Eswatini
Kingdom of Swaziland conventional short form: Swaziland
monarchyIndependence 6 September 1968 (from UK)
Eswatini as the 2001 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 112 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
Autonomy for the Swazis of southern Africa was guaranteed by the British in the late 19th century; independence was granted 1968. Student and labor unrest during the 1990s have pressured the monarchy (one of the oldest on the continent) to grudgingly allow political reform and greater democracy.
Geography
Southern Africa, between Mozambique and South Africa
18 fieldsNatural resources
asbestos, coal, clay, cassiterite, hydropower, forests, small gold and diamond deposits, quarry stone, and talc
Land use
arable land: 11% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 62% forests and woodland: 7% other: 20% (1993 est.)
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
18 fieldsPer 1,000 population(2001 est.)
Population
- 1,104,343 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS;
- this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2001 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years: 45.53% (male 250,327; female 252,479) 15-64 years: 51.88% (male 276,186; female 296,728) 65 years and over: 2.59% (male 11,687; female 16,936) (2001 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 38.62 years male: 37.86 years female: 39.4 years (2001 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 76.7% male: 78% female: 75.6% (1995 est.)
Government
Monarchy; 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
20 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 under the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC), 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
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 (30 seats - 10 appointed by the House of Assembly and 20 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 16 and 24 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
Political parties and leaders
- Imbokodvo National Movement or INM [leader NA];
- Ngwane National Libertatory Congress or NNLC [Obed DLAMINI, president];
- People's United Democratic Movement or PUDEMO [Mario MASUKU, president];
- Swaziland National Front or SWANAFRO [Elmond SHONGWE, president];
- Swaziland Progressive Party or SPP [J. J. NQUKU, president];
- Swaziland United Front or SUF [Matsapa SHONGWE, leader] note: political parties are banned by the constitution promulgated on 13 October 1978;
- illegal parties are prohibited from holding large public gatherings;
- the organizations listed are political associations
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, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Mary Madzandza KANYA chancery: 3400 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 362-6683
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Gregory L. JOHNSON embassy: Central Bank Building, Warner Street, Mbabane mailing address: P. O. Box 199, Mbabane telephone: [268] 404-6441 through 404-6445
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.
32 fieldsTrading partnersexports left, imports right
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: diamond mines have shut down because of the depletion of easily accessible reserves;
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 four-fifths of its imports and to which it sends two-thirds of its exports.
Remittances from the Southern African Customs Union and Swazi workers in South African mines substantially supplement domestically earned income. The government is trying to improve the atmosphere for foreign investment. Overgrazing, soil depletion, drought, and sometimes floods persist as problems for the future.
Prospects for 2001 are strengthened by government millennium projects for a new convention center, additional hotels, an amusement park, a new airport, and stepped-up roadbuilding and factory construction plans.
Budget
revenues: $400 million expenditures: $450 million, including capital expenditures of $115 million (FY96/97)
Agriculture - products
sugarcane, cotton, corn, tobacco, rice, citrus, pineapples, sorghum, peanuts; cattle, goats, sheep
Exports - commodities
soft drink concentrates, sugar, wood pulp, cotton yarn, refrigerators, citrus and canned fruit
Imports - commodities
motor vehicles, machinery, transport equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals
Exchange rates
- emalangeni per US dollar - 7.7803 (January 2001), 6.9056 (2000), 6.1087 (1999), 5.4807 (1998), 4.6032 (1997), 4.2706 (1996);
- note - the Swazi lilangeni is at par with the South African rand;
- emalangeni is the plural form of lilangeni
Communications
10 fieldsTelephone system
general assessment: not a modern 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
7 fieldsRailways
total: 297 km; note - includes 71 km which are not in use narrow gauge: 297 km 1.067-m gauge
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 2001. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/eswatini/2001.