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: 17,364 km²
Rank: 158
Land: 17,204 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 1862 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: 1,123,913
Rank: 156
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 2009 est.)
Growth rate: -0.459% (2009 est.)
Growth rate rank: 225
Below poverty line: 69% (2006)

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: 39.4%
15-64 years: 56.9% (male 308,251/female 331,623)
65 years and over: 3.7% (male 15,261/female 25,938) (2009 est.)

Median age
Total: 18.8 years
Male: 18.2 years
Female: 19.5 years (2009 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.459% (2009 est.)
Rank: 225

Birth rate: 26.25 births/1000 population (2009 est.)
Rank: 63

Death rate: 30.83 deaths/1000 population (July 2009 est.)
Rank: 1

Net migration rate: NA (2009 est.)

Urbanization
Urban population: 25% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 1.7% annual rate of change (2005-10 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(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 68.63 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 27
Male: 71.87 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 65.29 deaths/1000 live births (2009 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 31.99 years
Rank: 224
Male: 31.69 years
Female: 32.3 years (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.24 children born/woman (2009 est.)
Rank: 64

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 26.1% (2007 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 1
People living with hivaids: 190,000 (2007 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 33
Deaths: 10,000 (2007 est.)
Deaths rank: 32

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea hepatitis A and typhoid fever
Vectorborne disease: malaria
Water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2009)

Education expenditures: 7% of GDP (2005)
Rank: 23

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 the 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
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: bicameral Parliament or Libandla consists of the Senate (30 seats; 10 members appointed by the House of Assembly and 20 appointed by the monarch; to serve five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (65 seats; 10 members appointed by the monarch and 55 elected by popular vote; serve five-year terms)
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:
Rank: 155
Note: data are in 2008 US dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 135

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 151
Note: data are in 2008 US dollars

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 11.2%
Industry: 46%
Services: 42.8% (2008 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% (2008 est.)
Rank: 120

Labor force: 457,900 (2007)
Rank: 154
By occupation agriculture: NA%
By occupation industry: NA%
By occupation services: NA%

Unemployment rate: 40% (2006 est.)
Rank: 186

Population below poverty line: 69% (2006)

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)
Rank: 22

Budget
Revenues: $1.055 billion
Expenditures: $1.083 billion (2008 est.)

Inflation rate consumer prices: 8.1% (2007 est.)
Rank: 183

Central bank discount rate: 11% (31 December 2007)
Rank: 33

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 13.17% (31 December 2007)
Rank: 58

Stock of domestic credit: $204.1 million (31 December 2007)
Rank: 126

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 106

Current account balance: $4 million (2007 est.)
Rank: 68

Exports: $1.95 billion (2007 est.)
Rank: 135
Commodities: soft drink concentrates sugar wood pulp cotton yarn refrigerators citrus and canned fruit

Imports: $1.926 billion (2007 est.)
Rank: 153
Commodities: motor vehicles machinery transport equipment foodstuffs petroleum products chemicals

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $774.2 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Rank: 133

Debt external: $524 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Rank: 163

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

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $N/A

Exchange rates: emalangeni per US dollar - 7.75 (2008 est.) 7.4 (2007) 6.85 (2006) 6.3593 (2005) 6.4597 (2004)

Electricity
Production: 441 million kWh (2007 est.)
Production rank: 162
Consumption: 1.266 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Consumption rank: 143
Exports: 0 kWh (2008)
Imports: 770 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2008 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Production rank: 111
Consumption: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Consumption rank: 119
Exports: 0 m³ (2008)
Exports rank: 86
Imports: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Imports rank: 111
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2009 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 119

Telephones
Main lines in use: 44,000 (2008)
Main lines in use rank: 167
Mobile cellular: 457,000 (2008)
Mobile cellular rank: 157

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 45 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: 2,609 (2009)
Hosts rank: 144
Users: 48,200 (2008)
Users rank: 171

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

Airports: 14 (2009)
Rank: 148
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1 (2009)
With unpaved runways total: 13
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 6
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 7 (2009)

Railways
Total: 301 km
Rank: 122
Narrow gauge: 301 km 1.067-m gauge (2008)

Roadways
Total: 3,594 km
Rank: 160
Paved: 1078 km
Unpaved: 2,516 km (2002)