Swaziland — map and facts

About Eswatini

Eswatini is a small landlocked kingdom in Southern Africa with a population of approximately 1.2 million people. It is one of only three remaining absolute monarchies in the world; King Mswati III has reigned since 1986 and holds sweeping executive powers. The capital is split between Mbabane, the administrative capital, and Lobamba, the royal and legislative capital. Political parties are banned under the tinkhundla system of governance, in which candidates stand as individuals rather than as party members. The official languages are Swati and English. The economy depends on manufacturing, sugar production, and soft drink concentrate, with the country serving as a production hub for several multinational companies due to its preferential trade access to certain markets. Tourism, particularly ecotourism, is a growing sector. Eswatini has one of the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in the world, which has significantly affected life expectancy and demographic structure. The country is a member of the Southern African Customs Union and the Common Monetary Area, with its currency, the lilangeni, pegged to the South African rand.

Geography and Landscape

Eswatini covers approximately 17,364 square kilometres, making it one of the smallest countries in Africa. It is surrounded by South Africa on three sides and shares its eastern border with Mozambique. The country is divided into four distinct geographic regions running roughly north to south. The Highveld in the west is the most elevated, with altitudes generally between 1,000 and 1,800 metres; Emlembe Peak near the northwestern border with South Africa reaches 1,862 metres, the country's highest point. The Middleveld, a transitional zone in the centre, averages around 700 metres and is the most densely populated and agriculturally productive region. The Lowveld in the east is hot, flat, and drier, averaging about 250 metres in elevation and dominated by savanna vegetation and sugar cane plantations. The Lubombo Plateau forms the eastern edge, a narrow ridge rising to about 600 metres overlooking Mozambique. The Usuthu and Mbuluzi rivers drain the country eastward toward Mozambique. The climate ranges from subtropical highland in the west to hot and semi-arid in the Lowveld.

History

The Swazi people trace their origins to a Bantu-speaking group that migrated southward from the Great Lakes region of Central Africa several centuries ago. The Dlamini clan established dominance and the Swazi kingdom consolidated under King Sobhuza I in the early nineteenth century and was further strengthened by his son Mswati II, after whom the Swazi people and the country are named. The discovery of gold and growing settler pressure in the late nineteenth century led to increasing encroachment. Eswatini became a British protectorate in 1903 after the Second Anglo-Boer War and was administered as a High Commission Territory alongside Basutoland and Bechuanaland. Full independence was achieved on 6 September 1968, with Sobhuza II as king. In 1973 Sobhuza II suspended the constitution and banned political parties, establishing the tinkhundla system of indirect rule. Upon his death in 1982, the longest-reigning monarch on record, a regency period preceded the accession of his son Mswati III in 1986. In 2018, Mswati III renamed the country from Swaziland to Eswatini on the fiftieth anniversary of independence. Calls for democratic reform have persisted and led to unrest in 2021.