Overview   Geography   People   Government   Economy   Communications   Transportation   Military   Transnational Issues

Maseru

1,865,040
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2004 est.)

Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence from the UK in 1966. King MOSHOESHOE was exiled in 1990. 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 South African military intervention. Constitutional reforms have since restored political stability; peaceful parliamentary elections were held in 2002.

parliamentary constitutional monarchy

purchasing power parity - $5.583 billion (2003 est.)

21,000 (2002)

Overview   Geography   People   Government   Economy   Communications   Transportation   Military   Transnational Issues