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.

Geographic coordinates: 26 30 S 31 30 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 17,363 km²
Water: 160 km²
Land: 17,203 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than New Jersey

Land boundaries
Total: 535 km
Border countries: (2) Mozambique 105 km; , South Africa 430 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (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
Extremes 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 km² (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: drought

Geography
Note: landlocked; almost completely surrounded by South Africa

Population
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 2002 est.)
Growth rate: 1.63% (2002 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Swazi
Adjective: Swazi

Ethnic groups: African 97% European 3%

Languages: English (official government business conducted in English) siSwati (official)

Religions: Zionist (a blend of Christianity and indigenous ancestral worship) 40% Roman Catholic 20% Muslim 10% Anglican Bahai Methodist Mormon Jewish and other 30%

Age structure
0-14 years: 45.5% (male 254,573; female 256,677)
15-64 years: 51.9% (male 281,645; female 301,071)
65 years and over: 2.6% (male 12,027; female 17,612) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.63% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 39.59 births/1000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 23.26 deaths/1000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2002 est.)

Environment
Current issues: limited supplies of potable water; wildlife populations being depleted because of excessive hunting; overgrazing; soil degradation; soil erosion
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection
International agreements signed but not ratified: Desertification, Law of the Sea

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 0.99 male/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male/female
Total population: 0.95 male/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 109.43 deaths/1000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 37 years
Female: 37.66 years (2002 est.)
Male: 36.35 years

Total fertility rate: 5.77 children born/woman (2002 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 35.6% (2002 est.)
People living with hivaids: 212,000 (2002 est.)
Deaths: 7,100 (1999 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 78.3%
Male: 78%
Female: 78.4% (1999 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

Suffrage: 18 years of age

Executive branch
Chief of state: King MSWATI III (since 25 April 1986)
Head of government: Prime Minister Sibusiso Barnabas DLAMINI (since 9 August 1996)
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
Elections: House of Assembly - last held 16 and 24 October 1998 (next to be held NA 2003)
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 Libertatory Congress or NNLC [Obed DLAMINI president]; People's United Democratic Movement or PUDEMO [Mario MASUKU president]; Swaziland National Front or SWANAFRO [Elmond SHONGWE president]

International organization participation: ACP AfDB C CCC ECA FAO G-77 IBRD ICAO ICFTU ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF Interpol IOC ISO (correspondent) ITU NAM OAU OPCW PCA SACU SADC UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Mary Madzandza KANYA
In the us fax: [1] (202) 244-8,059
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 362-6,683
In the us chancery: 3,400 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20,008
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador James D. McGEE
From the us embassy: Central Bank Building, Warner Street, Mbabane
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 199, Mbabane

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

Economy overview: In this small landlocked economy subsistence agriculture occupies more than 80% of the population. Manufacturing features a number of agroprocessing factories. Mining has declined in importance in recent years: diamond mines have shut down because of the depletion of easily accessible reserves; 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 nine-tenths of its imports and to which it sends more than two-thirds of its exports. Remittances from the Southern African Customs Union and Swazi workers in South African mines 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. Prospects for 2002 are strengthened by the country's status as a beneficiary of the US African Growth and Opportunity Act initiative.

Real gdp growth rate: 2.5% (2001 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $4,200 (2001 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 10%
Industry: 43%
Services: 47% (1999 est.)

Agriculture products: sugarcane cotton corn tobacco rice citrus pineapples sorghum peanuts; cattle goats sheep

Industries: mining (coal) wood pulp sugar soft drink concentrates textile and apparel

Industrial production growth rate: 3.7% (FY95/96)

Labor force: NA
By occupation: NA

Unemployment rate: 34% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Budget
Revenues: $448 million
Expenditures: $506.9 million, including capital expenditures of $147 million (FY01/02 )

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices: 7.5% (2001 est.)

Exports: $702 million f.o.b. (2001)
Commodities: soft drink concentrates sugar wood pulp cotton yarn refrigerators citrus and canned fruit
Partners: South Africa 72% EU 12% UK 6% Mozambique 4% US 4% (1999)

Imports: $850 million f.o.b. (2001)
Commodities: motor vehicles machinery transport equipment foodstuffs petroleum products chemicals
Partners: South Africa 89% EU 5% Japan 2% Singapore 2% (2000)

Debt external: $336 million (2001 est.)

Exchange rates: emalangeni per US dollar - 11.5808 (January 2002) 8.4933 (2001) 6.9056 (2000) 6.1087 (1999) 5.4807 (1998) 4.6032 (1997); note - the Swazi lilangeni is at par with the South African rand; emalangeni is the plural form of lilangeni

Electricity
Production: 362 million kWh (2000)
Production by source fossil fuel: 56%
Production by source other: 0% (2000)
Production by source hydro: 44%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Consumption: 900.66 million kWh (2000)
Exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Imports note: supplied by South Africa (2000)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 38,500 (2001)
Mobile cellular: 45,000 (2001)

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: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Internet
Country code: .sz
Service providers isps: 6 (2001)
Users: 14,000 (2002)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $20 million (FY01/02)
Percent of gdp: 4.75% (FY00/01)

Airports: 18 (2001)
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1 (2002)
With unpaved runways total: 17
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 7
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 10 (2002)

Railways
Total: 297 km
Narrow gauge: 297 km 1.067-m gauge
Note: includes 71 km which are not in use (2001)

Waterways: none

Disputes international: Swaziland continues to press South Africa into ceding ethnic Swazi lands in Kangwane region of KwaZulu-Natal province that were long ago part of the Swazi Kingdom