Swaziland
Country Guide

Explore Swaziland

Swaziland with its capital Mbabane is located in Africa (Southern Africa, between Mozambique and South Africa). It covers some 17,365 square kilometers (slightly smaller than New Jersey) with 1,467,150 citizens. English and Swati are the common languages used in Swaziland. As an interesting fact, is sharing borders with Mozambique and South Africa.

Swaziland is a country in Southern Africa, land locked by South Africa in its west and Mozambique in the east. Swaziland's monarchy is one of the oldest in Africa. Swaziland, one of the last absolute monarchies in the world, is one of the the smallest countries in Africa and has a well-earned reputation for friendliness in Southern Africa. It also contains several large game parks and reserves, which are sponsored by the government and are popular tourist destinations.

Popular Destinations in Swaziland

Administrative regions of Swaziland

• Hhohho District
• Lubombo District
• Manzini District
• Shiselweni District

About the country

The topography is mostly mountains and hills with some moderately sloping plains. The average density of population is about 84 per km². The climate in Swaziland can be described as varying from tropical to near temperate. Potential natural disasters are drought.

To reach someone Swaziland dial +268 prior to a number. The local cellular networks are operated on 900 MHz, 3G. Websites typically end with the top level domain ".sz". If you want to bring electric appliances (e.g. battery chaarger), keep in min the local 230 V - 50 Hz (plugs: M). The sign for the locally used currency Lilangeni is SZL.

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.

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 King MSWATI III, Africa's last absolute monarch, to grudgingly allow political reform and greater democracy, although he has backslid on these promises in recent years. A constitution came into effect in 2006, but the legal status of political parties was not defined and their status remains unclear. Swaziland has surpassed Botswana as the country with the world's highest known HIV/AIDS prevalence rate.

Geography

Area
Total (World Rank: 159)	17,364	sq km
Land (World Rank: 157)	17,204	sq km
Water (World Rank: 139)	160	sq km
Forest (World Rank: 17)	57.70	%
Comparative	slightly smaller than New Jersey
Landborder
546
Elevation
Lowest point (World Rank: 38)	21	m
Highest point (World Rank: 131)	1,862	m
Agricultural land
Total (World Rank: 28)	68.30	%
Arable (World Rank: 114)	9.80	%
Permanent crops (World Rank: 134)	0.80	%
Permanent pastures (World Rank: 17)	57.70	%
Irrigated land (World Rank: 115)	500	sq km
Map reference
Africa
Environment
Issues	- limited supplies of potable water - overgrazing - soil degradation - soil erosion - wildlife populations being depleted because of excessive hunting
Agreement party	- Biodiversity - Climate Change - Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol - Desertification - Endangered Species - Hazardous Wastes - Ozone Layer Protection
Agreement signed	Law of the Sea
Hazzards	drought
Location
Southern Africa, between Mozambique and South Africa
Climate
varies from tropical to near temperate
Terrain
mostly mountains and hills; some moderately sloping plains

---

People

Population
Total (World Rank: 153)	1,467,150
Deathrate (World Rank: 12)	1.32	%
Birthrate (World Rank: 52)	2.40	%
Growthrate (World Rank: 104)	1.08	%
Fertility rate (World Rank: 67)	2.69	%
Median age
Male (World Rank: 177)	21.50
Female (World Rank: 178)	21.90
Age structure
0 14 male (World Rank: 148)	259,646
0 14 female (World Rank: 147)	253,976
15 24 male (World Rank: 149)	164,117
15 24 female (World Rank: 147)	160,478
25 54 male (World Rank: 156)	264,262
25 54 female (World Rank: 158)	243,362
55 64 male (World Rank: 165)	25,319
55 64 female (World Rank: 159)	37,763
65 x male (World Rank: 164)	22,113
65 x female (World Rank: 158)	36,116
Health
Infant mortality rate (World Rank: 34)	4.84	%
Life expectancy total (World Rank: 217)	52	years
Life expectancy female (World Rank: 221)	52	years
Life expectancy male (World Rank: 214)	53	years
Physicians per 1000 (World Rank: 154)	0.15
Hospital bed per 1000 (World Rank: 97)	2.10
Sanitation access total (World Rank: 155)	57.50	%
Obesity adult (World Rank: 124)	16.50	%
Drinking water access (World Rank: 175)	74.10	%

---

Energy

Electricity
Production (World Rank: 167)	431,000,000	kWh
Consumption (World Rank: 148)	1,481,000,000	kWh
Import (World Rank: 64)	1,080,000,000	kWh
Source fossil (World Rank: 175)	35.60	%
Source nuclear (World Rank: 82)	21.40	%
Source renew (World Rank: 4)	43.10	%
Refined products
Consumption (World Rank: 176)	5,000	bbl / day
Import (World Rank: 165)	5,029	bbl / day
Natural gas
Consumption (World Rank: 160)	6	m³
Carbon footprint
600000

---

Nation

Budget
Education (World Rank: 19)	7	% of GDP
Military (World Rank: 60)	2	% of GDP
Health (World Rank: 33)	9	% of GDP
Surplus (World Rank: 197)	-12	% of GDP
National symbol
lion
National colours
yellow
Adjective
Swazi
Noun
Swazi(s)
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 King MSWATI III, Africa's last absolute monarch, to grudgingly allow political reform and greater democracy, although he has backslid on these promises in recent years. A constitution came into effect in 2006, but the legal status of political parties was not defined and their status remains unclear. Swaziland has surpassed Botswana as the country with the world's highest known HIV/AIDS prevalence rate.
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; 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

---

Economy

Gdp
Purchasing power parity (World Rank: 156)	11,110,000,000	USD
Per capita purchasing power parity (World Rank: 136)	9,800	USD
Source agriculture (World Rank: 115)	6.30	%
Source industry (World Rank: 12)	45.40	%
Source service (World Rank: 182)	48.30	%
Labourforce
Total (World Rank: 156)	427,900
In poverty (World Rank: 10)	63.00	%
Products
Industries	- apparel - coal - forestry - soft drink concentrates - sugar processing - textiles
Agriculture	- cattle - citrus - corn - cotton - goats - pineapples - sugarcane
Exports	- canned fruit - citrus - cotton yarn - refrigerators - soft drink concentrates - sugar - timber
Imports	- chemicals - foodstuffs - machinery - motor vehicles - petroleum products - transport equipment

---

Communication

Phone
Landline total (World Rank: 157)	42,000
Landline per 100 (World Rank: 168)	3.00
Mobile per 100 (World Rank: 182)	69.00
Assessment	0
Internet
Users (World Rank: 151)	414,724
Population (World Rank: 161)	28.60	%

---

Transport

Air
Airports paved (World Rank: 180)	2.00
Airports unpaved (World Rank: 124)	12.00
Rail
Total length (World Rank: 123)	301
Road
Total length (World Rank: 160)	3,594
Paved length (World Rank: 142)	1,078
Unpaved length (World Rank: 116)	2,516

---