Eswatini
Kingdom of Swaziland
monarchyIndependence 6 September 1968 (from UK)
Eswatini as the 1999 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 100 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, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection
- signed, but not ratified:
- Desertification, Law of the Sea
People
15 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1999 est.)
Male · female
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 46% (male 227,675; female 228,733)
- 15-64 years:
- 51% (male 243,853; female 259,950)
- 65 years and over:
- 3% (male 9,866; female 15,258) (1999 est.)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.03 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 0.94 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.65 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 0.96 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Government
Monarchy; King MSWATI III (since 25 April 1986); Prime Minister Sibusiso Barnabas DLAMINI (since 9 August 1996)
18 fieldsConstitution
- none;
- constitution of 6 September 1968 was suspended 12 April 1973;
- a new constitution was promulgated 13 October 1978, but was not formally presented to the people;
- since then a few more outlines for a constitution have been compiled but so far none have been accepted
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 monarch
- elections:
- none;
- the monarch is hereditary;
- prime minister appointed by the monarch
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 monarch; members serve five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (65 seats--10 appointed by the monarch and 55 elected by popular vote; members serve five-year terms)
- elections:
- House of Assembly--last held NA September and NA October 1998 (next to be held NA 2003)
- 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 monarch; Court of Appeal, judges are appointed by the monarch
Political parties and leaders
illegal parties: People's United Democratic Movement or PUDEMO note: political parties are banned by the constitution promulgated on 13 October 1978; illegal parties are prohibited from holding large public gatherings
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, OPCW, 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
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Alan R. McKEE
- embassy:
- Central Bank Building, Warner Street, Mbabane
- mailing address:
- P. O. Box 199, Mbabane
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
In this small landlocked economy, subsistence | agriculture occupies more than 60% of the population.
31 fieldsGDP--composition by sector(1997 est.)
Electricity
Economy--overview
In this small landlocked economy, subsistence agriculture 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 all 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.
Agriculture--products
sugarcane, cotton, maize, tobacco, rice, citrus, pineapples, corn, sorghum, peanuts; cattle, goats, sheep
Exports--commodities
soft drink concentrates, sugar, wood pulp, cotton yarn, citrus and canned fruit (1996)
Imports--commodities
motor vehicles, machinery, transport equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals (1996)
Exchange rates
- emalangeni (E) per US$1--5.9812 (January 1999), 5.4807 (1998), 4.6032 (1997), 4.2706 (1996), 3.6266 (1995), 3.5490 (1994);
- note--the Swazi lilangeni is 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
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Swaziland.” The World Factbook 1999. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/eswatini/1999.