|
Country
|
Lesotho | 
Mauritius |
|
Leader
|
Head of state: King Letsie III
|
President: Rajkeswur " Kailash" Purryag
|
|
Population
|
1,936,181
| 1,322,238
|
|
Life Expectancy
|
52.300 years
| 74.940 years
|
|
Capital City
|
Maseru
| Port Louis
|
|
Largest city
|
| Maseru (population: 118,355) | Port Louis (population: 155,226) |
|
Human Development Index
|
0.496
| 0.802
|
| GDP per capita |
$2,000 US
| $15,600 US
|
|
Literacy Rate
|
84.8%
| 84.4%
|
|
Corruption Perception Index
|
3.2
| 5.5
|
|
Percentage of Women in Parliament
|
25.8%
| 17.1%
|
| Wealthiest Citizens |
|
|
| Unemployment Rate |
25.000%
| 8.000%
|
|
Death Penalty
|
Legal
| Abolished
|
| |
|
Political System
|
parliamentary constitutional monarchy
| parliamentary democracy
|
|
Independence date
|
4 October 1966 (from UK)
| 12 March 1968 (from UK)
|
| Religions |
Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%
| Hindu 48%, Roman Catholic 23.6%, Muslim 16.6%, other Christian 8.6%, other 2.5%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.4% (2000 census)
|
| Languages |
Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa
| Creole 80.5%, Bhojpuri 12.1%, French 3.4%, English (official; spoken by less than 1% of the population), other 3.7%, unspecified 0.3% (2000 census)
|
| Exports |
manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (2000)
| clothing and textiles, sugar, cut flowers, molasses, fish
|
| External Debt |
$715,400,000 $
| $5,768,000,000 US
|
| Exchange Rate |
maloti (LSL) per US dollar - 7.75 (2008 est.), 7.25 (2007), 6.85 (2006), 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004)
| Mauritian rupees (MUR) per US dollar - 27.973 (2008 est.), 31.798 (2007), 31.656 (2006), 29.496 (2005), 27.499 (2004)
|
| Military Budget as percentage of GDP |
1.900%
| 0.100%
|
| Beijing Olympics Medal Count |
0
| 1
|
| Location |
Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa
| Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar
|
| Area |
30,355 km sq
| 2,040 km sq
|
| Coastline |
0 km
| 177 km
|
| Climate |
temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers
| tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May)
|
|
|
|
