2000 Edition

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.

Area

land

17,203 sq km

total

17,363 sq km

water

160 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than New Jersey

Climate

varies from tropical to near temperate

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Emlembe 1,862 m

lowest point

Great Usutu River 21 m

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

Geographic coordinates

26 30 S, 31 30 E

Geography - note

landlocked; almost completely surrounded by South Africa

Irrigated land

670 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries

border countries

Mozambique 105 km, South Africa 430 km

total

535 km

Land use

arable land

11%

forests and woodland

7%

other

20% (1993 est.)

permanent crops

0%

permanent pastures

62%

Location

Southern Africa, between Mozambique and South Africa

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

NA

Natural resources

asbestos, coal, clay, cassiterite, hydropower, forests, small gold and diamond deposits, quarry stone, and talc

Terrain

mostly mountains and hills; some moderately sloping plains

Age structure

0-14 years: 46% (male 245,626; female 247,825) 15-64 years: 52% (male 270,308; female 291,884) 65 years and over: 2% (male 11,357; female 16,289) (2000 est.)

Birth rate

40.64 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate

20.4 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Ethnic groups

African 97%, European 3%

Infant mortality rate

108.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Languages

English (official, government business conducted in English), siSwati (official)

Life expectancy at birth

female

41.37 years (2000 est.)

male

39.54 years

total population

40.44 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

75.6% (1995 est.)

male

78%

total population

76.7%

Nationality

adjective

Swazi

noun

Swazi(s)

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Population

1,083,289

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 2000 est.)

Population growth rate

2.02% (2000 est.)

Religions

Christian 60%, indigenous beliefs 40%

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: 0.7 male(s)/female

total population

0.95 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

5.87 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Administrative divisions

4 districts; Hhohho, Lubombo, Manzini, Shiselweni

Capital

Mbabane; note - Lobamba is the royal and legislative capital

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

Country name

conventional long form

Kingdom of Swaziland

conventional short form

Swaziland

Data code

WZ

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

404-6441 through 404-6445

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

3400 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Mary Madzandza KANYA

telephone

(202) 362-6683

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet recommended by the prime minister and confirmed by the monarch

chief of state

King MSWATI III (since 25 April 1986)

elections

none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch

head of government

Prime Minister Sibusiso Barnabas DLAMINI (since 9 August 1996)

FAX

(202) 244-8059

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

Government type

monarchy; independent member of Commonwealth

Independence

6 September 1968 (from UK)

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, PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

Judicial branch

High Court, judges are appointed by the monarch; Court of Appeal, judges are appointed by the monarch

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

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)

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

elections

House of Assembly - last held 16 and 24 October 1998 (next to be held NA 2003)

National holiday

Somhlolo (Independence) Day, 6 September (1968)

Political parties and leaders

Convention for Full Democracy in Swaziland or COFUDESWA ; Ngwane Socialist Revolutionary Party or NGWASOREP ; People's United Democratic Movement or PUDEMO ; Swaziland Communist Party or SWACOPA ; Swaziland Democratic Alliance (represents key opposition parties) ; Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions or SFTU ; Swaziland Liberation Front or FROLISA ; Swaziland National Front or SWANAFRO ; Swaziland Youth Congress or SWAYOCO (included in PUDEMO)

note

political parties are banned by the constitution promulgated on 13 October 1978; illegal parties are prohibited from holding large public gatherings

Suffrage

NA years of age

Agriculture - products

sugarcane, cotton, corn, tobacco, rice, citrus, pineapples, sorghum, peanuts; cattle, goats, sheep

Budget

expenditures

$450 million, including capital expenditures of $115 million (FY96/97)

revenues

$400 million

Currency

1 lilangeni (E) = 100 cents

Debt - external

$180 million (1999)

Economic aid - recipient

$55 million (1995)

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; 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 three-fourths of its exports. Remittances from Swazi workers in South African mines supplement domestically earned income by as much as 20%. The government is trying to improve the atmosphere for foreign investment. Overgrazing, soil depletion, and drought persist as problems for the future.

Electricity - consumption

1.078 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports

687 million kWh

note

imports about 60% of its electricity from South Africa (1998)

Electricity - production

420 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

48.81%

hydro

51.19%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (1998)

Exchange rates

emalangeni (E) per US$1 - 6.1237 (January 2000), 6.1087 (1999), 5.4807 (1998), 4.6032 (1997), 4.2706 (1996), 3.6266 (1995); note - the Swazi lilangeni is at par with the South African rand

Exports

$825 million (f.o.b., 1999)

Exports - commodities

soft drink concentrates, sugar, wood pulp, cotton yarn, refrigerators, citrus and canned fruit

Exports - partners

South Africa 74%, EU 12%, Mozambique 5%, US, North Korea (1997)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

GDP

purchasing power parity - $4.2 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

10%

industry

48%

services

42% (1997 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $4,200 (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

3.1% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Imports

$1.05 billion (f.o.b., 1999)

Imports - commodities

motor vehicles, machinery, transport equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals

Imports - partners

South Africa 83%, EU 6%, Japan, UK, Singapore (1997)

Industrial production growth rate

3.7% (FY95/96)

Industries

mining (coal and asbestos), wood pulp, sugar, soft drink concentrates

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

6% (1999 est.)

Labor force

NA

Labor force - by occupation

private sector about 70%, public sector about 30%

Population below poverty line

NA%

Unemployment rate

22% (1995 est.)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

2 (1999)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios

155,000 (1997)

Telephone system

domestic

system consists of carrier-equipped, open-wire lines and low-capacity, microwave radio relay

international

satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Telephones - main lines in use

20,000 (1996)

Telephones - mobile cellular

0 (1996)

Television broadcast stations

2 (plus seven repeaters) (1997)

Televisions

21,000 (1997)

Airports

18 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (1999 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

17 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 10 (1999 est.)

Highways

paved

NA km

total

2,896 km (1997 est.)

unpaved

NA km

Ports and harbors

none

Railways

narrow gauge

297 km 1.067-m gauge

total

297 km; note - includes 71 km which are not in use

Military branches

Umbutfo Swaziland Defense Force (Army), Royal Swaziland Police Force

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$23 million (FY95/96)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.9% (FY95/96)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 242,398 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 140,299 (2000 est.)

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

SWEDEN