Region: Southern Africa

Capital: Maseru

Population: 2,128,180 (July 2008 est.)

Surface area: 30,355 sq km

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

GDP per capita: Purchasing power parity US $1,300 (2007 est.)

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.
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.
Major Export Commodities: manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (2000)

Remittances: US $350 million (2006)

Human Development Index 2007/2008 ranking: 138 out of 177

Official Development Assistance and Major Development Partners: Net ODA in 2006 was US $38.46 million. Major development partners include Ireland, the IDA, and the United Kingdom.

Total External Debt: US $689 million (31 December 2007 est.)

United Nations membership date: 17 October 1966

New York Mission:

Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Lesotho to the United Nations,

204 East 39th Street,
New York, N.Y. 10016 USA
Telephone: 212-661-1690, 1691, 1692
Fax: 212-682-4388
Website: www.un.int/lesotho

Sources:

CIA World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. www.cia.gov 

World Development Indicators. World Bank www.worldbank.org

Development, Recipient Aid Charts. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. www.oecd.org

Human Development Report 2007/2008.United Nations Development Programme. www.undp.org

Updated June 2008