* βeta
Swaziland
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.
Location :
Southern Africa, between Mozambique and South Africa
Geographic Coordinates Center :
26 30 S, 31 30 E (Latitude, Longtitude)
Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :
| West | 30.79 |
| North | -25.72 |
| East | 32.14 |
| South | -27.32 |
Map references :
Africa
Area :
| total | 17 364 | square km |
| land | 17 204 | square km |
| water | 160 | square km |
Land boundaries :
| total | 535 | km |
| Mozambique (mz) | 105 | km |
| South Africa (za) | 430 | km |
Coastline :
0.00 km
Climate :
varies from tropical to near temperate
Terrain :
mostly mountains and hills; some moderately sloping plains
Elevation extremes :
| lowest point | 21 | metres |
| highest point | 1 862 | metres |
Natural resources :
| asbestos | cassiterite |
| clay | coal |
| forests | hydropower |
Land use :
| arable land | 10.25 | % |
| permanent crops | 0.81 | % |
| other | 88.94 | % |
Irrigated land :
500 square km
Total renewable water resources :
4 cubic km
current issues :
limited supplies of potable water; wildlife populations being depleted because of excessive hunting; overgrazing; soil degradation; soil erosion
international agreements :
| Biodiversity | Climate Change |
| Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol | Desertification |
| Endangered Species | Hazardous Wastes |
| Law of the Sea | Ozone Layer Protection |
Population :
1 337 186
Indicators :
| Growth rate | 1.31 | % |
| Birth rate | 28.09 | births/1,000 population |
| Total fertility rate | 3.32 | children born/woman |
| Death rate | 15.03 | deaths/1,000 population |
Age structure :
| 0-14 years | 38.60 | % |
| 15-64 years | 57.90 | % |
| 65 years and over | 3.50 | % |
Median age :
| total | 18.80 | years |
| male | 18.20 | years |
| female | 19.50 | years |
Sex ratio :
| at birth | 1.03 | male(s)/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 |
Health :
| Infant mortality rate | 69.74 | deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth - total population | 47.85 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - male | 47.85 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - female | 47.85 | years |
| HIV-AIDS adult prevalence rate | 26.10 | % |
| HIV-AIDS people living with HIV-AIDS | 190 000 | |
| HIV-AIDS deaths | 10 000 |
Religions :
| Zionist | 40.00 | % |
| Roman Catholic | 20.00 | % |
| Muslim | 10.00 | % |
| other | 30.00 | % |
Languages :
| English | |
| Swati |
Literacy :
| total population | 81.60 | % |
| male | 82.60 | % |
| female | 80.80 | % |
Country name :
| conventional long form | Kingdom of Swaziland |
| conventional short form | Swaziland |
| local long form | Umbuso weSwatini |
| local short form | eSwatini |
Country Codes :
| ISO 3166 | SZ |
| ISO Numeric | 748 |
| ISO3 | SWZ |
| FIPS | WZ |
| ccTLD | sz |
| English | Swaziland |
Administrative divisions :
4 districts; Hhohho, Lubombo, Manzini, Shiselweni
Capital :
| name | Mbabane |
| geographic coordinates | 26 18 S, 31 06 E |
| time difference | 2.00 |
International organization participation :
| ACP | AU |
| AfDB | C |
| COMESA | FAO |
| G-77 | IBRD |
| ICAO | ICRM |
| IDA | IFAD |
| IFC | IFRCS |
| ILO | IMF |
| IMO | IOC |
| ISO (correspondent) | ITSO |
| ITU | ITUC |
| Interpol | MIGA |
| NAM | OPCW |
| PCA | SACU |
| SADC | UN |
| UNCTAD | UNESCO |
| UNIDO | UNWTO |
| UPU | WCO |
| WFTU | WHO |
| WIPO | WMO |
| WTO |
Independence :
1968-09-06
National holiday :
Independence Day
1968-09-06
Executive branch :
| King MSWATI III | Prime Minister Barnabas Sibusiso DLAMINI |
GDP - Gross Domestic product :
| PPP - Purchasing Power Parity | 5 872 000 000 | $ |
| Official Exchange Rate | 2 929 000 000 | |
| RGR - Real Growth rate | -0.40 | % |
| PPP - per capita | 4 400 | $ |
GDP Composition by sector :
| agriculture | 11.40 | % |
| industry | 44.60 | % |
| services | 44.00 | % |
Other Indicators :
| Unemployment rate | 40.00 | % |
| Population below poverty line | 69.00 | % |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 50.40 | |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 8.50 | % |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 21.80 | % of GDP |
| Current account balance | - 141 000 000 | $ |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 559 000 000 | $ |
| Debt external | 534 000 000 | $ |
| Market value of publicly traded shares | 203 100 000 | $ |
| Military expenditures | 4.70 | % of GDP |
Household income or consumption by percentage share :
| lowest 10% | 1.60 | % |
| highest 10% | 40.70 | % |
Budget :
| revenues | 592 200 000 | $ |
| expenditures | 694 800 000 | $ |
Agriculture - products :
| cattle | citrus |
| corn | cotton |
| goats | peanuts |
| pineapples | rice |
| sheep | sorghum |
| sugarcane | tobacco |
Industries :
| apparel | coal |
| soft drink concentrates | sugar |
| textiles | wood pulp |
Energy :
| Electricity Production | 441 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Consumption | 1 266 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Imports | 770 000 000 | kWh |
| Oil Consumption | 4 000 | bbl/day |
| Oil Imports | 4 100 | bbl/day |
Value :
1 570 000 000 $
Commodities :
| citrus and canned fruit | cotton yarn |
| refrigerators | soft drink concentrates |
| sugar | wood pulp |
Value :
1 643 000 000 $
Commodities :
| chemicals | foodstuffs |
| machinery | motor vehicles |
| petroleum products | transportation equipment |
Currency-code :
SZL
Currency-name :
lilangeni
Communications :
| Telephons Main lines in use | 44 000 | |
| Telephons Mobile, Cellular | 457 000 | |
| FM Radio broadcast stations | 2 | |
| Television broadcast stations | 12 | |
| Internet Country code (ccTLD) | sz | |
| Internet Hosts | 2 609 | |
| Internet Users | 48 200 |
Transportation :
| Airports with paved runways | 1 | |
| Roadways - total | 3 594 | km |
| Roadways - paved | 1 078 | km |
| Roadways - unpaved | 2 516 | km |
| Railways | 301 | km |
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