| Background: |
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. |
| Location: |
Southern Africa,
between Mozambique and South Africa |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
26 30 S, 31 30 E |
| 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:
11%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 62%
forests and woodland: 7%
other: 20% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
670 sq km (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 |
| Geography
- note: |
landlocked;
almost completely surrounded by South Africa |
| 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.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
1.83% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
40.12
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
21.84
deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
0 migrant(s)/1,000
population (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.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
109.19
deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 38.62 years
male: 37.86 years
female: 39.4 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
5.82 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
25.25% (1999
est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
130,000 (1999
est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
7,100 (1999 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Swazi(s)
adjective: Swazi |
| Ethnic
groups: |
African 97%,
European 3% |
| Religions: |
Protestant 55%,
Muslim 10%, Roman Catholic 5%, indigenous beliefs 30% |
| Languages: |
English
(official, government business conducted in English),
siSwati (official) |
| Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 76.7%
male: 78%
female: 75.6% (1995 est.) |
| 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: |
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 |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age |
| 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 |
| Judicial
branch: |
High Court; Court
of Appeal; judges for both courts are appointed by the
monarch |
| 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 |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| 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
FAX: [1] (202) 244-8059 |
| 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
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
- 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. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $4.4 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
2.4% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $4,000 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
10%
industry: 46%
services: 44% (1998 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
6.4% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
private sector
70%, public sector 30% |
| Unemployment
rate: |
22% (1995 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$400 million
expenditures: $450 million, including capital
expenditures of $115 million (FY96/97) |
| Industries: |
mining (coal and
asbestos), wood pulp, sugar, soft drink concentrates |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
3.7% (FY95/96) |
| Electricity
- production: |
375 million kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
53.33%
hydro: 46.67%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
198 million kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
852 million kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
701 million kWh
note: supplied by South Africa (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
sugarcane,
cotton, corn, tobacco, rice, citrus, pineapples, sorghum,
peanuts; cattle, goats, sheep |
| Exports: |
$881 million
(f.o.b., 2000) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
soft drink
concentrates, sugar, wood pulp, cotton yarn, refrigerators,
citrus and canned fruit |
| Exports
- partners: |
South Africa 65%,
EU 12%, Mozambique 11%, US 5% (1998) |
| Imports: |
$928 million
(f.o.b., 2000) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
motor vehicles,
machinery, transport equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum
products, chemicals |
| Imports
- partners: |
South Africa 84%,
EU 5%, Japan 2%, Singapore 2% (1998) |
| Debt
- external: |
$281 million
(2000 est.) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$55 million
(1995) |
| Currency: |
lilangeni (SZL) |
| 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 |
| Fiscal
year: |
1 April - 31
March |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
33,500 (2000) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
30,000 (2000) |
| Telephone
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) |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 7, FM 6 (2000) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
10 (2000) |
| Televisions: |
21,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.sz |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
3 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
4,000 (2000) |
| Railways: |
total:
297 km; note - includes 71 km which are not in use
narrow gauge: 297 km 1.067-m gauge |
| Highways: |
total:
3,000 km
paved: 850 km
unpaved: 2,150 km (1997) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
17
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 10 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Umbutfo Swaziland
Defense Force (Army), Royal Swaziland Police Force |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age
15-49: 248,084 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age
15-49: 143,618 (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$19.198 million
(FY00/01) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
4.75% (FY00/01) |
| Disputes
- 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 |
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