Leribè is a district of Lesotho. It has an area of 2,828 km2 and a population in 2016 of approximately 337,500. Hlotse is the capital or camptown of the district. The district has one additional town, namely Maputsoe. In the west, Leribe borders on the Free State Province of South Africa. Domestically, it borders Butha-Buthe District in the north, Mokhotlong District in the east, Thaba-Tseka District in southeast and Berea District in southwest.
As of 2006, the district had a population of 293,369 which was 15.63 per cent of the total population of the country. As of 2008, 48% of the population in the district were economically active. There were 191,052 employed people out of a total of 401,258 people in the district above 15 years of age.
Demographics
As of 2006, the district had a population of 293,369, 15.63 per cent of the population of the country. The area of the district is 2,828 km2, 9.32% of the total area of the country. The population density in the district was 104 persons per square kilometre, compared to 62 for the country. There were thirteen constituencies and eighteen community councils in the district. As of 2006, 704 people tested HIV positive, 29.70% of the HIV-positive persons in the country. 270 of these (28.3%) were men; 433 (30.6%) were women.
Geography
In the west, Leribe borders on the Free State Province of South Africa. Domestically, it borders on the following districts: Butha-Buthe District in the north, Mokhotlong District in the east, Thaba-Tseka District in southeast and Berea District in southwest. The Western districts of Lesotho has a predominantly low land zone with an elevation of to above the sea level. These lands are the major agricultural zones in the country. The average annual rainfall in the country is , most of which is received during the rainy season of October to April. Though it rains during all the months of the year, groundwater is limited on account of run-offs. The region has a temperate climate on account of the elevation and is humid during most parts of the year. The temperature in the low lands vary from to in the winter.
Economy
As of 2008, there were 48 per cent economically active people in the district. There were totally 191,052 employed people out of a total of 401,258 people in the district above 15 years of age. The employed population in the age group of 6–14 years was 4,658 out of a total of 114,078 people in the district in the age group. The labour force participation stood at 189.30. The number of people involved in subsistence agriculture is 3,676 and the number of people in other sectors was 982. The number of unemployed people in the district was 61,046 and the unemployment rate was 073. The total area planted in 2009 was 27,059 which formed 6.70 per cent of the total area planted in the country. The total production was 12,006 tonnes, which was 7.97 per cent of the totals in the country. The major crop was maize, while wheat, sorghum, beans and peas were the other crops planted. The total production of maize was 9,540 tonnes, beans was 503 tonnes, sorghum was 065 tonnes, peas was 1,368 tonnes and wheat was 530 tonnes as of 2008. As of 2007, there were a total of of paved roads in the district, with paved roads and of unpaved roads.