Transnational Issues Latvia
Disputes - international:Russia refuses to sign the 1997 boundary treaty due to Latvianinsistence on a unilateral clarificatory declaration referencingSoviet occupation of Latvia and territorial losses; Russia demandsbetter Latvian treatment of ethnic Russians in Latvia; as of January2007, ground demarcation of the boundary with Belarus was completeand mapped with final ratification documentation in preparation; theLatvian parliament has not ratified its 1998 maritime boundarytreaty with Lithuania, primarily due to concerns over oilexploration rights; as a member state that forms part of the EU'sexternal border, Latvia must implement the strict Schengen borderrules with Russia
Illicit drugs:transshipment point for opiates and cannabis from Central andSouthwest Asia to Western Europe and Scandinavia and Latin Americancocaine and some synthetics from Western Europe to CIS; despiteimproved legislation, vulnerable to money laundering due to nascentenforcement capabilities and comparatively weak regulation ofoffshore companies and the gaming industry; CIS organized crime(including counterfeiting, corruption, extortion, stolen cars, andprostitution) accounts for most laundered proceeds
This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007
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@Lebanon
Introduction Lebanon
Background:Following the capture of Syria from the Ottoman Empire byAnglo-French forces in 1918, France received a mandate over thisterritory and separated out a region of Lebanon in 1920. Francegranted this area independence in 1943. A 15-year civil war(1976-1991) devastated the country, but Lebanon has since madeprogress toward rebuilding its political institutions. Under theTa'if Accord - the blueprint for national reconciliation - theLebanese established a more equitable political system, particularlyby giving Muslims a greater voice in the political process whileinstitutionalizing sectarian divisions in the government. Since theend of the war, Lebanon has conducted several successful elections,most militias have been disbanded, and the Lebanese Armed Forces(LAF) have extended authority over about two-thirds of the country.Hizballah, a radical Shi'a organization listed by the US StateDepartment as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, retains its weapons.During Lebanon's civil war, the Arab League legitimized in the Ta'ifAccord Syria's troop deployment, numbering about 16,000 based mainlyeast of Beirut and in the Bekaa Valley. Damascus justified itscontinued military presence in Lebanon by citing Beirut's requestsand the failure of the Lebanese Government to implement all of theconstitutional reforms in the Ta'if Accord. Israel's withdrawal fromsouthern Lebanon in May 2000, however, encouraged some Lebanesegroups to demand that Syria withdraw its forces as well. The passageof UNSCR 1559 in early October 2004 - a resolution calling for Syriato withdraw from Lebanon and end its interference in Lebaneseaffairs - further emboldened Lebanese groups opposed to Syria'spresence in Lebanon. The assassination of former Prime MinisterRafiq HARIRI and 20 others in February 2005 led to massivedemonstrations in Beirut against the Syrian presence ("the CedarRevolution"). Syria finally withdrew the remainder of its militaryforces from Lebanon in April 2005. In May-June 2005, Lebanon heldits first legislative elections since the end of the civil war freeof foreign interference, handing a majority to the bloc led by SaadHARIRI, the slain prime minister's son. Hizballah kidnapped twoIsraeli soldiers in July 2006 leading to a 34-day conflict withIsrael. UNSCR 1701, which passed in August 2006, called for thedisarmament of Hizballah.
Geography Lebanon
Location:Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel andSyria
Geographic coordinates:33 50 N, 35 50 E
Map references:Middle East
Area:total: 10,400 sq kmland: 10,230 sq kmwater: 170 sq km
Area - comparative:about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut
Land boundaries: total: 454 km border countries: Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km
Coastline:225 km
Maritime claims:territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate:Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers;Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows
Terrain:narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon andAnti-Lebanon Mountains
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 mhighest point: Qurnat as Sawda' 3,088 m
Natural resources:limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficitregion, arable land
Land use:arable land: 16.35%permanent crops: 13.75%other: 69.9% (2005)
Irrigated land:1,040 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:dust storms, sandstorms
Environment - current issues:deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; air pollution inBeirut from vehicular traffic and the burning of industrial wastes;pollution of coastal waters from raw sewage and oil spills
Environment - international agreements:party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, HazardousWastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,Wetlandssigned, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine LifeConservation
Geography - note:Nahr el Litani is the only major river in Near East not crossing aninternational boundary; rugged terrain historically helped isolate,protect, and develop numerous factional groups based on religion,clan, and ethnicity
People Lebanon
Population:3,874,050 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 26.5% (male 523,220/female 502,372)15-64 years: 66.6% (male 1,235,915/female 1,342,540)65 years and over: 7% (male 122,155/female 147,848) (2006 est.)
Median age:total: 27.8 yearsmale: 26.7 yearsfemale: 28.9 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:1.23% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:18.52 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:6.21 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:at birth: 1.05 male(s)/femaleunder 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/femaletotal population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:total: 23.72 deaths/1,000 live birthsmale: 26.34 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale: 20.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:total population: 72.88 yearsmale: 70.41 yearsfemale: 75.48 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:1.9 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:2,800 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:less than 200 (2003 est.)
Nationality:noun: Lebanese (singular and plural)adjective: Lebanese
Ethnic groups:Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1%note: many Christian Lebanese do not identify themselves as Arab butrather as descendents of the ancient Canaanites and prefer to becalled Phoenicians
Religions:Muslim 59.7% (Shi'a, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite or Nusayri),Christian 39% (Maronite Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Melkite Catholic,Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Catholic, Armenian Catholic, SyrianOrthodox, Roman Catholic, Chaldean, Assyrian, Copt, Protestant),other 1.3%note: 17 religious sects recognized
Languages:Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian
Literacy:definition: age 15 and over can read and writetotal population: 87.4%male: 93.1%female: 82.2% (2003 est.)
Government Lebanon
Country name:conventional long form: Lebanese Republicconventional short form: Lebanonlocal long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyahlocal short form: Lubnanformer: Greater Lebanon
Government type:republic
Capital:name: Beirutgeographic coordinates: 33 53 N, 35 30 Etime difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC duringStandard Time)daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends lastSunday in October
Administrative divisions:8 governorates (mohafazat, singular - mohafazah); Aakkar,Baalbek-Hermel, Beyrouth, Beqaa, Liban-Nord, Liban-Sud, Mont-Liban,Nabatiye
Independence:22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under Frenchadministration)
National holiday:Independence Day, 22 November (1943)
Constitution:23 May 1926; amended a number of times, most recently Charter ofLebanese National Reconciliation (Ta'if Accord) of October 1989
Legal system:mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, and civil law;no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsoryICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for women atage 21 with elementary education
Executive branch:chief of state: President Emile LAHUD (since 24 November 1998)head of government: Prime Minister Fuad SINIORA (since 30 June2005); Deputy Prime Minister Elias MURR (since April 2005)cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation withthe president and members of the National Assemblyelections: president elected by the National Assembly for a six-yearterm (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 15October 1998 (next to be held in 2007 based on three-yearextension); note - on 3 September 2004 the National Assembly voted96 to 29 to extend Emile LAHUD's six-year term by three years; theprime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the presidentin consultation with the National Assembly; by agreement, thepresident is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a SunniMuslim, and the speaker of the National Assembly is a Shi'a Muslimelection results: for 15 October 1998 election: Emile LAHUD electedpresident; National Assembly vote - 118 votes in favor, 0 against,10 abstentions
Legislative branch:unicameral National Assembly or Majlis Alnuwab (Arabic) orAssemblee Nationale (French) (128 seats; members elected by popularvote on the basis of sectarian proportional representation to servefour-year terms); note - Nahib BERRI is the National AssemblySpeaker (since 1992)elections: last held in four rounds on 29 May, 5, 12, 19 June 2005(next to be held 2009)election results: percent of vote by group - NA; seats by group (asof December 2006) - Future Movement Bloc 36; Democratic Gathering15; Development and Resistance Bloc 15; Loyalty to the Resistance14; Free Patriotic Movement 15; Lebanese Forces 5; Qornet Shewan 6;Popular Bloc 4; Tripoli Independent Bloc 3; Syrian NationalSocialist Party 2; Kataeb Reform Movement 2; Tachnaq Party 2;Democratic Renewal Movement 1; Democratic Left 1; Nasserite PopularMovement 1; Ba'th Party 1; Kataeb Party 1; independent 4
Judicial branch:four Courts of Cassation (three courts for civil and commercialcases 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 primeminister as needed)
Political parties and leaders:note - organized in three major political blocs; 14 March Coalition(bloc includes Democratic Gathering [Walid JUNBLATT, leader ofProgressive Socialist Party]; Democratic Left [Ilyas ATALLAH];Democratic Renewal Movement [Nassib LAHUD]; Future Movement Bloc[Sa'ad HARIRI]; Kataeb Reform Movement [Amine GEMAYEL]; LebaneseForces [Samir JA'JA]; Nasserite Popular Movement [Ussama SAAD];Qornet Shewan Gathering (a grouping composed of political partiesand independent members of the National Assembly [no individualleader]; Tripoli Independent Bloc); Change and Reform Alliance (blocincludes Free Patriotic Movement [Michel AWN]; Metn Bloc [MichelMURR]; Popular Bloc [Elias SKAFF]; Tachnaq); Hizballah and AmalAlliance (bloc includes Ba'th Party [Muhammad MUHAMMADIYAH];Development and Resistance Bloc [Nabih BERRI, leader of AmalMovement]; Kataeb Party [Karim PAKRADONI]; Loyalty to the Resistance[Mohammad RA'AD]; Syrian National Socialist Party [Ali QANSU])
Political pressure groups and leaders:none
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, Interpol, IOC, IPU,ISO, 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 (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Carla JAZZAR; note - ambassador designate is Antoine CHEDID chancery: 2560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-6320 FAX: [1] (202) 939-6324 consulate(s) general: Detroit, New York, Los Angeles
Diplomatic representation from the US:chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Ambassador Designate AntoineCHEDIDembassy: Awkar, Lebanon; (Akwar facing the Municipality)mailing address: P. O. Box 70-840, Antelias, Lebanon; PSC 815, Box2, FPO AE 09836-0002; from US: US Embassy Beirut, 6070 Beirut Place,Washington, DC 20521-6070telephone: [961] (4) 542600, 543600FAX: [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 inthe white band
Economy Lebanon
Economy - overview:The 1975-91 civil war seriously damaged Lebanon's economicinfrastructure, cut national output by half, and all but endedLebanon's position as a Middle Eastern entrepot and banking hub. Inthe years since, Lebanon has rebuilt much of its war-torn physicaland financial infrastructure by borrowing heavily - mostly fromdomestic banks. In an attempt to reduce the ballooning nationaldebt, the Rafiq HARIRI government began an austerity program,reining in government expenditures, increasing revenue collection,and privatizing state enterprises, but economic and financial reforminitiatives stalled and public debt continued to grow despitereceipt of more than $2 billion in bilateral assistance at the ParisII Donors Conference. The Israeli-Hizballah conflict caused anestimated $3.6 billion in infrastructure damage in July and August2006, and internal Lebanese political tension continues to hampereconomic activity.
GDP (purchasing power parity):$21.45 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):$19.62 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:-5% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):$5,500 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:agriculture: 7%industry: 21%services: 72% (2005)
Labor force:1.5 millionnote: 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%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):4.8% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):17.8% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget:revenues: $4.444 billionexpenditures: $7.429 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA(2006 est.)
Public debt:209% of GDP (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products:citrus, grapes, tomatoes, apples, vegetables, potatoes, olives,tobacco; sheep, goats
Industries:banking, tourism, food processing, jewelry, cement, textiles,mineral and chemical products, wood and furniture products, oilrefining, metal fabricating
Industrial production growth rate:NA%
Electricity - production:9.762 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 97.2% hydro: 2.8% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:9.529 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports:0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports:450 million kWh (2004)
Oil - production:0 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - consumption:107,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports:NA bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports:NA bbl/day (2001)
Natural gas - production:0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:0 cu m (2004 est.)
Current account balance:$-5.339 billion (October 2006)
Exports:$1.881 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:authentic jewelry, inorganic chemicals, miscellaneous consumergoods, fruit, tobacco, construction minerals, electric powermachinery and switchgear, textile fibers, paper
Exports - partners:Syria 25.3%, UAE 11.4%, Switzerland 8.1%, Turkey 6%, Saudi Arabia5.4% (2005)
Imports:$9.34 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities:petroleum products, cars, medicinal products, clothing, meat andlive animals, consumer goods, paper, textile fabrics, tobacco
Imports - partners:Italy 11.1%, Syria 10.7%, France 9.2%, Germany 6.4%, China 5.4%, US5.3%, UK 4.4%, Saudi Arabia 4.3% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:$16.78 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external:$31.1 billion (2006 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:$2.2 billion received (2003), out of the $4.2 billion in soft loanspledged at the November 2002 Paris II Aid Conference
Currency (code):Lebanese pound (LBP)
Currency code:LBP
Exchange rates:Lebanese pounds per US dollar - 1,507.5 (2006), 1,507.5 (2005),1,507.5 (2004), 1,507.5 (2003), 1,507.5 (2002)
Fiscal year:calendar year
Communications Lebanon
Telephones - main lines in use:990,000 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:1.178 million (2005)
Telephone system:general assessment: repair of the telecommunications system,severely damaged during the civil war, now completedomestic: two commercial wireless networks provide good service;political instability hampers privatization and deployment of newtechnologiesinternational: country code - 961; satellite earth stations - 2Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean) (erratic operations);coaxial cable to Syria; 3 submarine coaxial cables
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:3,307 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):22 (2000)
Internet users:700,000 (2005)
Transportation Lebanon
Airports: 7 (2006)
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 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways:total: 2914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006)
Pipelines:gas 43 km (2006)
Railways:total: 401 kmstandard gauge: 319 km 1.435 mnarrow gauge: 82 km 1.050 mnote: rail system became unusable because of damage done duringfighting in the 1980s and in 2006 (2006)
Roadways:total: 7,300 kmpaved: 6,198 kmunpaved: 1,102 km (1999)
Merchant marine:total: 39 ships (1000 GRT or over) 150,598 GRT/178,295 DWTby type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 18, livestock carrier 10,refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 3, vehicle carrier 3foreign-owned: 4 (Greece 3, Syria 1)registered in other countries: 59 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Barbados1, Cambodia 6, Comoros 6, Egypt 2, Georgia 7, Honduras 1, NorthKorea 6, Liberia 2, Malta 10, Mongolia 1, Panama 2, Saint Vincentand the Grenadines 4, Sao Tome and Principe 1, Syria 7, unknown 2)(2006)
Ports and terminals:Beirut, Chekka, Jounie, Tripoli
Military Lebanon
Military branches:Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF): Army, Navy, and Air Force
Military service age and obligation:18-30 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service;conscript service obligation - 12 months (2004)
Manpower available for military service:males age 18-49: 974,363females age 18-49: 1,024,273 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:males age 18-49: 821,762females age 18-49: 865,770 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:$540.6 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:3.1% (2004)
Transnational Issues Lebanon
Disputes - international:Lacking a treaty or other documentation describing the boundary,portions of the Lebanon-Syria boundary are unclear with severalsections in dispute; since 2000, Lebanon has claimed Shab'a Farmsarea in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights ; the roughly2,000-strong UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been in placesince 1978
Refugees and internally displaced persons:refugees (country of origin): 405,425 (Palestinian Refugees(UNRWA)), 20,000-40,000 (Iraq)IDPs: 17,000 (1975-90 civil war, Israeli invasions), 200,000(July-August 2006 war) (2006)
Illicit drugs:cannabis cultivation dramatically reduced to 2,500 hectares in2002; opium poppy cultivation minimal; small amounts of LatinAmerican cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin transit country on wayto European markets and for Middle Eastern consumption
This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007
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@Lesotho
Introduction Lesotho
Background:Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independencefrom the UK in 1966. The Basuto National Party ruled for the firsttwo decades. King MOSHOESHOE was exiled in 1990, but returned toLesotho in 1992 and reinstated in 1995. Constitutional governmentwas restored in 1993 after 7 years of military rule. In 1998,violent protests and a military mutiny following a contentiouselection prompted a brief but bloody intervention by South Africanand Botswanan military forces under the aegis of the SouthernAfrican Development Community. Constitutional reforms have sincerestored political stability; peaceful parliamentary elections wereheld in 2002.
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 kmland: 30,355 sq kmwater: 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 mhighest 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)
Natural hazards:periodic droughts
Environment - current issues:population pressure forcing settlement in marginal areas results inovergrazing, severe soil erosion, and soil exhaustion;desertification; Highlands Water Project controls, stores, andredirects water to South Africa
Environment - international agreements:party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-KyotoProtocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlandssigned, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note:landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa; mountainous,more than 80% of the country is 1,800 meters above sea level
People Lesotho
Population:2,022,331note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account theeffects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lowerlife expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lowerpopulation and growth rates, and changes in the distribution ofpopulation by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July2006 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 36.8% (male 374,102/female 369,527)15-64 years: 58.3% (male 572,957/female 606,846)65 years and over: 4.9% (male 39,461/female 59,438) (2006 est.)
Median age:total: 20.3 yearsmale: 19.7 yearsfemale: 21 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:-0.46% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:24.75 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:28.71 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:-0.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:at birth: 1.03 male(s)/femaleunder 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/femaletotal population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:total: 87.24 deaths/1,000 live birthsmale: 92.04 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale: 82.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:total population: 34.4 yearsmale: 35.55 yearsfemale: 33.21 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:3.28 children born/woman (2006 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 writetotal population: 84.8%male: 74.5%female: 94.5% (2003 est.)
Government Lesotho
Country name:conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesothoconventional short form: Lesotholocal long form: Kingdom of Lesotholocal short form: Lesothoformer: Basutoland
Government type:parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Capital:name: Maserugeographic coordinates: 29 28 S, 27 30 Etime difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC duringStandard 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 oflegislative acts in High Court and Court of Appeal; acceptscompulsory 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 toFebruary 1995, while his father was in exilehead of government: Prime Minister Pakalitha MOSISILI (since 23 May1998)cabinet: Cabinetelections: none - according to the constitution, the leader of themajority party in the Assembly automatically becomes prime minister;the monarch is hereditary, but, under the terms of the constitution,which came into effect after the March 1993 election, the monarch isa "living symbol of national unity" with no executive or legislativepowers; under traditional law the college of chiefs has the power todepose the monarch, determine who is next in the line of succession,or who shall serve as regent in the event that the successor is notof mature age
Legislative branch:bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (33 members - 22principal chiefs and 11 other members appointed by the ruling party)and the Assembly (120 seats, 80 by direct popular vote and 40 byproportional vote; members elected by popular vote for five-yearterms); note - number of seats in the Assembly rose from 80 to 120in the May 2002 electionelections: last held 25 May 2002 (next to be held 17 February 2007)election results: percent of vote by party - LCD 54.9%, BNP 22.4%,LPC 5.8%, NIP 5.5% other 11.5%; seats by party - LCD 77, BNP 21, LPC5, NIP 5, other 10
Judicial branch:High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch acting on theadvice of the Prime Minister); Court of Appeal; Magistrate Courts;customary or traditional court
Political parties and leaders:All Basotho Convention or ABC [Thomas THABANE]; Basotholand AfricanCongress 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 [PheeloMOSALA]; Lesotho Congress for Democracy or LCD [Pakalitha MOSISILI](the governing party); Lesotho Education Party or LEP [Thabo PITSO];Lesotho People's Congress or LPC [Kelebone MAOPE]; Lesotho WorkersParty or LWP [Macaefa BILLY]; Marematlou Freedom Party or MFP[Vincent MALEBO]; National Democratic Party [J.S. Bereng]; NationalIndependent Party or NIP [Anthony MANYELI]; National ProgressiveParty or NPP [Chief Peete Nkoebe PEETE]; New Lesotho Freedom Partyor NLFP [Manapo MAJARA]; Popular Front for Democracy or PFD[Lekhetho RAKUOANE]; Sefate Democratic Union or SDU [BofihlaNKUEBE]; Social Democratic Party of SDP [Masitise SELESO]; UnitedDemocratic Party or UDP [C.D. MOFELI]; United Party or UP [MakaraSEKAUTU]
Political pressure groups and leaders:NA
International organization participation:ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, 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 Molelekeng E. RAPOLAKIchancery: 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008telephone: [1] (202) 797-5533 through 5536FAX: [1] (202) 234-6815
Diplomatic representation from the US:chief of mission: Ambassador June Carter PERRYembassy: 254 Kingsway, Maseru West (Consular Section)mailing address: P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesothotelephone: [266] 22 312666FAX: [266] 22 310116
Flag description:three horizontal stripes of blue (top), white, and green in theproportions of 3:4:3; the colors represent rain, peace, andprosperity respectively; centered in the white stripe is a blackBasotho hat representing the indigenous people; the flag wasunfurled in October 2006 to celebrate 40 years of independence
Economy Lesotho
Economy - overview:Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho relies on remittancesfrom miners employed in South Africa and customs duties from theSouthern Africa Customs Union for the majority of governmentrevenue. However, the government has recently strengthened its taxsystem to reduce dependency on customs duties. Completion of a majorhydropower facility in January 1998 now permits the sale of water toSouth Africa, also generating royalties for Lesotho. As the numberof mineworkers has declined steadily over the past several years, asmall manufacturing base has developed based on farm products thatsupport the milling, canning, leather, and jute industries, as wellas a rapidly expanding apparel-assembly sector. The latter has grownsignificantly, mainly due to Lesotho qualifying for the tradebenefits contained in the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act. Theeconomy is still primarily based on subsistence agriculture,especially livestock, although drought has decreased agriculturalactivity. The extreme inequality in the distribution of incomeremains a major drawback. Lesotho has signed an Interim PovertyReduction and Growth Facility with the IMF.
GDP (purchasing power parity):$5.195 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):$1.419 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:1.7% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):$2,600 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 16.1% industry: 43% services: 40.9% (2006 est.)
Labor force:838,000 (2000)
Labor force - by occupation:agriculture: 86% of resident population engaged in subsistenceagriculture; roughly 35% of the active male wage earners work inSouth Africaindustry and services: 14%
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%
Distribution of family income - Gini index:63.2 (1995)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):5% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):32% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget:revenues: $778.9 millionexpenditures: $734.7 million; including capital expenditures of NA(2006 est.)
Agriculture - products:corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock
Industries:food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts,construction, tourism
Industrial production growth rate:15.5% (1999)
Electricity - production:250 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2004)
Electricity - consumption:244.5 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports:0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports:12 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2004)
Oil - production:0 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - consumption:1,400 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - exports:NA bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports:NA bbl/day (2001)
Natural gas - production:0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:0 cu m (2004 est.)
Current account balance:$-75.44 million (2006 est.)
Exports:$779.1 million f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities:manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool andmohair, food and live animals (2000)
Exports - partners:Hong Kong 41.8%, China 33.9%, Germany 7.9% (2005)
Imports:$1.401 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities:food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleumproducts (2000)
Imports - partners:US 83.9%, Belgium 12.7%, Canada 2.4% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:$528.2 million (2006 est.)
Debt - external:$735 million (2002)
Economic aid - donor:ODA, $4.4 million
Economic aid - recipient:$41.5 million (2000)
Currency (code):loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR)
Currency code:LSL; ZAR
Exchange rates:maloti per US dollar - 6.6 (2006), 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004),7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002)
Fiscal year:1 April - 31 March
Communications Lesotho
Telephones - main lines in use:48,000 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:245,100 (2005)
Telephone system:general assessment: rudimentary systemdomestic: consists of a modest but growing number of landlines, asmall microwave radio relay system, and a minor radiotelephonecommunication system; a cellular mobile telephone system is growinginternational: country code - 266; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios:NA (2002)
Television broadcast stations:1 (2000)
Televisions:NA
Internet country code:.ls
Internet hosts:168 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):1 (2000)
Internet users:43,000 (2005)
Transportation Lesotho
Airports: 28 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways:total: 25914 to 1,523 m: 4under 914 m: 21 (2006)
Roadways:total: 5,940 kmpaved: 1,087 kmunpaved: 4,853 km (1999)
Military Lesotho
Military branches:Lesotho Defense Force (LDF): Army and Air Wing
Military service age and obligation:18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)
Manpower available for military service:males age 18-49: 428,982females age 18-49: 440,102 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:males age 18-49: 180,797females age 18-49: 160,681 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:$41.1 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:2.1% (2005 est.)
Military - note:the Lesotho Government in 1999 began an open debate on the futurestructure, size, and role of the armed forces, especiallyconsidering the Lesotho Defense Force's (LDF) history of interveningin political affairs
Transnational Issues Lesotho
Disputes - international: none
This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007
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@Liberia
Introduction Liberia
Background:Settlement of freed slaves from the US in what is today Liberiabegan in 1822; by 1847, the Americo-Liberians were able to establisha republic. William TUBMAN, president from 1944-71, did much topromote foreign investment and to bridge the economic, social, andpolitical gaps between the descendents of the original settlers andthe inhabitants of the interior. In 1980, a military coup led bySamuel DOE ushered in a decade of authoritarian rule. In December1989, Charles TAYLOR launched a rebellion against DOE's regime thatled to a prolonged civil war in which DOE himself was killed. Aperiod of relative peace in 1997 allowed for elections that broughtTAYLOR to power, but major fighting resumed in 2000. An August 2003,peace agreement ended the war and prompted the resignation of formerpresident Charles TAYLOR, who was exiled to Nigeria. After two yearsof rule by a transitional government, democratic elections in late2005 brought President Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF to power. The UNMission in Liberia (UNMIL), which maintains a strong presencethroughout the country, completed a disarmament program for formercombatants in late 2004, but the security situation is stillvolatile and the process of rebuilding the social and economicstructure of this war-torn country remains sluggish.
Geography Liberia
Location:Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Coted'Ivoire and Sierra Leone
Geographic coordinates:6 30 N, 9 30 W
Map references:Africa
Area:total: 111,370 sq kmland: 96,320 sq kmwater: 15,050 sq km
Area - comparative:slightly larger than Tennessee
Land boundaries:total: 1,585 kmborder countries: Guinea 563 km, Cote d'Ivoire 716 km, Sierra Leone306 km
Coastline:579 km
Maritime claims:territorial sea: 200 nm
Climate:tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to coldnights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers
Terrain:mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau andlow mountains in northeast
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 mhighest point: Mount Wuteve 1,380 m
Natural resources:iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 3.43% permanent crops: 1.98% other: 94.59% (2005)
Irrigated land:30 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to March)
Environment - current issues:tropical rain forest deforestation; soil erosion; loss ofbiodiversity; pollution of coastal waters from oil residue and rawsewage
Environment - international agreements:party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-KyotoProtocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, TropicalTimber 94, Wetlandssigned, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of theSea, Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note:facing the Atlantic Ocean, the coastline is characterized bylagoons, mangrove swamps, and river-deposited sandbars; the inlandgrassy plateau supports limited agriculture
People Liberia
Population:3,042,004 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 43.1% (male 656,016/female 653,734)15-64 years: 54.2% (male 816,443/female 832,152)65 years and over: 2.8% (male 40,591/female 43,068) (2006 est.)
Median age:total: 18.1 yearsmale: 18 yearsfemale: 18.3 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:4.91% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:44.77 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:23.1 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:27.39 migrant(s)/1,000 populationnote: at least 238,500 Liberian refugees are in surroundingcountries; the uncertain security situation has hindered theirability to return (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:at birth: 1.03 male(s)/femaleunder 15 years: 1 male(s)/female15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/femaletotal population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:total: 155.76 deaths/1,000 live birthsmale: 171.96 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale: 139.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:total population: 39.65 yearsmale: 37.99 yearsfemale: 41.35 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:6.02 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:5.9% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:100,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:7,200 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:degree of risk: very highfood or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,hepatitis A, and typhoid fevervectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever are high risks insome locationswater contact disease: schistosomiasisaerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever (2007)
Nationality:noun: Liberian(s)adjective: Liberian
Ethnic groups:indigenous African 95% (including Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru, Grebo,Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, Dei, Bella, Mandingo,and Mende), Americo-Liberians 2.5% (descendants of immigrants fromthe US who had been slaves), Congo People 2.5% (descendants ofimmigrants 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 afew can be written and are used in correspondence
Literacy:definition: age 15 and over can read and writetotal population: 57.5%male: 73.3%female: 41.6% (2003 est.)
Government Liberia
Country name:conventional long form: Republic of Liberiaconventional short form: Liberia
Government type:republic
Capital:name: Monroviageographic coordinates: 6 18 N, 10 47 Wtime difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC duringStandard Time)
Administrative divisions:15 counties; Bomi, Bong, Gbarpolu, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount,Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba,River Cess, River Gee, 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 forthe modern sector and customary law based on unwritten tribalpractices for indigenous sector; accepts compulsory ICJjurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage:18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:chief of state: President Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF (since 16 January2006); note - the President is both the chief of state and head ofgovernmenthead of government: President Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF (since 16January 2006); note - the President is both the chief of state andhead of governmentcabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president and confirmed by theSenateelections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term(eligible for a second term); election last held 8 November 2005(next to be held in 2011)election results: Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF elected president; percentof vote, second round - Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF (UP) 59.6%, GeorgeWEAH (CDC) 40.4%
Legislative branch:bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (30 seats -number of seats changed in 11 October 2005 elections; memberselected by popular vote to serve nine-year terms) and the House ofRepresentatives (64 seats; members elected by popular vote to servesix-year terms)elections: Senate - last held 11 October 2005 (next to be held in2011); House of Representatives - last held 11 October 2005 (next tobe held in 2011)election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats byparty - COTOL 7, NPP 4, CDC 3, LP 3, UP 3, APD 3, other 7; House ofRepresentatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -CDC 15, LP 9, UP 8, COTOL 8, APD 5, NPP 4, other 15note: junior senators - those who received the second most votes ineach county in the 11 October 2005 election - will only serve asix-year first term because the Liberian constitution mandatesstaggered Senate elections to ensure continuity of government; allsenators will be eligible for nine-year terms thereafter
Judicial branch:Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:Alliance for Peace and Democracy or APD [Togba-na TIPOTEH];Coalition for the Transformation of Liberia or COTOL; Congress forDemocratic Change or CDC [George WEAH]; Liberian Action Party or LAP[H. Varney SHERMAN]; Liberty Party or LP [Charles BRUMSKINE];National Patriotic Party or NPP [Cyril ALLEN]; Unity Party or UP[Charles CLARKE]
Political pressure groups and leaders:Demobilized former military officers
International organization participation:ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM,IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU,ITUC, NAM, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL,WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Charles A. MINOR chancery: 5201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011 telephone: [1] (202) 723-0437 FAX: [1] (202) 723-0436 consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:chief of mission: Ambassador Donald E. BOOTHembassy: 111 United Nations Drive, P. O. Box 10-0098, Mamba Point,1000 Monrovia, 10mailing address: use embassy street addresstelephone: [231] 226-370 through 226-380FAX: [231] 226-148
Flag description:11 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternatingwith white; there is a white five-pointed star on a blue square inthe upper hoist-side corner; the design was based on the US flag
Economy Liberia
Economy - overview:Civil war and government mismanagement have destroyed much ofLiberia's economy, especially the infrastructure in and aroundMonrovia. Many businessmen have fled the country, taking capital andexpertise with them. Some have returned, but many will not. Richlyendowed with water, mineral resources, forests, and a climatefavorable to agriculture, Liberia had been a producer and exporterof basic products - primarily raw timber and rubber. Localmanufacturing, mainly foreign owned, had been small in scope.President JOHNSON SIRLEAF, a Harvard-trained economist, has takensteps to reduce corruption, build support from international donors,and encourage private investment. An embargo on timber exports hasbeen lifted, opening a source of revenue for the government, butdiamonds remain under UN sanctions. The reconstruction ofinfrastructure and the raising of incomes in this ravaged economywill largely depend on generous financial support and technicalassistance from donor countries.
GDP (purchasing power parity):$2.911 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):$902.9 million (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:6.7% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):$1,000 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:agriculture: 76.9%industry: 5.4%services: 17.7% (2002 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:agriculture: 70%industry: 8%services: 22% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate:85% (2003 est.)
Population below poverty line:80%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:lowest 10%: NA%highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):15% (2003 est.)
Budget:revenues: $85.4 millionexpenditures: $90.5 million; including capital expenditures of $NA(2000 est.)
Agriculture - products: rubber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, sugarcane, bananas; sheep, goats; timber
Industries:rubber processing, palm oil processing, timber, diamonds
Industrial production growth rate:NA%
Electricity - production:325 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:302.3 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports:0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports:0 kWh (2004)
Oil - production:0 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - consumption:3,500 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - imports:NA bbl/day (2001)
Natural gas - production:0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:0 cu m (2004 est.)
Exports:$910 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities:rubber, timber, iron, diamonds, cocoa, coffee
Exports - partners:Belgium 40.7%, Spain 15.2%, US 8.9%, Malaysia 5.4%, Thailand 4.5%,Poland 4.5%, Germany 4.3% (2005)
Imports:$4.839 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities:fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, manufacturedgoods; foodstuffs
Imports - partners:South Korea 38.1%, Japan 21.2%, Singapore 14.2%, Croatia 4.7% (2005)
Debt - external:$3.2 billion (2005 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:$94 million (1999)
Currency (code):Liberian dollar (LRD)
Currency code:LRD
Exchange rates:Liberian dollars per US dollar - NA (2005), 54.906 (2004), 59.379(2003), 61.754 (2002)
Fiscal year:calendar year
Communications Liberia
Telephones - main lines in use:6,900 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:160,000 (2005)
Telephone system:general assessment: the limited services available are found almostexclusively in the capital Monroviadomestic: fully automatic system with very low density of .23 fixedmain lines per 100 persons; limited wireless service availableinternational: country code - 231; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)