|
Introduction |
|
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 |
|
Location: |
Southern Africa,
between Mozambique and South Africa
|
|
Geographic
coordinates: |
26 30 S, 31 30 E
|
|
Map references: |
Africa
|
|
Area: |
total:
17,363 sq km
land: 17,203 sq km
water: 160 sq km
|
|
Area -
comparative: |
slightly smaller
than New Jersey
|
|
Land boundaries: |
total: 535
km
border countries: Mozambique 105 km, South Africa 430 km
|
|
Coastline: |
0 km (landlocked)
|
|
Maritime claims: |
none (landlocked)
|
|
Climate: |
varies from
tropical to near temperate
|
|
Terrain: |
mostly mountains
and hills; some moderately sloping plains
|
|
Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point:
Great Usutu River 21 m
highest point: Emlembe 1,862 m
|
|
Natural
resources: |
asbestos, coal,
clay, cassiterite, hydropower, forests, small gold and diamond
deposits, quarry stone, and talc
|
|
Land use: |
arable land:
10.35%
permanent crops: 0.7%
other: 88.95% (2001)
|
|
Irrigated land: |
690 sq km (1998
est.)
|
|
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 |
|
Population: |
1,173,900
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.)
|
|
Age structure: |
0-14 years:
40.6% (male 240,643/female 235,895)
15-64 years: 55.6% (male 327,661/female 325,400)
65 years and over: 3.8% (male 19,273/female 25,028) (2005
est.)
|
|
Median age: |
total: 18.72
years
male: 18.53 years
female: 18.92 years (2005 est.)
|
|
Population
growth rate: |
0.25% (2005 est.)
|
|
Birth rate: |
27.72 births/1,000
population (2005 est.)
|
|
Death rate: |
25.26 deaths/1,000
population (2005 est.)
|
|
Net migration
rate: |
0 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2005 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.)
|
|
Infant mortality
rate: |
total: 69.27
deaths/1,000 live births
male: 72.51 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 65.94 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
|
|
Life expectancy
at birth: |
total
population: 35.65 years
male: 37.18 years
female: 34.07 years (2005 est.)
|
|
Total fertility
rate: |
3.7 children
born/woman (2005 est.)
|
|
HIV/AIDS - adult
prevalence rate: |
38.8% (2003 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)
|
|
Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 81.6%
male: 82.6%
female: 80.8% (2003 est.)
|
|
Government |
|
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: |
NA
|
|
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
|
|
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 |
|
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: |
purchasing power
parity - $6.018 billion (2004 est.)
|
|
GDP - real
growth rate: |
2.5% (2004 est.)
|
|
GDP - per
capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $5,100 (2004 est.)
|
|
GDP -
composition by sector: |
agriculture:
16.1%
industry: 43.4%
services: 40.5% (2004 est.)
|
|
Labor force: |
383,200 (2000)
|
|
Labor force - by
occupation: |
NA
|
|
Unemployment
rate: |
34% (2000 est.)
|
|
Population below
poverty line: |
40% (1995)
|
|
Household income
or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
1%
highest 10%: 50.2% (1995)
|
|
Inflation rate
(consumer prices): |
5.4% (2004 est.)
|
|
Investment
(gross fixed): |
23.6% of GDP (2004
est.)
|
|
Budget: |
revenues:
$494.6 million
expenditures: $552.7 million, including capital
expenditures of $147 million (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
|
|
Industrial
production growth rate: |
3.7% (FY95/96)
|
|
Electricity -
production: |
402 million kWh
(2002)
|
|
Electricity -
production by source: |
fossil fuel:
58%
hydro: 42%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
|
|
Electricity -
consumption: |
1.173 billion kWh
(2002)
|
|
Electricity -
exports: |
0 kWh (2002)
|
|
Electricity -
imports: |
799 million kWh;
note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2002)
|
|
Oil -
production: |
0 bbl/day (2001
est.)
|
|
Oil -
consumption: |
3,500 bbl/day (2001
est.)
|
|
Oil - exports: |
NA
|
|
Oil - imports: |
NA
|
|
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
|
|
Exports -
partners: |
South Africa 59.7%,
EU 8.8%, US 8.8%, Mozambique 6.2% (2004)
|
|
Imports: |
$1.14 billion
f.o.b. (2004 est.)
|
|
Imports -
commodities: |
motor vehicles,
machinery, transport equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products,
chemicals
|
|
Imports -
partners: |
South Africa 95.6%,
EU 0.9%, Japan 0.9%, Singapore 0.3% (2004)
|
|
Reserves of
foreign exchange and gold: |
$320.5 million
(2004 est.)
|
|
Debt - external: |
$320 million (2002
est.)
|
|
Currency (code): |
lilangeni (SZL)
|
|
Currency code: |
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 |
|
Telephones -
main lines in use: |
46,200 (2003)
|
|
Telephones -
mobile cellular: |
88,000 (2003)
|
|
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)
|
|
Radio broadcast
stations: |
AM 3, FM 2 plus 4
repeaters, shortwave 3 (2004)
|
|
Radios: |
170,000 (1999)
|
|
Television
broadcast stations: |
5 plus 7 relay
stations (2004)
|
|
Televisions: |
23,000 (2000)
|
|
Internet country
code: |
.sz
|
|
Internet hosts: |
1,401 (2003)
|
|
Internet Service
Providers (ISPs): |
5 (2002)
|
|
Internet users: |
27,000 (2003)
|
|
Transportation |
|
Railways: |
total: 301
km
narrow gauge: 301 km 1.067-m gauge (2004)
|
|
Highways: |
total: 3,107
km
paved: NA
unpaved: NA (2000)
|
|
Airports: |
18 (2004 est.)
|
|
Airports - with
paved runways: |
total: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.)
|
|
Airports - with
unpaved runways: |
total: 17
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 10 (2004 est.)
|
|
Military |
|
Military
branches: |
Umbutfo Swaziland
Defense Force (USDF): Ground Force (includes Air Wing), Royal
Swaziland Police Force (RSPF) (2005)
|
|
Military
manpower - military age and obligation: |
18 years of age for
voluntary military service; both sexes are eligible for military
service (2005)
|
|
Military
manpower - availability: |
males age 18-49:
248,676 (2005 est.)
|
|
Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age 18-49:
98,530 (2005 est.)
|
|
Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$40.5 million
(2004)
|
|
Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
1.4% (2004)
|
|
Transnational Issues |
|
Disputes -
international: |
none
|
100+ Important Documents in United States History
