Lesotho ( Basutoland) is a country in Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa. Lesotho geographic coordinates 29 30 S, 28 30 E; area 30,355 sq km; area comparative slightly smaller than Maryland; land boundaries 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 ; natural resources water, agricultural and grazing land, diamonds, sand, clay, building stone; land use 89% (2001); irrigated land 10 sq km (1998 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 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;

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Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence from the UK in 1966. King MOSHOESHOE was exiled in 1990, but returned to Lesotho in 1992 and reinstated in 1995. Constitutional government was restored in 1993 after 23 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. Constitutional reforms have since restored political stability; peaceful parliamentary elections were held in 2002. government type parliamentary constitutional monarchy; capital Maseru; 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 of legislative acts in High Court and Court of Appeal; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; suffrage 18 years of age; universal;

people

Lesotho population 1,867,035 estimates for this country explicit; age structure 5.5% (male 42,003/female 60,905) (2005 est.); median age 20.74 years (2005 est.); population growth rate 0.08% (2005 est.); birth rate 26.53 births/1,000 population (2005 est.); death rate 25.03 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.); net migration rate -0.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.); sex ratio 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.); infant mortality rate 89.11 deaths/1,000 live births; life expectancy at birth 36.49 years (2005 est.); total fertility rate 3.35 children born/woman (2005 est.); hiv adult rate 28.9% (2003 est.); hiv people with aids 320,000 (2003 est.); hiv deaths 29,000 (2003 est.); nationality 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 94.5% (2003 est.);

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