The Kingdom of Lesotho (former: Basutoland) is a landlocked country surrounded by South Africa - in Southern Africa,

Background: Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence from the UK in 1966. Constitutional government was restored in 1993 after 23 years of military rule.

Total area: 30,355 sq. km

Bordering country: South Africa over 909 km

Capital: Maseru

Population: 2,143,141 (1999) 1,861,959 (July 2003 est.) Population growth rate: 1.65% (2000); 0.19% (2003 est.)

Climate: temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers

Terrain: mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m

Natural resources: water, agricultural and grazing land, some diamonds and other minerals

Agriculture productions: corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock

Industrial productions: food, beverages, textiles, handicrafts; construction; tourism

Lesotho economy is closely linked to South Africa's economy.

The total of electricity consumption - 209 million kWh (1998) - is imported from South Africa. National budget revenues depend largely on remittances from miners employed in South Africa. However the number of mine workers in South Africa has steadily declined over the past several years. In 1996 their remittances added about 33% to the country GDP compared with the addition of roughly 67% in 1990. The complement of revenues to the national budget depends:

1- On agricultural products exported to South Africa.
2- Proceeds from membership in a common customs union with South Africa
3- Royalties - since January 1998 - generated by the first phase of a major hydropower facility that sells water to South Africa.

Water is indeed the only natural resource in relative abundance in Lesotho.

Phase I (Mohale Dam) of a US $ 5 billion joint venture project between Lesotho and South Africa to building a network of dams and channels (in the remote mountains of Lesotho) to funneling rainwater to the industrial heartland of South Africa had been inaugurated on March 16, 2004 by His Majesty King Letsie III and President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa. Lesotho will sell water to South Africa. The dam trap water that normally runs into the Orange river and out west into the Atlantic Ocean, and instead turn it north towards Johannesburg. For more on this matter click here.

A small manufacturing base depends largely on farm products that support the milling, canning, leather, and jute industries. Agricultural products are exported primarily to South Africa.

Due to the mountainous characteristic of Lesotho' scenery, there are business opportunities in the tourism sector: trekking and mountain retreats development for high standard international tourists.

Another business opportunity is the development of industrial fishing. Click here for more. Courtesy of BusinessAfrica™ / Dr. Quenum and Associates - Investment and Business Planners.

The challenging problem threatening the country' social life is the high penetration rate (31%) of AIDS/ HIV. Since mid 2003, Lesotho's political authorities initiated four programmes in an effort to curbing down the disease. 1- Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. 2- A series of workshops on transformational leadership. 3- The issemination of a document on scaling up the national response. 4- A campaign aimed at encouraging the Basotho people to be tested and receive counselling. Lesotho's first health centre to provide antiretroviral therapy (ART) was officially opened by Lesotho Prime Minister Dr Pakalitha Mosisili on May 7, 2004.

Crop forecast for 2004 worse than previous poor 2003 harvest. Lesotho is heading for its third consecutive year of food shortages due to pesrsisting drought. Click here for more

Click here for news and events dynamic headlines on sub-Saharan Africa.
Click here for news and events on Southern Africa

MORE ON LESOTHO 1- D&B Export Guide To Lesotho Digital Delivery In PDF by D&B 2- The Anti-Politics Machine Development, Depoliticization And ureaucratic Power In Lesotho / by James Ferguson 3- Singing Away The Hunger Autobiography of An African Woman by K. Limakatso Kendall 4- A South African Kingdom The Pursuit of Security In Nineteenth-Century Lesotho by Elizabeth A. Eldredge 5- African Painted Houses Basotho Dwellings of Southern Africa / by Gary N. Van Wyk

6- Studies In The Economic History of Southern Africa South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland by Zbignew Konczacki 7- The Matter of Women Is Getting Very Bad - Gender, Development And Politics In Colonial Lesotho by Marc Epprecht 8- Lesotho Herders Video Project Exploration In Visual Anthropology by Chuck Scott 9- Lesotho Enchantement of Africa by Allen Carpenter

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GNP: US$ 1.917 billion (1998); 1.099 billion (2001); 1.127 billion (2002); 1.172 (2003)
GNP-growth rate: -10% (1998); 5.1% (2000); 2.6% (2001); 2.6% (2001)
GNP-per capita: US$ 400 (2000); 512 (2001); 629 (2003)

Click here for the difference between GNP and Parity Purchasing Power

GNP-composition by sector

1. agriculture: 20%
   

2. industry: 46%
   
3. services: 34%

Exports: US$ 175 million (f.o.b. 2000); 422 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Commodities: manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food (water) and live animals
Exports - partners: US, Canada, France,South African Customs Union 65%

Imports: US$ 700 million (f.o.b. 2000) 738 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Commodities: food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products (1995) Imports-partners: South African Customs Union 90%, Asia 7% (2002)

FOR CURRENCY EQUIVALENCE CLICK HERE

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A passport is required. For more information concerning entry requirements, travelers may contact the the nearest embassy or consulate of Lesotho

United Kingdom High Commission of the Kingdom of Lesotho 7 Chesham Place Belgravia London SW1 8HN Tel.: +(44) 171 235 5686 Fax.: +(44) 171 235 5023 E-mail: Click here	Belgium Embassy of the Kingdom of Lesotho Boulevard General Wahis 45 1030 Brussels Tel.: +(32) 2 705 3976 Fax.: +(32) 2 346 770 E-mail: Click here
Republic of South Africa High Commission of the Kingdom of Lesotho 391 Anderson Str. Menlo Park Pretoria P.O. Box 55817 0007 Arcadia Tel.: +(27) 12 467648 Fax.: +(27) 12 467649 E-mail: Click here	United States of America Embassy of the Kingdom of Lesotho 2511 Massachusetts Ave., N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel.: +(1) 202 797 5533/4/5/6 Fax.: +(1) 202 234 6815 E-mail: Click here
Federal Republic of Germany Embassy of the Kingdom of Lesotho Godersberger Alle 50 53175 Bonn Tel.: +(49) 228 308430 Fax.: +(49) 228 3084322 E-mail: Click here	Geneva Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Lesotho 44 Rue de Lausanne 1201 Geneva Tel.: +(41) 22 9000505 Fax.: +(41) 22 9000525 E-mail: Click here

The main airline linking Lesotho to the World at large is South Africa Airways with daily schedule to and from Johannesburg's airport.

Being a landlocked country within South Africa's boundaries, Lesotho depends completely on South Africa's road and ralways system for import and export of goods and commodities.

There are some hotels in Maseru of international standard and throughout the country smaller inns and lodges can be found. For more on available accommodation contact Lesotho Tourist Board below listed