1987 Edition

Climate

temperate; mild winters and cool summers

varies from tropical to near temperate

Coastline

70 km

Comparative area

slightly more than half the size of Washington, D.C.

Continental shelf

200 meters or to depth of exploitation

Environment

about 30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier

overgrazing; soil degradation; soil erosion

Exclusive fishing zone

200 nm

Land boundaries

435 km total

Land use

NA% arable land; NA% permanent crops; NA% meadows and pastures; NA% forest and woodland; NA% other; about 58% of land under cultivation

8% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 67% meadows and pastures; 6% forest and woodland; 19% other; includes 2% irrigated

Special notes

largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; 27 km from France

landlocked; almost an enclave of South Africa

Terrain

gently rolling plain with low rugged hills along north coast

mostly mountains and hills; some moderately sloping plains

Territorial sea

3 nm

Total area

117 km?; land area: 117 km?

Ethnic divisions

UK and Norman-French descent

96% African, 3% European, 1% mulatto

Infant mortality rate

156/1,000 (1982)

Labor force

195,000; over 60,000 engaged in subsistence agriculture; 55,000-60,000 wage earners, many only iutermittently, with 86% agriculture and forestry, 20% community and social services, 14% manufacturing, 9% construction, 21% other; 12,000 employed in South Africa (1982)

Language

English and French (official), with the Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts

English and siSwati (official); government business conducted in English

Life expectancy

men 46.8, women 50.0

Literacy

probably high

65%

Nationality

noun—Channel Islander(s); adjective—Channel Islander

noun—Swazi(s); adjective— Swazi

Organized labor

about 15% of wage earners are unionized

Population

80,511 July 1987), average annual growth rate 0.91%

715,160 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 2.75%

Religion

Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational New Church, Methodist, Presbyterian

57% Christian, 43% indigenous beliefs

Administrative divisions

12 parishes

4 administrative districts

Branches

the Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief is the personal representative of the Crown and is entitled to sit and speak in the Assembly of the States (legislature) but not vote; the Assembly is presided over by the Bailiff who has a right of dissent and a casting vote; it consists of 12 senators (elected for six years), 12 constables (triennial), and 29 deputies (triennial); the Crown is ultimately responsible for the island’s good government

constitution was repealed and Parliament dissolved by King Sobhuza II (deceased August 1982) in April 1973; new bicameral Parliament (Senate, House of Assembly) formally opened in January 1979; 80-member electoral college chose 40 members of lower house and 10 members of upper house; additional 10 members for each house chosen by King; executive authority vested in the King or Queen (with the advice of the Supreme Council of State), whose assent is required before parliamentary acts become law; King’s authority exercised through Prime Minister and Cabinet who must be members of Parliament; judiciary is part of Ministry of Justice but otherwise independent of executive and legislative branches; cases from subordinate courts can be appealed to the High Court and the Court of Appeal

Capital

Mbabane (administrative); Lobamba (legislative capital)

Communists

probably none

no Communist party

Government leaders

Adm. Sir William PILLAR, Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief (since 1985); Peter CRILL, Bailiff, President of the Assembly of the States and the Royal Court (since 1975)

MSWATI II, King (since April 1986); Ntombi THWALA, Queen (and co-Monarch), Sotsha Ernest DLAMINI, Prime Minister (since October 1986)

Legal system

English law and local statute; justice is administered by the Royal Court

based on South African Roman-Dutch law in statutory courts, Swazi traditional law and custom in traditional courts; has not accepted compulsory IC) jurisdiction

Member of

AfDB, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTERPOL, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, Southern African Customs Union, SADCC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO

National holiday

Birthday of the Queen, 16 June

Somhlolo (Independence) Day, 6 September

Official name

Bailiwick of Jersey

Kingdom of Swaziland

Suffrage

universal adult

universal for adults

Type

British crown dependency Capital; Saint Helier

monarchy; independent member of Commonwealth since September 1968

Agriculture

potatoes, cauliflowers, tomatoes; dairy and cattle farming

maize, cotton, rice, sugar, and citrus fruits

Aid

Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF (1970-84), $369 million; US (FY70-85), $90 million

Budget

revenues, 143,680 million pounds; expenditures, 115,902 million pounds (1983)

revenues, $204 million; current expenditures, $149 million (1984/85 est.)

Electric power

50,000 kW standby capacity (1986); power supplied by France

46,000 kW capacity; 120 million kWh produced, 170 kWh per capita (1986)

Exports

19.8 million pounds sterling (1983); light industry, electrical manufacturing, textiles

$174 million (f.o.b., 1985); sugar, asbestos, wood and forest products, citrus, and canned fruit

Fiscal year

31 April-1May

1 April-3] March

GNP

about $478 million, $730 per capita; real growth 11% (1984)

Imports

machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, mineral fuels, chemicals

$322 million (f.0.b., 1985); motor vehicles, chemicals, petroleum products, and foodstuffs

Major industries

tourism, banking and finance

Major industry

mining, pulping

Major trade partners

UK

South Africa, UK, US; member of South African Customs Union

Monetary conversion rate

.70 Jersey pound=.70 pound sterling=US$1 (November 1986)

the Swazi lilangeni exchanges at par with the South African rand; 2.2 emalangeni=US$I (29 January 1986)

Natural resources

asbestos, coal, clay, tin, diamonds, hydroelelectric power, forests

Airfields

| total, 1 usable with permanentsurface runways 1,220-2,439 m (St. Peter)

25 total, 25 usable; 1 with permanent-surfaced runways; 1 with runways 2,440-8,659, 1 with runways J,220-2,439 m

Civil air

1 major transport aircraft

Highways

2,853 km total; 510 km paved, 1,230 km crushed stone, gravel, or stabilized soil, and 1,118 km improved earth

Ports

Saint Helier, Gorey, St. Aubin

Railroads

none

515 km 1.067-meter gauge, single track

Telecommunications

telephones in service, 61,400 (80.9 per 100 popl.); 1 radio station, 1 TV station with 4 channels

system consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines and low capacity radio-relay links; 15,400 telephones (2.3 per 100 popl.); 6 AM, 6 FM, 11 TV stations; Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT station

Branches

Umbutfo Swaziland Defense Force, Royal Swaziland Police Force

Military manpower

males 15-49, 151,000; 87,000 fit for military service