Italy 13%, US 9%, France 9%, Germany 8%,
Switzerland 7%, Japan 4%, UK 4%, Syria 4% (1997)
Debt--external: $3 billion (1998 est.)
Economic aid--recipient: $3.5 billion (pledges 1997-2001)
Currency: 1 Lebanese pound (LL) = 100 piasters
Exchange rates: Lebanese pounds (LL) per US$1--1,508.0 (January
1999), 1,516.1 (1998), 1,539.5 (1997), 1,571.4 (1996), 1,621.4
(1995), 1,680.1 (1994)
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: 28 (1997)
Televisions: 1.1 million (1993 est.)
Transportation
Railways:
total: 222 km
standard gauge: 222 km 1.435-m (from Beirut to the Syrian border)
Highways:
total: 6,270 km
paved: 6,270 km
unpaved: 0 km (1998 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: 64 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 267,562 GRT/403,252 DWT
ships by type: bulk 6, cargo 41, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk
1, combination ore/oil 1, container 3, livestock carrier 6,
roll-on/roll-off cargo 2, vehicle carrier 3 (1998 est.)
Airports: 9 (1998 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 (1998 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF; includes Army,
Navy, and Air Force)
Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 925,834 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 573,093 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $445 million (1997)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 5% (1997)
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: inconsequential producer of hashish and heroin;
some heroine and cocaine processing mostly in the Bekaa valley; a
Lebanese/Syrian eradication campaign started in the early 1990s has
practically eliminated the opium and cannabis crops
======================================================================
@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: 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
signed, but not ratified: Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping
Geography--note: landlocked; surrounded by South Africa
People
Population: 2,128,950 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 40% (male 424,355; female 422,892)
15-64 years: 56% (male 573,285; female 610,636)
65 years and over: 4% (male 40,604; female 57,178) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.8% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 31.26 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 13.23 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 77.58 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 52.99 years
male: 51.37 years
female: 54.65 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.03 children born/woman (1999 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.)
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho
conventional short form: Lesotho
former: Basutoland
Data code: LT
Government type: parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Capital: Maseru
Administrative divisions: 10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe,
Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohales 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
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 Pakalitha MOSISILI (since NA May
1998)
cabinet: Cabinet
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary, but, under the terms of
the constitution which 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 determine who is next in the line of
succession, who shall serve as regent in the event that the
successor is not of mature age, and may even depose the monarch
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 (80 seats; members elected by
popular vote for five-year terms); note--number of seats in the
Assembly rose from 65 to 80 in the May 1998 election
elections: last held 23 May 1998 (next to be held in late 1999 or
early 2000)
election results: percent of vote by party--LCD 61%; seats by
party--LCD 79, BCP 1
note: results contested; LCD, with only 61% of the vote, won 79 out
of 80 parliamentary seats based on a historical political consensus
for a "winner take all" formula
Judicial branch: High Court, chief justice appointed by the
monarch; Court of Appeal; Magistrate's Court; customary or
traditional court
Political parties and leaders:
MOSISILI, leader; Shakhane MOKHEHLE, secretary general]
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA,
FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW,
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
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
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
Economy
Economy--overview: Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho's
only important natural resource is water. Its economy is based on
subsistence agriculture, livestock, and remittances from miners
employed in South Africa. The number of such mine workers has
declined steadily over the past several years. In 1996 their
remittances added about 33% to GDP compared with the addition of
roughly 67% in 1990. A small manufacturing base depends largely on
farm products which 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 that
will be an important source of income for Lesotho. The pace of
parastatal privatization has increased in recent years. Civil
disorder in September 1998 destroyed 80% of the commercial
infrastructure in Maseru and two other major towns. Most firms were
not covered by insurance, and the rebuilding of small and medium
business will be a significant challenge in terms of both economic
growth and employment levels.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$5.1 billion (1997 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: 10% (1997 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$2,400 (1997 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 14%
industry: 42%
services: 44% (1996 est.)
Population below poverty line: 49.2% (1993 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 0.9%
highest 10%: 43.4% (1986-87)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8% (1997 est.)
Labor force: 689,000 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: 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--production: 0 kWh (1995)
note: electricity supplied by South Africa
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: NA%
hydro: NA%
nuclear: NA%
other: NA%
Electricity--consumption: 335 million kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 335 million kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley;
livestock
Exports: $200 million (f.o.b., 1997 est.)
Exports--commodities: manufactures 65% (clothing, footwear, road
vehicles), wool and mohair 7%, food and live animals 7% (1996)
Exports--partners: South African Customs Union 66%, North America
26%, EU 4% (1996)
Imports: $880 million (f.o.b., 1997 est.)
Imports--commodities: food; building materials, vehicles,
machinery, medicines, petroleum products (1995)
Imports--partners: South African Customs Union 90%, Asia 6%, EU 2%
(1995)
Debt--external: $660 million (1997 est.)
Economic aid--recipient: $123.7 million (1995)
Currency: 1 loti (L) = 100 lisente
note: maloti (M) is the plural form of loti
Exchange rates: maloti (M) per US$1--5.98380 (January 1999),
5.52828 (1998), 4.60796 (1997), 4.29935 (1996), 3.62709 (1995),
3.55080 (1994); 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: NA
Televisions: 11,000 (1992 est.)
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 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (1998 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 25
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 21 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Lesotho Defense Force (LDF; includes Army and
Air Wing), Royal Lesotho Mounted Police (RLMP)
Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 504,442 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 271,925 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: NA%
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: none
======================================================================
@Liberia
-------
Introduction