Eswatini
monarchyIndependence 6 September 1968 (from UK)
Eswatini as the 1997 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 93 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Geography
Southern Africa, between Mozambique and South Africa
18 fieldsLand useshare of 17,360 sq km
Natural resources
asbestos, coal, clay, cassiterite, hydropower, forests, small gold and diamond deposits, quarry stone, and talc
Environment - current issues
- limited supplies of potable water;
- wildlife populations being depleted because of excessive hunting;
- overgrazing;
- soil degradation;
- soil erosion
Environment - international agreements
- party to:
- Biodiversity, Climate Change, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection
- signed, but not ratified:
- Desertification, Law of the Sea
People
15 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1997 est.)
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 46% (male 234,628; female 236,056)
- 15-64 years:
- 52% (male 255,775; female 280,416)
- 65 years and over:
- 2% (male 10,291; female 14,434) (July 1997 est.)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.03 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 0.99 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 0.91 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.71 male(s)/female
- total population :
- 0.94 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Government
Monarchy; King MSWATI III (since 25 April 1986); Prime Minister Sibusiso Barnabas DLAMINI (since 9 August 1996)
20 fieldsConstitution
- none;
- constitution of 6 September 1968 was suspended 12 April 1973;
- a new constitution was promulgated 13 October 1978, but has not been formally presented to the people
Legal system
- based on South African Roman-Dutch law in statutory courts and Swazi traditional law and custom in traditional courts;
- has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage
- NA;
- note - no suffrage before September 1993;
- 55 of the 65 seats in the House of Assembly were filled by popular vote in the elections of September and October 1993;
- of a population of less than 1 million, the electorate numbered 283,693
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- King MSWATI III (since 25 April 1986)
- head of government:
- Prime Minister Sibusiso Barnabas DLAMINI (since 9 August 1996)
- cabinet:
- Cabinet recommended by the prime minister and confirmed by the king
- elections :
- none;
- the king is a hereditary monarch;
- prime minister appointed by the king
Legislative branch
bicameral Parliament or Libandla, an advisory body, consists of the Senate (20 seats, 10 appointed by the House of Assembly and 10 appointed by the king; members serve five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (65 seats, 10 appointed by the king and 55 elected by secret, popular vote; members serve five-year terms)
- elections:
- House of Assembly - last held 26 September and 11 October 1993 (next to be held NA 1998)
- election results :
- House of Assembly - balloting is done on a nonparty basis;
- candidates for election are nominated by the local council of each constituency and for each constituency the three candidates with the most votes in the first round of voting are narrowed to a single winner by a second round
Judicial branch
High Court, judges are appointed by the king; Court of Appeal, judges are appointed by the king
Political parties and leaders
note: political parties are banned by the constitution promulgated on 13 October 1978; illegal parties are prohibited from holding large public gatherings
- illegal parties:
- Peoples' United Democratic Movement or PUDEMO [Mario MASUKU];
- Swaziland Youth Congress or SWAYOCO (included in PUDEMO);
- Swaziland Communist Party or SWACOPA [Mphandlana SHONGWE];
- Swaziland Liberation Front or FROLISA;
- Convention for Full Democracy in Swaziland or COFUDESWA [Sabelo DLAMINI];
- Swaziland National Front or SWANAFRO;
- Ngwane Socialist Revolutionary Party or NGWASOREP;
- Swaziland Democratic Alliance (represents key opposition parties) [Jerry NXUMALO];
- Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions or SFTU [Jan SITHOLE]
International organization participation
ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Mary Madzandza KANYA
- chancery:
- Suite 3M, 3400 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 362-6683, 6685
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Allen McKEE
- embassy:
- Central Bank Building, Warner Street, Mbabane
- mailing address:
- P. O. Box 199, Mbabane
- telephone:
- [268] 46441 through 46445
Flag description
- three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width), and blue;
- the red band is edged in yellow;
- centered in the red band is a large black and white shield covering two spears and a staff decorated with feather tassels, all placed horizontally
Economy
This small landlocked economy is based largely on | subsistence agriculture, which occupies more than 60% of the | population.
22 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(1994 est.)
Economy - overview
This small landlocked economy is based largely on subsistence agriculture, which occupies more than 60% of the population. Manufacturing features a number of agroprocessing factories. Mining has declined in importance in recent years; high-grade iron ore deposits were depleted by 1978, and health concerns have cut world demand for asbestos.
Exports of soft drink concentrate, sugar and wood pulp are the main earners of hard currency. Surrounded by South Africa, except for a short border with Mozambique, Swaziland is heavily dependent on South Africa from which it receives nearly 90% of its imports and to which it sends more than half of its exports.
Remittances from Swazi workers in South African mines supplement domestically earned income by as much as 20%. The government is trying to improve the atmosphere for foreign investment. Overgrazing, soil depletion, and drought persist as problems for the future.
Electricity - production
84 million kWh (1993) note: imports 90% of its electricity from South Africa
Agriculture - products
sugarcane, cotton, maize, tobacco, rice, citrus, pineapples, corn, sorghum, peanuts; cattle, goats, sheep
Exports
- total value :
- $700 million (f.o.b., 1996)
- commodities:
- soft drink concentrates, sugar, wood pulp, cotton yarn
- partners :
- South Africa 58%, EU 20%, Mozambique 6% (1994)
Imports
- total value:
- $831 million (f.o.b., 1996)
- commodities:
- motor vehicles, machinery, transport equipment, petroleum products, foodstuffs, chemicals
- partners :
- South Africa 88%, Japan, UK, US (FY94/95)
Exchange rates
- emalangeni (E) per US$1 - 4.6410 (January 1997), 4.2706 (1996), 3.6266 (1995), 3.5490 (1994), 3.2636 (1993), 2.8497 (1992);
- note - the Swazi emalangeni are at par with the South African rand
Communications
6 fieldsTelephone system
- domestic :
- system consists of carrier-equipped, open-wire lines and low-capacity, microwave radio relay
- international:
- satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Transportation
6 fieldsNetworkskm
Military
Umbutfo Swaziland Defense Force (Army), Royal | Swaziland Police Force
5 fieldsTransnational Issues
1 fieldDisputes - international
Swaziland has asked South Africa to open negotiations on reincorporating some nearby South African territories that are populated by ethnic Swazis or that were long ago part of the Swazi Kingdom SWEDEN
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Swaziland.” The World Factbook 1997. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/eswatini/1997.