Eswatini

• limited supplies of potable water;
• wildlife populations being depleted because of excessive hunting;
• population growth, deforestation, and overgrazing lead to soil erosion and soil degradation

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified:

Law of the Sea

noun:

liSwati (singular), emaSwati (plural); note - former term, Swazi(s), still used among English speakers

adjective:

Swati; note - former term, Swazi, still used among English speakers

0-14 years:

34.41% (male 186,747 /female 187,412)

15-24 years:

19.31% (male 99,192 /female 110,770)

25-54 years:

38.22% (male 193,145 /female 222,405)

55-64 years:

4.28% (male 19,915 /female 26,663)

65 years and over:

3.77% (male 15,470 /female 25,481) (2018 est.)

total dependency ratio:

68.8 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio:

63.5 (2015 est.)

elderly dependency ratio:

5.2 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio:

19.1 (2015 est.)

total:

23.2 years (2018 est.)

male:

22.2 years

female:

24 years

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

0.9 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.87 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.75 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.61 male(s)/female

total population:

0.9 male(s)/female (2018 est.)

total:

46.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

male:

51.4 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

41.7 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

57.2 years (2018)

male:

55.1 years

female:

59.3 years

degree of risk:

intermediate (2016)

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever (2016)

vectorborne diseases:

malaria (2016)

water contact diseases:

schistosomiasis (2016)

conventional long form:

Kingdom of Eswatini

conventional short form:

Eswatini

local long form:

Umbuso weSwatini

local short form:

eSwatini

former:

Swaziland

etymology:

the country name derives from 19th century King MSWATI II, under whose rule Swati territory was expanded and unified

note: pronounced ay-swatini or eh-swatini

name:

Mbabane (administrative capital); Lobamba (royal and legislative capital)

geographic coordinates:

26 19 S, 31 08 E

time difference:

UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology:

named after a Swati chief, Mbabane Kunene, who lived in the area at the onset of British settlement

history:

previous 1968, 1978; latest signed by the king 26 July 2005, effective 8 February 2006

amendments:

• proposed at a joint sitting of both houses of Parliament;
• passage requires majority vote by both houses and/or majority vote in a referendum, and assent of the king;
• passage of amendments affecting "specially entrenched" constitutional provisions requires at least three-fourths majority vote by both houses, passage by simple majority vote in a referendum, and assent of the king;
• passage of "entrenched" provisions requires at least two-thirds majority vote of both houses, passage in a referendum, and assent of the king (2017)

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

both parents must be citizens of Eswatini

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

chief of state:

King MSWATI III (since 25 April 1986)

head of government:

Prime Minister Ambrose Mandvulo DLAMINI (since 27 October 2018); Deputy Prime Minister Themba MASUKU (since 6 November 2018)

cabinet:

• Cabinet recommended by the prime minister, confirmed by the monarch;
• at least one-half of the cabinet membership must be appointed from among elected members of the House of Assembly

elections/appointments:

the monarchy is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch from among members of the House of Assembly

highest courts:

• Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and at least 4 justices) and the High Court (consists of the chief justice - ex officio - and 4 justices);
• note - the Supreme Court has jurisdiction in all constitutional matters

judge selection and term of office:

• justices of the Supreme Court and High Court appointed by the monarch on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), a judicial advisory body consisting of the Supreme Court Chief Justice, 4 members appointed by the monarch, and the chairman of the Civil Service Commission;
• justices of both courts eligible for retirement at age 65 with mandatory retirement at age 75

subordinate courts:

magistrates' courts; National Swazi Courts for administering customary/traditional laws (jurisdiction restricted to customary law for Swazi citizens)

chief of mission:

Ambassador Lisa J. PETERSON (since February 2016)

telephone:

[268] 2417-9000

embassy:

corner of MR 103 and Cultural Center Drive, Ezulwini,; P.O. Box 0202,The Gables, H106, Eswatini

mailing address:

P.O. Box D202, The Gables, H106

FAX:

[268] 2416-3344

• 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;
• blue stands for peace and stability, red represents past struggles, and yellow the mineral resources of the country;
• the shield, spears, and staff symbolize protection from the country's enemies, while the black and white of the shield are meant to portray black and white people living in peaceful coexistence

name:

"Nkulunkulu Mnikati wetibusiso temaSwati" (Oh God, Bestower of the Blessings of the Swazi)

lyrics/music:

Andrease Enoke Fanyana SIMELANE/David Kenneth RYCROFT

note: adopted 1968; uses elements of both ethnic Swazi and Western music styles

agriculture:

10.7%

industry:

30.4%

services:

58.9% (2014 est.)

lowest 10%:

1.7%

highest 10%:

40.1% (2010 est.)

general assessment:

• earlier government monopoly in telecommunications hindered its growth;
• new regulatory authority established in 2013 has aided expansion in the telecom sector;
• 2G, 3G, 4G and LTE services (2018)

domestic:

• Eswatini has 2 mobile-cellular providers;
• communication infrastructure has a geographic coverage of about 90% and a rising subscriber base;
• fixed-line stands at 3 per 100 and mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 68 telephones per 100 persons;
• telephone system consists of carrier-equipped, open-wire lines and low-capacity, microwave radio relay (2018)

international:

country code - 268; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

• 1 state-owned TV station;
• satellite dishes are able to access South African providers;
• state-owned radio network with 3 channels;
• 1 private radio station (2019)

• 18-30 years of age for male and female voluntary military service;
• no conscription;
• compulsory HIV testing required, only HIV-negative applicants accepted (2012)

number of registered air carriers:

1 (2015)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 1 (2015)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

89,791 (2015)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

0 mt-km (2015)

total:

301 km (2014)

narrow gauge:

301 km 1.067-m gauge (2014)