The population of Lesotho (2001 estimate) is 2,177,062. The overall population density is 72 persons per sq km (186 per sq mi). The population was growing at 1.5 percent a year in 2001. While the growth rate was lower than in many African countries, it was still high enough to place a burden on Lesotho’s limited resources. Many people, particularly men, reside outside the country for a portion of each year working as laborers. Life expectancy at birth was 50 years for women and 48 years for men. The only city of significant size in Lesotho is Maseru.
The Sotho speak Sotho, a Bantu language of the Niger-Congo language family; they were originally united by a common loyalty to the royal house of Mshweshwe (Moshoeshoe), of the Moketeli branch of the Kwena lineage. Internally, divisions among different chiefdoms—and within the royal lineage itself—have had political significance, but externally the sense of Sotho nationhood and cultural unity remains strong. Both Sotho and English are official languages in the country; Zulu is spoken by a small but significant minority of Zulu. In addition, there are a few thousand nationals of Asian or mixed descent. The small European community is dominated by expatriate teachers, missionaries, aid workers, technicians, and development advisers.
The original inhabitants of what is now Lesotho were the San. By the 16th century Sotho groups had settled in the region. In the early 19th century, Shaka, a Zulu chief in southeastern Africa, began to expand the Zulu empire, causing the forced migrations of many different peoples during a period known as the mfecane. At that time Moshoeshoe, a leader of a Basotho village, led his people to the mountain of Butha-Buthe, where they survived several battles. In 1824 Moshoeshoe moved to a better protected site on the top of another mountain, called Thaba Bosiu. His policy of granting protection to refugees from other conflicts meant that he gathered an increasingly large group of people under his authority. This group eventually formed Basutoland.
The territory now known as Lesotho was occupied as early as the Neolithic Period by Khoisan-speaking hunter-gatherers. From about the 16th century, African farmers—the ancestors of the present population—moved across the grasslands of southern Africa and settled in the fertile valleys of the Caledon River, where they came to dominate the hunters of the region. These stockkeeping agriculturalists belonged to the large Sotho group and were divided into numerous clans that formed the nucleus of chiefdoms, whose members occupied villages.
In the 1830s white settlers from the Cape Colony, called Afrikaners, or Boers, left the colony because they felt oppressed by British rule and began to invade Moshoeshoe’s territory. The Basotho fought the settlers in numerous border incidents. Fighting between Moshoeshoe’s forces and those of the Afrikaners continued until the 1860s, and Moshoeshoe lost some of his land. In 1868 Moshoeshoe asked for British help, and Britain made Basutoland a protectorate. Moshoeshoe died in 1870. In 1871 Basutoland was placed under the control of the Cape Colony, but Britain resumed direct control in 1884, after a war between the Cape Colony government and the Basotho.
The contradictions created by Lesotho's political independence and economic dependence are reflected in the cultural life of the country. Despite the country's increasing urbanization and the growth of modern institutions and bureaucracy, the overall objective of the Sotho is to build the rural homestead and perpetuate traditional institutions. The people remain loyal to the system of chieftaincy, although this traditional level of leadership has been discredited by the international community. Institutions such as the initiation schools, which perpetuate traditional values, are still significant but are changing in structure and declining in importance.
The historical traditions and legacy of Mshweshwe, founder of the nation, remain strong, and there is national pride in Lesotho's history of resistance, the role of the Sotho in building modern southern Africa, and the achievements of such writers as Thomas Mofolo and such composers as Joshua Pulumo Mohapeloa. The newspaper Leselinyana la Lesotho has been published for more than a century, and printing presses at mission stations, such as the Morija Press, have made a substantial contribution to the religious and educational literature of southern Africa.
Sporting activities are extremely popular, even given the low income level of the country. Football (soccer) is the most widely played sport in Lesotho, but because many of its best players go to South Africa for economic gain, Lesotho does not excel in international competition. Judo, boxing, and long-distance running are also popular, the first two benefiting from training facilities provided by the police force. Horse racing is an athletic competition important to rural social life.
Village life is dominated by basic agricultural tasks, with heavy responsibilities falling on women. Craftwork is still practiced in the villages and includes pottery and grassweaving (notably of traditional Sotho hats), and the walls of houses are often elaborately decorated. Herders still play a traditional instrument called the letsiba, and dances such as the “gum-boot dance” and the lefela demonstrate the influence of migrant labour on traditional forms of cultural expression.
Urban life is a blend of traditional and Western culture. In Maseru there are shops and markets that offer regional crafts and goods, as there are modern and Western hotels, restaurants, and nightclubs; many of these were either burned or damaged by looting following the general election in 1998. Its location makes it an ideal starting point for those trekking on foot or by pony in the highlands.
Two-thirds of Lesotho consists of mountains. The highest peak, Mount Ntlenyana, is 11,424 feet (3,482 metres) above sea level. The Drakensberg range forms the eastern boundary with KwaZulu-Natal. The Maloti spurs, running north and south, join the main range in the north, forming a plateau from 9,000 to 10,500 feet (2,700 to 3,200 metres) in elevation. This plateau is the source of South Africa's two largest rivers—the eastward-flowing Tugela and the westward-flowing Orange—as well as tributaries of the Caledon (Mohokare). The foothills, with elevations averaging between 6,000 and 7,000 feet (1,800 and 2,100 metres), descend in undulating slopes to the west, where the lowlands bordering Free State rise to elevations of 5,000 to 6,000 feet (1,500 to 1,800 metres).
Some 11 percent of Lesotho’s land is cultivated. Maize, wheat, sorghum, and fruits and vegetables are the main crops. In 2000 livestock included about 520,000 cattle, 750,000 sheep, 580,000 goats, and 1.8 million poultry.
The economy of Lesotho is based almost entirely on agriculture, livestock raising, and the earnings of Basothos employed outside the country. About two-fifths of the adult male labor force works in South Africa. Gross domestic product, which does not reflect remittances from workers out of the country, stood at $874 million in 1999, or $420 per person. Tourism, particularly from South Africa, has expanded rapidly. In 1998 the estimated annual budget included revenues of $392 million with expenditures totaling $442 million.
Lesotho is a poor country, and its few natural resources are insufficient for even the present population. However, unexploited uranium deposits found near Teyateyaneng, about 30 miles (50 km) northeast of Maseru, could introduce a significant boost to Lesotho's economy. Its economy could not be sustained at all without the benefits it derives from South Africa, with which Lesotho forms part of a customs union and shares an integrated communications system. It has also depended heavily on South Africa for employment for much of the working population, although opportunities for Sotho there became far more restrictive in the mid-1990s. About one-third of the male working population is unemployed.
Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho's primary natural resource is water. Its economy is based on subsistence agriculture, livestock, and remittances from miners employed in South Africa. The number of such mineworkers has declined steadily over the past several years. 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. 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 for Lesotho. The pace of substantial privatization has increased in recent years. In December 1999, the government embarked on a nine-month IMF staff-monitored program aimed at structural adjustment and stabilization of macroeconomic fundamentals. The government is in the process of applying for a three-year successor program with the IMF under its Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility.
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
About 90 percent of the people of Lesotho are Christians, mainly Roman Catholics, Lesotho Evangelicals, and Anglicans. Most of the remainder follow traditional beliefs. English and Sesotho, a Bantu language, are the country’s official languages.
Basotho Congress Party or BCP [Tseliso MAKHAKHE]; Basotho National Party or BNP [Maj. Gen. Justine Metsing LEKHANYA]; Lesotho Congress for Democracy or LCD [Phebe MOTEBANO, chairwoman; Dr. Pakalitha MOSISILI, leader] - the governing party; United Democratic Party or UDP [Charles MOFELI]; Marematlou Freedom Party or MFP and Setlamo Alliance [Vincent MALEBO]; Progressive National Party or PNP [Chief Peete Nkoebe PEETE]; Sefate Democratic Party or SDP [Bofihla NKUEBE]
Under the terms of the constitution of 1965, which was suspended in 1970, Lesotho was a constitutional monarchy with a bicameral legislature. After a coup in 1986, legislative and executive powers were vested in the king but actually exercised by a 6-member military council and a 20-member council of ministers. In 1993 Lesotho adopted a new constitution that redefined the role of the monarchy and altered the legislative branch of the government. The king, who is head of state, has no executive or legislative authority. Executive power is held by the prime minister. The prime minister is the leader of the majority party in the National Assembly and is responsible for appointing a cabinet. The legislative body includes the National Assembly, consisting of 80 members elected by universal adult suffrage, and the 33-member Senate, made up of traditional chiefs and nominated representatives.
International organization Member
ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO.
Education is compulsory between the ages of 6 and 13, and 97.1 percent of school-age children are enrolled. Christian missions under the direction of the minister of education operate most schools, which are free at the primary level. In 1996 some 374,600 pupils attended 1,249 primary schools, and 68,100 pupils attended secondary and vocational schools. The National University of Lesotho (1966), in Roma, is attended yearly by about 1,400 students and has a teaching staff of more than 200. The Lesotho Agricultural College (1955) is in Maseru. Lesotho has a literacy rate of 91 percent.
Military branches: Lesotho Defense Force (LDF; includes Army and Air Wing), Royal Lesotho Mounted Police (RLMP)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 515,464 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 277,369 (2001 est.)
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