Background: Autonomy for the Swazis of southern Africa was guaranteed by the British in the late 19th century; independence was granted in 1968. Student and labor unrest during the 1990s pressured King MSWATI III the world's last absolute monarch to grudgingly allow political reform and greater democracy although he has backslid on these promises in recent years. A constitution came into effect in 2006 but political parties remain banned. The African United Democratic Party tried unsuccessfully to register as an official political party in mid 2006. Talks over the constitution broke down between the government and progressive groups in 2007. Swaziland recently surpassed Botswana as the country with the world's highest known HIV/AIDS prevalence rate.

Geographic coordinates: 26 30 S 31 30 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 17,363 km²
Land: 17,203 km²
Water: 160 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: 10.25%
Permanent crops: 0.81%
Other: 88.94% (2005)

Irrigated land: 500 km² (2003)

Total renewable water resources: 4.5 km³ (1987)

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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)
Growth rate: -0.41% (2008 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Swazi
Adjective: Swazi

Ethnic groups: African 97% European 3%

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

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

Age structure
0-14 years: 39.9% (male 226,947/female 222,922)
15-64 years: 56.5% (male 306,560/female 331,406)
65 years and over: 3.6% (male 15,594/female 25,385) (2008 est.)

Median age
Total: 18.7 years
Male: 18 years
Female: 19.4 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.41% (2008 est.)

Birth rate: 26.6 births/1000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 30.7 deaths/1000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate: NA (2008 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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
International agreements signed but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.02 male/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male/female
65 years and over: 0.61 male/female
Total population: 0.95 male/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 69.59 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 72.87 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 66.2 deaths/1000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 31.99 years
Male: 31.69 years
Female: 32.3 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.34 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 38.8% (2003 est.)
People living with hivaids: 220,000 (2003 est.)
Deaths: 17,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: intermediate
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne disease: malaria
Water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008)

Education expenditures: 7% of GDP (2005)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 81.6%
Male: 82.6%
Female: 80.8% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 10 years
Male: 10 years
Female: 10 years (2005)

Country name
Conventional long form: Kingdom of Swaziland
Conventional short form: Swaziland
Local long form: Umbuso weSwatini
Local short form: eSwatini

Government type: monarchy

Capital
Name: Mbabane
Geographic coordinates: 26 18 S, 31 06 E
Time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Note: Lobamba (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: signed by the King in July 2005 went into effect on 8 February 2006

Legal system: based on South African Roman-Dutch law in statutory courts and Swazi traditional law and custom in traditional courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage: 18 years of age

Executive branch
Chief of state: King MSWATI III (since 25 April 1986)
Head of government: Prime Minister Barnabas Sibusiso DLAMINI (since 16 October 2008)
Cabinet: Cabinet recommended by the prime minister and confirmed by the monarch
Elections: the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch from among the elected members of the House of Assembly

Legislative branch
Elections: House of Assembly - last held 19 September 2008 (next to be held in 2013)
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; Supreme Court; judges for both courts are appointed by the monarch

Political parties and leaders: the status of political parties previously banned is unclear under the new (2006) Constitution and currently being debated - the following are considered political associations; African United Democratic Party or AUDP [Stanley MAUNDZISA president]; Imbokodvo National Movement or INM; Ngwane National Liberatory Congress or NNLC [Obed DLAMINI president]; People's United Democratic Movement or PUDEMO [Mario MASUKU president]

International organization participation: ACP AfDB AU C COMESA FAO G-77 IBRD ICAO ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF Interpol IOC ISO (correspondent) ITSO ITU ITUC MIGA NAM OPCW PCA SACU SADC UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Ephraim Mandla HLOPHE
In the us chancery: 1712 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20,009
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 234-5,002
In the us fax: [1] (202) 234-8,254
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Maurice S. PARKER
From the us embassy: 2,350 Mbabane Place, Mbabane
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 199, Mbabane
From the us telephone: [268] 404-2,445
From the us fax: [268] 404-2,059

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 approximately 70% of the population. The manufacturing sector has diversified since the mid-1980s. Sugar and wood pulp remain important foreign exchange earners. In 2007 the sugar industry increased efficiency and diversification efforts in response to a 17% decline in EU sugar prices. Mining has declined in importance in recent years with only coal and quarry stone mines remaining active. Surrounded by South Africa except for a short border with Mozambique Swaziland is heavily dependent on South Africa from which it receives more than nine-tenths of its imports and to which it sends 60% of its exports. Swaziland's currency is pegged to the South African rand subsuming Swaziland's monetary policy to South Africa. Customs duties from the Southern African Customs Union which may equal as much as 70% of government revenue this year and worker remittances from South Africa substantially supplement domestically earned income. Swaziland is not poor enough to merit an IMF program; however the country is struggling to reduce the size of the civil service and control costs at public enterprises. The government is trying to improve the atmosphere for foreign investment. With an estimated 40% unemployment rate Swaziland's need to increase the number and size of small and medium enterprises and attract foreign direct investment is acute. Overgrazing soil depletion drought and sometimes floods persist as problems for the future. More than one-fourth of the population needed emergency food aid in 2006-07 because of drought and nearly two-fifths of the adult population has been infected by HIV/AIDS.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $5.364 billion (2007 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 2.3% (2007 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $4,700 (2007 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 11.8%
Industry: 45.7%
Services: 42.5% (2007 est.)

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

Industries: coal wood pulp sugar soft drink concentrates textiles and apparel

Industrial production growth rate: 1.1% (2007 est.)

Labor force: 300,000 (2006)
By occupation agriculture: NA%
By occupation industry: NA%
By occupation services: NA%

Unemployment rate: 40% (2006 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 1.6%
Highest 10: 40.7% (2001)

Distribution of family income gini index: 50.4 (2001)

Budget
Revenues: $1.13 billion
Expenditures: $1.143 billion (2007 est.)

Inflation rate consumer prices: 8.1% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate: 11% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 13.17% (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit: $204.1 million (31 December 2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares: $196.8 million (2005)

Current account balance: -$24 million (2007 est.)

Exports: $1.926 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Commodities: soft drink concentrates sugar wood pulp cotton yarn refrigerators citrus and canned fruit
Partners: South Africa 59.7% EU 8.8% US 8.8% Mozambique 6.2% (2006)

Imports: $1.914 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Commodities: motor vehicles machinery transport equipment foodstuffs petroleum products chemicals
Partners: South Africa 95.6% EU 0.9% Japan 0.9% (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $762.7 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt external: $524 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $N/A

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $N/A

Exchange rates: emalangeni per US dollar - 7.4 (2007) 6.85 (2006) 6.3593 (2005) 6.4597 (2004) 7.5648 (2003)

Electricity
Production: 460 million kWh (2007)
Consumption: 1.2 billion kWh (2007)
Exports: 0 kWh (2007)
Imports: 872 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2007)

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Consumption: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2006 est.)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 44,000 (2006)
Mobile cellular: 380,000 (2007)

Telephone system
General assessment: a somewhat modern but not an advanced system
Domestic: mobile-cellular subscribership is increasing; combined fixed-line and mobile cellular teledensity approaching 40 telephones per 100 persons; telephone system consists of carrier-equipped, open-wire lines and low-capacity, microwave radio relay
International: country code - 268; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Internet
Country code: .sz
Hosts: 2,582 (2008)
Users: 42,000 (2006)

Military expenditures: 4.7% of GDP (2006)

Military service age and obligation: 18-30 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)

Airports: 18 (2007)
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1 (2007)
With unpaved runways total: 17
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 7
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 10 (2007)

Railways
Total: 301 km
Narrow gauge: 301 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)

Roadways
Total: 3,594 km
Paved: 1,078 km
Unpaved: 2,516 km (2002)

Disputes international: in 2006 Swazi king advocates resort to ICJ to claim parts of Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal from South Africa