Eswatini

Kingdom of Swaziland

monarchyIndependence 6 September 1968 (from UK)

Eswatini as the 2005 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 113 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalMbabane

Position26 30 S, 31 30 E

Area17,363 sq km

LocationSouthern Africa, between Mozambique and South Africa

Populationas each edition published it

1.17 million July 2005 est. · 778,525 in 1990

Population growth% a year

0.25% 2005 est. · 3.18% in 1993

Median ageyears

18.72 years 2005 est. · 18.5 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

33.22 years 2005 est. · 55.94 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

3.7 children per woman 2005 est. · 6 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

69.27 deaths per 1,000 live births 2005 est. · 126 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$5,100 2004 est. · $800 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

2.5% 2004 est. · 2.5% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

Background

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 the monarchy (one of the oldest on the continent) to grudgingly allow political reform and greater democracy. Swaziland recently surpassed Botswana as the country with the world's highest known rates of HIV/AIDS infection

Geography

Southern Africa, between Mozambique and South Africa

18 fields

Land useshare of 17,363 sq km

arable land 10.35%permanent crops 0.7%other 88.95% (2001)irrigated 690 sq km (1998 est.)

Area

17,363sq km

land: 17,203 sq kmwater: 160 sq kmslightly smaller than New Jersey

Coastline

0km

(landlocked)Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Highest point

1,862m

Emlembelowest point: Great Usutu River 21 m

Land boundaries

535km

border countries: Mozambique 105 km, South Africa 430 km

Location

Southern Africa, between Mozambique and South Africa

Geographic coordinates

26 30 S, 31 30 E

Map references

Africa

Climate

varies from tropical to near temperate

Terrain

mostly mountains and hills; some moderately sloping plains

Natural resources

asbestos, coal, clay, cassiterite, hydropower, forests, small gold and diamond deposits, quarry stone, and talc

Natural hazards

drought

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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified:: Law of the Sea

Geography - note

landlocked; almost completely surrounded by South Africa

People

19 fields

Age structuremale left, female right · (2005 est.)

19,273

65 and over3.8%

25,028

327,661

15-6455.6%

325,400

240,643

0-1440.6%

235,895

MaleFemale

Population

1,173,900

growth rate: 0.25% (2005 est.)

Note

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 2005 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2005 est.)

Birth

27.72Death

25.26Net migration

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2005 est.)33.22

32.49 · 33.98Infant mortality deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)69.27

72.51 · 65.94

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (2003 est.)81.6%

82.6% · 80.8%Median age years (2005 est.)18.72

18.53 · 18.92

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

38.8%

(2003 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population:: 1 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.7 children born/woman (2005 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

220,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

17,000 (2003 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Swazi(s)
adjective:: Swazi

Ethnic groups

African 97%, European 3%

Religions

Zionist (a blend of Christianity and indigenous ancestral worship) 40%, Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 10%, Anglican, Bahai, Methodist, Mormon, Jewish and other 30%

Languages

English (official, government business conducted in English), siSwati (official)

Government

Monarchy; King MSWATI III (since 25 April 1986); Prime Minister Absolom Themba DLAMINI (since 14 November 2003)

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Country name

conventional long form:: Kingdom of Swaziland
conventional short form:: Swaziland

Government type

monarchy; independent member of Commonwealth

Capital

Mbabane; note - Lobamba is the royal and legislative capital

Administrative divisions

4 districts; Hhohho, Lubombo, Manzini, Shiselweni

Independence

6 September 1968 (from UK)

National holiday

Independence Day, 6 September (1968)

Constitution

a constitution was due to be adopted in November 2003 but was delayed and scheduled for early 2005

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

18 years of age

Executive branch

chief of state:: King MSWATI III (since 25 April 1986)
head of government:: Prime Minister Absolom Themba DLAMINI (since 14 November 2003)
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 18 October 2003 (next to be held October 2008)
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;
Court of Appeal;
judges for both courts are appointed by the monarch

Political parties and leaders

political parties are banned by the government - the following are considered political associations;
Imbokodvo National Movement or INM [leader NA];
Ngwane National Liberatory Congress or NNLC [Obed DLAMINI, president];
People's United Democratic Movement or PUDEMO [Mario MASUKU, president]

Political pressure groups and leaders

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Mary Madzandza KANYA
chancery:: 1712 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone:: [1] (202) 234-5002
FAX:: [1] (202) 234-8254

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Lewis LUCKE
embassy:: Central Bank Building, Warner Street, Mbabane
mailing address:: P. O. Box 199, Mbabane
telephone:: [268] 404-6441 through 404-6445
FAX:: [268] 404-5959

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 80% of the population.

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GDP, purchasing power parity

$6.018billion

(2004 est.)

Real growth rate

2.5%

(2004 est.)industrial production growth: 3.7% (FY95/96)

Inflation, consumer prices

5.4%

(2004 est.)

Unemployment rate

34%

(2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector(2004 est.)

agriculture 16.1%industry 43.4%services 40.5% (2004 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

59.7%

South Africa

95.6%

8.8%

0.9%

8.8%

6.2%

Mozambique

Japan

0.9%

Singapore

0.3%

Exports $900.1 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)Imports $1.14 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)(2004)

Budget

Revenues

$494.6 millionExpenditures

$552.7 million (2004 est.)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $147 million

Electricity

Electricity production

402 million (2002)Electricity consumption

1.173 billion (2002)Electricity imports

799 million (2002)

Economy - overview

In this small, landlocked economy, subsistence agriculture occupies more than 80% of the population. The manufacturing sector has diversified since the mid-1980s. Sugar and wood pulp remain important foreign exchange earners. Mining has declined in importance in recent years with only coal and quarry stone mines remaining active.

Surrounded by South Africa, except for a short border with Mozambique, Swaziland is heavily dependent on South Africa from which it receives about nine-tenths of its imports and to which it sends nearly three-quarters of its exports. Customs duties from the Southern African Customs Union and worker remittances from South Africa 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. More than one-fourth of the population needed emergency food aid in 2004 because of drought, and more than one-third of the adult population was infected by HIV/AIDS.

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $5,100 (2004 est.)

Labor force

383,200 (2000)

Labor force - by occupation

Population below poverty line

40% (1995)

Investment (gross fixed)

23.6% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products

sugarcane, cotton, corn, tobacco, rice, citrus, pineapples, sorghum, peanuts; cattle, goats, sheep

Industries

mining (coal, raw asbestos), wood pulp, sugar, soft drink concentrates, textile and apparel

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption

3,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

Oil - imports

Current account balance

$-82.4 million (2004 est.)

Exports

$900.1 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities

soft drink concentrates, sugar, wood pulp, cotton yarn, refrigerators, citrus and canned fruit

Imports

$1.14 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities

motor vehicles, machinery, transport equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$320.5 million (2004 est.)

Debt - external

$320 million (2002 est.)

Economic aid - recipient

$104 million (2001)

Currency (code)

lilangeni (SZL)

Exchange rates

emalangeni per US dollar - 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002), 8.6092 (2001), 6.9398 (2000)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

Communications

8 fields

Mobile cellular

88,000

(2003)

Internet users

1,401

(2003)

Fixed lines

46,200

(2003) · country code .sz

Telephone system

general assessment:: a somewhat modern but not an advanced system
domestic:: system consists of carrier-equipped, open-wire lines and low-capacity, microwave radio relay
international:: country code - 268; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)