|
Home
Missions
Ministries
Bible
Institute & School
Contact
Us
Careers,
Opportunities in Ministry
|
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 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 |
|
Map references:
|
Africa |
|
Area:
|
total:
17,363 sq km
water: 160 sq km
land: 17,203 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) |
|
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:
9.77%
permanent crops: 0.7%
other: 89.53% (1998 est.) |
|
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 |
|
Population:
|
1,169,241
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 2004 est.) |
|
Age structure:
|
0-14
years: 41% (male 242,090; female 237,395)
15-64 years: 55.3% (male 323,004; female 324,029)
65 years and over: 3.7% (male 18,685; female 24,038)
(2004 est.) |
|
Median age:
|
total:
18.6 years
male: 18.4 years
female: 18.8 years (2004 est.) |
|
Population growth rate:
|
0.55%
(2004 est.) |
|
Birth rate:
|
28.55
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
|
Death rate:
|
23.06
deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
|
Net migration rate:
|
0
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
|
Sex ratio:
|
at
birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
|
Infant mortality rate:
|
total:
68.35 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 64.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 71.64 deaths/1,000 live births |
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total
population: 37.54 years
male: 39.1 years
female: 35.94 years (2004 est.) |
|
Total fertility rate:
|
3.81
children born/woman (2004 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
|
33.4%
(2001 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
|
170,000
(2001 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
|
12,000
(2001 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.) |
|
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 |
|
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 NA 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 constitution - 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]; Swaziland National Front or
SWANAFRO [Elmond SHONGWE, president] |
|
Political pressure groups and leaders:
|
NA |
|
Diplomatic representation in the US:
|
chief of
mission: Ambassador Mary Madzandza KANYA
FAX: [1] (202) 244-8059
telephone: [1] (202) 362-6683
chancery: 3400 International Drive NW, Washington, DC
20008 |
|
Diplomatic representation from the US:
|
chief of
mission: Ambassador James D. McGEE
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 |
|
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 2002 because of
drought, and more than one-third of the adult population was
infected by HIV/AIDS. |
|
GDP:
|
purchasing power
parity - $5.702 billion (2003 est.) |
|
GDP - real growth rate:
|
2.2% (2003 est.) |
|
GDP - per capita:
|
purchasing power
parity - $4,900 (2003 est.) |
|
GDP - composition by sector:
|
agriculture:
17%
industry: 44%
services: 39% (2001 est.) |
|
Population below poverty line:
|
40% (1995) |
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
|
11.8% (2002 est.) |
|
Labor force:
|
383,200 (2000) |
|
Labor force - by occupation:
|
NA |
|
Unemployment rate:
|
34% (2000 est.) |
|
Budget:
|
revenues:
$448 million
expenditures: $506.9 million, including capital
expenditures of $147 million (FY01/02) |
|
Industries:
|
mining (coal),
wood pulp, sugar, soft drink concentrates, textile and apparel |
|
Industrial production growth rate:
|
3.7% (FY95/96) |
|
Electricity - production:
|
348.3 million kWh
(2001) |
|
Electricity - production by source:
|
fossil fuel:
58%
hydro: 42%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
|
Electricity - consumption:
|
962.9 million kWh
(2001) |
|
Oil - production:
|
0 bbl/day (2001
est.) |
|
Oil - consumption:
|
3,500 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
|
Agriculture - products:
|
sugarcane,
cotton, corn, tobacco, rice, citrus, pineapples, sorghum,
peanuts; cattle, goats, sheep |
|
Exports:
|
$905.6 million
f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
|
Exports - commodities:
|
soft drink
concentrates, sugar, wood pulp, cotton yarn, refrigerators,
citrus and canned fruit |
|
Exports - partners:
|
South Africa 72%,
EU 14.2%, Mozambique 3.7%, US 3.5% (1999) |
|
Imports:
|
$1.088 billion
f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
|
Imports - commodities:
|
motor vehicles,
machinery, transport equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum
products, chemicals |
|
Imports - partners:
|
South Africa
88.8%, EU 5.6%, Japan 0.6%, Singapore 0.4% (1999) |
|
Debt - external:
|
$320 million
(2002 est.) |
|
Economic aid - recipient:
|
$104 million
(2001) |
|
Currency:
|
lilangeni (SZL) |
|
Currency code:
|
SZL |
|
Exchange rates:
|
emalangeni per US
dollar - 7.56 (2003), 10.54 (2002), 8.61 (2001), 6.94 (2000),
6.11 (1999) |
|
Fiscal year:
|
1 April - 31
March |
|
Telephones - main lines in use:
|
40,000 (2004) |
|
Telephones - mobile cellular:
|
70,000 (2004) |
|
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 (2001) |
|
Television broadcast stations:
|
5 plus 7 relay
stations (2001) |
|
Internet country code:
|
.sz |
|
Internet hosts:
|
1,329 (2002) |
|
Internet users:
|
20,000 (2002) |
|
Railways:
|
total: 301
km
narrow gauge: 301 km 1.067-m gauge (2002) |
|
Highways:
|
total:
3,247 km
paved: NA
unpaved: NA (1998) |
|
Waterways:
|
none |
|
Ports and harbors:
|
none |
|
Airports:
|
18 (2003 est.) |
|
Airports - with paved runways:
|
total: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2003 est.) |
|
Airports - with unpaved runways:
|
total: 17
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 10 (2003 est.) |
|
Military branches:
|
Umbutfo Swaziland
Defense Force (Army, including Air Wing) |
|
Military manpower - availability:
|
males age
15-49: 289,985 (2004 est.) |
|
Military manpower - fit for military service:
|
males age
15-49: 168,257 (2004 est.) |
|
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
|
$29 million
(2003) |
|
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
|
1.8% (2003) |
|
Disputes - international:
|
none |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
|