Swaziland

The Kingdom of Swaziland is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa, and surrounded by South Africa except to the east where it is bordered by Mozambique. The country is a member of Commonwealth of Nations. The city of Mbabane is the capital of Swaziland.

HISTORY:- Khoisan hunter-gathering people were the first inhabitants of the region. During Bantu migration, Bantu tribes replaced them in the 16th century. The various tribal groups were unified in the 19th century to combat Zulu invasions in the area. In 1840, Mswati, the ruler of the region appealed to the British in South Africa to help them in Zulu resistance. During the reign of Mswati, first European settlement was occurred in the land. Swaziland was ensured independence by The British and the Transvaal governments in 1881. South Africa established a protectorate in region in 1894 and maintained it until 1899. Following the Boer War, the region was passed to the British Empire in 1902. In 1963, British protectorate was set up in Swaziland. In 1968, Swaziland gained its independence. During 1980s, political parties were outlawed and the king retained ultimate power. In 1987, a new parliament had been elected and a new cabinet was appointed. In the country’s first constitution in 2005, the king signed for continuous ban on all opposition parties.

GEOGRAPHY:- Swaziland is located at 26 30 S, 31 30 E in southern Africa. The total area of the country is 17,363 sq km in which 17,203 sq km area is covered with land masses and 160 sq km area is covered with interval waters. Swaziland is a landlocked nation bordering Mozambique and South Africa. The lowest point is the Great Usutu River (21 m) and the highest point is Emlembe (1,862 m). Swaziland is mostly mountainous and hilly. The eastern part is formed of savannas while the northwestern part is formed of rainforest.

CLIMATE:- The climate of Swaziland varies from tropical to near temperate.

GOVERNMENT:- Absolute Monarchy reigns in Swaziland. The constitution was signed by the King in 2005 which was imposed on 8th February 2006. The South African Roman-Dutch law is followed in the statutory courts while the Swazi traditional law and custom is followed in the traditional courts. The three major branches of the government are:

Executive branch comprises the King (chief of state), the Prime Minister (head of government), and the cabinet. The monarch is hereditary and the prime minister is appointed by the monarch from among the elected members of the House of Assembly. The cabinet ministers are appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister.

Legislative branch comprise the bicameral Parliament, consists of the Senate (30 seats) and the House of Assembly (65 seats).

Judicial branch comprises the High Court and the Supreme Court. All the judges are appointed by the King.

 There is no registered political party in Swaziland. But the new constitution does not clearly ban political parties. Suffrage is universal at the age of 18.

King                                 Mswati III

Prime Minister                  A. T. Dlamini

Deputy Prime Minister     Constance Simelane

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS:- Swaziland is divided into 4 districts, 9 municipal governments, and 55 tinkhundla centers.

The districts are: Hhohho, Lubombo, Manzini, and Shiselweni.

CULTURE:- Swaziland is famous for the Reed Dance. The music of the nation ranges from the folk music to modern contemporary music genres like rock, pop and hip hop. Kudu horn, calabash, rattles and reed flute are the traditional musical instruments. Incwala and Umhlanga are the biggest festivals of Swaziland.

ECONOMY:- Subsistence agriculture is the main economic activity of the small economy of the country, which provides employment for 70% of the population. Sugar industry is also gradually developing since 2007. 69% of the population lives below the poverty.

GDP/PPP (2007 est.): $5.626 billion; per capita $4,800.

Real growth rate: 2.4%.

Inflation: 8.2%.

Unemployment: 40%.

Arable land: 10%.

Agriculture: Sugarcane, cotton, corn, tobacco, rice, citrus, pineapples, sorghum, peanuts; cattle, goats, sheep.

Labor force: 155,700 (2003).

Industries: Mining (coal, raw asbestos), wood pulp, sugar, soft drink concentrates, textile and apparel.

Natural resources: Asbestos, coal, clay, cassiterite, hydropower, forests, small gold and diamond deposits, quarry stone, talc.

Exports: $1.991 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): soft drink concentrates, sugar, wood pulp, cotton yarn, refrigerators, citrus and canned fruit.

Imports: $2.149 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): motor vehicles, machinery, transport equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals.

Major trading partners: South Africa, EU, U.S., Mozambique, Japan, Singapore (2004).

Budget:  

Revenues: $1.13 billion

Expenditures: $1.143 billion (2007 est.)

Debt - external: $524 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Monetary unit: Lilangeni

LANGUAGE:- English and siSwati are the official languages of Swaziland.

CITIES:- The city of Lobamba is the royal and legislative capital of Swaziland while the city of Mbabane is the administrative capital of the country. The largest city of Swaziland is Manzini.

POPULATION:- The estimated population of Swaziland is 1,133,066 with a growth rate of –0.3%.

Density per sq mi: 171

Literacy rate: 82% (2003 est.)

RACE:-

African 97%

European 3%

RELIGION:-

Zionist 40% (a blend of Christianity and indigenous ancestral worship)

Roman Catholic 20%

Muslim 10%

Other (includes Anglican, Bahai, Methodist, Mormon, Jewish) 30%

HEALTH:-

Birth rate: 26.6 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 30.7 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate: total: 69.59 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 31.99 years

Total fertility rate: 3.34 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 17,000 (2003 est.)

Total expenditure on health per capita (Intl $, 2005): 360

UNICEF:- UNICEF and its partners promote a framework to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV and also provide training for hundreds of nurses and counselors. UNICEF partners with faith-based organizations and churches to fight against HIV. Anti-retroviral treatment reached 13000 people by the end of 2005. Through Neighbourhood Care Points’ communities, almost 30000 orphans and vulnerable children received food, clothing, roofing sheets, water treatment materials and social services. The government-endorsed ‘Education For All programme’ promotes schooling for 80,000 orphans and vulnerable children. ‘Advocacy by action’ programmes focus on the sexual abuse of children and HIV. UNICEF provides training for over 1,500 child protection workers.

TRANSPORTATION:-

Railways: total: 301 km (2002).

Highways: total: 3,247 km (1998).

Ports and harbors: none.

Airports: 18 (2002).