The Kingdom of Swaziland is relatively small in area, similar in size to Kuwait. Swaziland is a landlocked country, bordered by South Africa on three sides except to the east, where it borders Mozambique.
Autonomy for the Swazis of southern Africa
was guaranteed by the British in the late 19th century; independence was
granted in 1968. Student and labor unrest during the 1990s pressured
King Mswati III, Africa's last absolute monarch, to grudgingly allow
political reform and greater democracy, although he has backslid on
these promises in recent years. A constitution came into effect in 2006,
but the legal status of political parties remains unclear. The African
United Democratic Party tried unsuccessfully to register as an official
political party in mid-2006. Talks over the constitution broke down
between the government and progressive groups in 2007. Swaziland
recently surpassed Botswana as the country with the world's highest
known HIV/AIDS prevalence rate.
Country Name:
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conventional long form: Kingdom of Swaziland
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conventional short form: Swaziland
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local long form: Umbuso weSwatini
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local short form: eSwatini
Capital:
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name: Mbabane; Lobamba is the royal and legislative capital
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geographic coordinates: 26 18 S, 31 06 E
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time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Independence:
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21 March 1990 (from South African mandate)
Government Type:
Executive Branch:
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chief of state: King Mswati III (since 25 April 1986)
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head of government: Prime Minister Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini (since 16 October 2008); Deputy Prime Minister Themba Nhlanganiso Masuku (since 2008)
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elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch from among the elected members of the House of Assembly
Legislative Branch:
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structure: bicameral Parliament or Libandla consists of the Senate and the House of Assembly
Judicial Branch:
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structure: High Court; Supreme Court; judges for both courts are appointed by the monarch
Population:
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1,419,623 (global rank: 143)
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growth rate: 1.14% (global rank: 105)
Nationality:
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noun: Swazi(s)
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adjective: Swazi
Major Cities:
Ethnic Groups:
Religions:
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Zionist 40% (a blend of Christianity and indigenous ancestral worship),
Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 10%, other 30% (includes Anglican, Baha'i,
Methodist, Mormon, Jewish)
Languages:
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English (official, used for government business), siSwati (official)
Life Expectancy at Birth:
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total population: 50.54 years (global rank: 220)
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male: 51.04 years
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female: 50.04 years
Infant Mortality:
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total population: 54.82 deaths/1,000 live births (global rank: 32)
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male: 58.8 deaths/1,000 live births
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female: 50.72 deaths/1,000 live births
HIV/AIDS:
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adult prevalence rate: 27.36% (2013 est.) (global rank: 1)
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people living with AIDS: 204,100 (2013 est.) (global rank: 27)
Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
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total population: 83.1%
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male: 83.9%
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female: 82.4%
Overview: Surrounded by South Africa, aside from a short border with Mozambique,
Swaziland depends heavily on South Africa from which it receives more
than 90% of its imports and to which it sends 60% of its exports.
Swaziland's currency is pegged to the South African rand, effectively
subsuming Swaziland's monetary policy to South Africa. The government is
heavily dependent on customs duties from the Southern African Customs
Union (SACU), and worker remittances from South Africa supplement
domestically earned income. Swaziland’s GDP per capita makes it a lower
middle income country but its income distribution is highly skewed, with
an estimated 20% of the population controlling 80% of the nation’s
wealth. Subsistence agriculture employs approximately 70% of the
population. The manufacturing sector diversified in the 1980’s and
1990’s, but manufacturing has grown little in the last decade. Sugar and
wood pulp had been major foreign exchange earners; however, the wood
pulp producer closed in January 2010, and sugar is now the main export
earner. Mining has declined in importance in recent years. Coal, gold,
diamond, and quarry stone mines are small-scale and the only iron ore
mine closed in 2014. With an estimated 40% unemployment rate,
Swaziland's need to increase the number and size of small and medium
enterprises and attract foreign direct investment is acute. Overgrazing,
soil depletion, drought, and floods persist as problems for the future.
On 1 January 2015, Swaziland lost its eligibility for benefits under
the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), threatening the remaining
12,000 jobs in the textile and apparel sector; approximately 3,000 jobs
have been lost since the 2014 announcement of the loss of AGOA. As of
2013 more than one-quarter of the adult population was infected by
HIV/AIDS; Swaziland has the world’s highest HIV prevalence rate.
Gross Domestic Product:
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GDP (PPP): $8.672 billion (global rank: 161)
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GDP per capita (PPP): $7,800 (global rank: 147)
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real growth rate: 2.1% (global rank: 145)
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composition by sector: agriculture: 7.2%, industry: 47.4%, services: 45.4%
Currency:
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currency: Swazi Emalangeni
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exchange rate (per US Dollar): 10.6
Poverty:
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unemployment rate: 40%
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population below poverty line: 69%
Agricultural Products:
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sugarcane, cotton, corn, tobacco, rice, citrus, pineapples, sorghum, peanuts; cattle, goats, sheep
Industries:
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coal, forestry, sugar, soft drink concentrates, textiles and apparel
Export Commodities:
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soft drink concentrates, sugar, timber, cotton yarn, refrigerators, citrus and canned fruit
Import Commodities:
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motor vehicles, machinery, transport equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals
Location:
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Southern Africa, between Mozambique and South Africa
Area:
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total: 17,364 sq km (global rank: 159)
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land: 17,204 sq km
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water: 160 sq km
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comparative: slightly smaller than New Jersey
Climate:
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varies from tropical to near temperate
Land Use:
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arable land: 10.17%
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permanent crops: 0.87%
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other: 88.95%
Natural Resources:
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asbestos, coal, clay, cassiterite, hydropower, forests, small gold and diamond deposits, quarry stone, and talc
Current Environmental Issues:
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limited supplies of potable water; wildlife
populations being depleted because of excessive hunting; overgrazing;
soil degradation; soil erosion
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international disputes: in 2006, Swazi king advocated resorting to ICJ to claim parts of Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal from South Africa
Published: Friday, May 1, 2015