Constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition
Independence date
4 October 1966 (from UK)
4 July 1776 (from Great Britain)
Religions
Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%
Protestant 51.3%, Roman Catholic 23.9%, Mormon 1.7%, other Christian 1.6%, Jewish 1.7%, Buddhist 0.7%, Muslim 0.6%, other or unspecified 2.5%, unaffiliated 12.1%, none 4% (2007 est.)
Languages
Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa
English 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other Indo-European 3.8%, Asian and Pacific island 2.7%, other 0.7% (2000 census) note: Hawaiian is an official language in the state of Hawaii
Exports
manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (2000)
maloti (LSL) per US dollar - 7.75 (2008 est.), 7.25 (2007), 6.85 (2006), 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
2.600%
4.060%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
0
110
Location
Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa
North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico
Area
30,355 km sq
9,826,675 km sq
Coastline
0 km
19,924 km
Climate
temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers
mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest; low winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains
