Population: 1,185,000 (est.)
Language(s): English, Swati
Capital: Lobamba (royal / legislative), Mbabane (administrative)
- The Swazi lilangeni is the official currency of Swaziland.
- 82.70% of the total population adheres to Christianity, making it the most common religion in Swaziland.
- Various Protestant and indigenous African churches, including African Zionist, constitute the majority of the Christians (40%), followed by Roman Catholicism at 20% of the population.
- There are also smaller numbers non-Christian religions practiced in the country such as Islam (0.95%), the Bahá’í Faith (0.5%), and Hinduism (0.15%).
- According to the CIA World Factbook, Swaziland has the lowest life expectancy in the world, with an average life expectancy of only 31.88 years.
- The nation, as well as its people, are named after the 19th century king Mswati II.
- Some 75% of the population are employed in subsistence farming, and 60% of the population live on less than the equivalent of US$1.25 per day.
- Many of Swaziland’s peasants make their living by growing marijuana.
- The HIV rate in the country is unprecedented and the highest in the world at 26.1% of adults, and over 50% of adults in their 20s.
- The climate of Swaziland varies from tropical to near temperate. The seasons are the reverse of those in the Northern Hemisphere with December being mid-summer and June mid-winter.
- Generally speaking, rain falls mostly during the summer months, often in the form of thunderstorms. Winter is the dry season.
Swaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland, and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique. The nation, as well as its people, are named after the 19th century king Mswati II.
Swaziland is a small country, no more than 200 kilometres (120 mi) north to south and 130 kilometres (81 mi) east to west. The western half is mountainous, descending to a lowveld region to the east. The eastern border with Mozambique and South Africa is dominated by the escarpment of the Lebombo Mountains. The climate is temperate in the west, but may reach 40 °C (104 °F) in summer in the lowveld. Rainfall occurs mainly in the summer and may reach 2 metres (6.6 ft) in the west.
The area that Swaziland now covers has been continuously inhabited since prehistory. Today, the population is primarily ethnic Swazis whose language is Swati, though English is spoken as a second language. The Swazi people descend from the southern Bantu who migrated from Central Africa in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Anglo-Boer War saw the United Kingdom make Swaziland a protectorate under its direct control. Swaziland gained independence in 1968. Swaziland is a member of the Southern African Development Community, the African Union, and the Commonwealth of Nations. The head of state is the king, who appoints the prime minister and a small number of representatives for both chambers of parliament. Elections are held every five years to determine the majority of the representatives. A new constitution was adopted in 2005.
Some 75% of the population are employed in subsistence farming, and 60% of the population live on less than the equivalent of US$1.25 per day. Swaziland’s main trading partner is South Africa, and its currency is pegged to the South African rand. Many of Swaziland’s peasants make their living by growing marijuana, which is sold to South Africa. Swaziland’s economic growth and societal integrity is highly endangered by its disastrous HIV epidemic, to an extent where the United Nations Development Program has written that if it continues unabated, the “longer term existence of Swaziland as a country will be seriously threatened.” The infection rate in the country is unprecedented and the highest in the world at 26.1% of adults, and over 50% of adults in their 20s. According to the CIA World Factbook, Swaziland has the lowest life expectancy in the world, with an average life expectancy of only 31.88 years.