Constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition
parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Independence date
4 July 1776 (from Great Britain)
4 October 1966 (from UK)
Religions
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.)
Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%
Languages
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
Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa
manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (2000)
External Debt
$14,710,000,000,000 $
$729,900,000 US
Exchange Rate
maloti (LSL) per US dollar - 7.75 (2008 est.), 7.25 (2007), 6.85 (2006), 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
4.060%
2.600%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
110
0
Location
North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico
Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa
Area
9,826,675 km sq
30,355 km sq
Coastline
19,924 km
0 km
Climate
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
temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers
