Eswatini

Kingdom of Eswatini
Umbuso weSwatini (Swazi)
Motto: 
"Siyinqaba" (Swazi)
"We are a fortress"
"We are a mystery"
"We hide ourselves away"
"We are powerful ones"
Anthem: 
"Nkulunkulu Mnikati wetibusiso temaSwati"
"Oh God, Giver of Blessings to the Swazi"
Location of Eswatini (red)
Location of Eswatini (red)
Capital

26°30′S 31°30′E / 26.500°S 31.500°E / -26.500; 31.500
Largest cityMbabane
Official languages
Ethnic groups
(2017)
Religion
(2017)
  • 7.4% no religion
  • 2.5% traditional faiths
  • 0.8% others[1][2]
Demonym(s)Swazi[a]
GovernmentUnitary absolute monarchy
• King
Mswati III
Ntfombi
Russell Dlamini
Bheki Maphalala
LegislatureParliament
• Upper house
Senate
• Lower house
House of Assembly
Independence from the United Kingdom
• Independence granted
6 September 1968
24 September 1968
2005[3][4][5]
• Renaming
19 April 2018
Area
• Total
17,364 km2 (6,704 sq mi) (153rd)
• Water (%)
0.9
Population
• 2023 estimate
1,236,126 [6] (155th)
• 2017 census
1,093,238[7]
• Density
66.8/km2 (173.0/sq mi) (135th)
GDP (PPP)2023 estimate
• Total
Increase $13.797 billion[8] (158th)
• Per capita
Increase $11,858[8] (113th)
GDP (nominal)2023 estimate
• Total
Decrease $4.648 billion[8] (168th)
• Per capita
Decrease $3,995[8] (122nd)
Gini (2016)Negative increase 54.6[9]
high inequality
HDI (2022)Decrease 0.610[10]
medium (142nd)
Currency
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Drives onleft
Calling code+268
ISO 3166 codeSZ
Internet TLD.sz
Website
www.gov.sz
Swati (Swazi)
PersonliSwati
PeopleemaSwati
LanguagesiSwati
CountryeSwatini

Eswatini (/ˌɛswɑːˈtiːni/ ⓘ ESS-wah-TEE-nee; Swazi: eSwatini [ɛswáˈtʼiːni]), formally the Kingdom of Eswatini and also known by its former official name Swaziland (/ˈswɑːzilænd/ ⓘ SWAH-zee-land) and formerly the Kingdom of Swaziland,[11][12] is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its north, west, south, and southeast. At no more than 200 km (120 mi) north to south and 130 km (81 mi) east to west, Eswatini is one of the smallest countries in Africa; despite this, its climate and topography are diverse, ranging from a cool and mountainous highveld to a hot and dry lowveld.

The population is composed primarily of ethnic Swazis. The prevalent language is Swazi (siSwati in native form). The Swazis established their kingdom in the mid-18th century under the leadership of Ngwane III.[13] The country and the Swazi take their names from Mswati II, the 19th-century king under whose rule the country was expanded and unified; its boundaries were drawn up in 1881 in the midst of the Scramble for Africa.[14] After the Second Boer War, the kingdom, under the name of Swaziland, was a British high commission territory from 1903 until it regained its full independence on 6 September 1968.[15] In April 2018, the official name was changed from Kingdom of Swaziland to Kingdom of Eswatini, mirroring the name commonly used in Swazi.[12][16][17]

Eswatini is a developing country that is classified as having a lower-middle income economy. As a member of the Southern African Customs Union and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, its main local trading partner is South Africa; to ensure economic stability, Eswatini's currency, the lilangeni, is pegged to the South African rand. Eswatini's major overseas trading partners are the United States[18] and the European Union.[19] The majority of the country's employment is provided by its agricultural and manufacturing sectors. Eswatini is a member of the Southern African Development Community, the African Union, the Commonwealth of Nations, and the United Nations.

The government is an absolute monarchy, the last of its kind in Africa,[20] and has been ruled by King Mswati III since 1986.[21][22] Elections are held every five years to determine the House of Assembly and the Senate majority, but political parties are prohibited from running.[23] Its constitution was adopted in 2005. Umhlanga, the reed dance held in August/September,[24] and incwala, the kingship dance held in December/January, are the nation's most important events.[25] The Swazi population faces major health issues: HIV/AIDS and (to a lesser extent) tuberculosis is widespread.[26][27] Twenty-eight percent of the adult population is HIV-positive.[28] As of 2018, Eswatini has the 12th-lowest life expectancy in the world, at 58 years.[29] The population of Eswatini is young. As of 2018, people aged 14 years or younger constitute 35% of the country's population and the median age is 22 years.[30]

  1. ^ "The 2017 Population and Housing Census Volume 3" (PDF). Central Statistics Office. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Eswatini".
  3. ^ "Laws" (PDF). wipo.int. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  4. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2019. Retrieved 29 September 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ^ "Constitution" (PDF). gov.sz. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  6. ^ "Population, total – Eswatini". The World Bank Group. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  7. ^ "Swaziland Releases Population Count from 2017 Census". United Nations Population Fund. Archived from the original on 7 August 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  8. ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (Eswatini)". IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. 10 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  9. ^ "Gini Index coefficient". CIA Factbook. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  10. ^ "Specific country data".
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference KingdEswatini was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Bonner, Philip (1982). Kings, Commoners and Concessionaires. Great Britain: Cambridge University Press. pp. 9–27. ISBN 0521242703.
  14. ^ Kuper, Hilda (1986). The Swazi: A South African Kingdom. Holt, Rinehart and Winston. pp. 9–10.
  15. ^ Gillis, Hugh (1999). The Kingdom of Swaziland: Studies in Political History. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 0313306702.
  16. ^ "Swaziland facts and guide as the country renamed the Kingdom of Eswatini". How Dare She. 20 April 2018. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  17. ^ "UN Member States". United Nations. 30 May 2018. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  18. ^ "Swaziland | Office of the United States Trade Representative". Ustr.gov. Archived from the original on 20 July 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  19. ^ "Swaziland". Comesaria.org. Archived from the original on 10 October 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  20. ^ Staff (29 June 2021). "Armed forces open fire in crackdown on anti-monarchy protests in Eswatini". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  21. ^ Tofa, Moses (16 May 2013). "Swaziland: Wither absolute monarchism?". Pambazuka News. No. 630. Archived from the original on 19 October 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  22. ^ "Swaziland: Africa′s last absolute monarchy". Deutsche Welle. 14 July 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  23. ^ Eligon, John; Silva, Joao (17 February 2024). "The Father, the Son and the Fight Over Their King". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  24. ^ "Cultural Resources – Swazi Culture – The Umhlanga or Reed Dance". Swaziland National Trust Commission. Archived from the original on 28 August 2009. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  25. ^ [email protected]. "Cultural Resources – Swazi Culture – The Incwala or Kingship Ceremony". Swaziland National Trust Commission. Archived from the original on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  26. ^ "Projects : Swaziland Health, HIV/AIDS and TB Project". The World Bank. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  27. ^ Swaziland: Dual HIV and Tuberculosis Epidemic Demands Urgent Action updated 18 November 2010
  28. ^ "Eswatini 2021 Country Factsheet". UNAIDS. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  29. ^ "The Economist explains: Why is Swaziland's king renaming his country?". The Economist. 30 April 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  30. ^ "Swaziland Demographics Profile 2013". Indexmundi.com. 21 February 2013. Retrieved 19 August 2021.


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