Swaziland

The Kingdom of Swaziland is a small, landlocked country in southern Africa (one of the smallest on the continent), situated on the eastern slope of the Drakensberg mountains, embedded between South Africa in the west and Mozambique in the east. The country is named after the Swazi, a Bantu tribe. Due in part to a high rate of HIV infection, Swaziland has the world's lowest life expectancy, 32.62 years.

History

Main article: History of Swaziland

Human remains and artifacts from more than 100,000 years ago have been found in Swaziland. The earliest inhabitants of the area were Khoisan hunter-gatherers. They were largely replaced by Bantu tribes during Bantu migrations. Evidence of agriculture and iron use dates from about the 4th century, and people speaking languages ancestral to current Sotho and Nguni languages began settling no later than the 11th century. The ruling Dlamini lineage had chiefships in the region in the 18th century. An enlarged Swazi kingdom was established by Sobhuza I in the early 19th century. Soon thereafter the first whites started to settle in the area. In the 1890s the South African Republic in the Transvaal claimed sovereignty over Swaziland but never fully established power. After the South African War of 1899–1902, Swaziland became a British protectorate. The country was eventually granted independence on September 6, 1968. Since then, Swaziland has seen a struggle between pro-democracy activists and the totalitarian monarchy.

Politics

The head of state is the king, who since 1986 has been King Mswati III. By tradition, the king reigns along with his mother (the Indlovukazi, lit. Great She-Elephant), the former viewed as the administrative head of state and the latter as a spiritual and national head of state. As the monarch, the king not only appoints the prime minister — the head of government — but also appoints a small number of representatives for both chambers of the Libandla (parliament). The Senate consists of 30 members, while the House of Assembly has 65 seats, 55 of which are occupied by elected representatives (elections are held every 5 years in November).

The 1968 constitution was suspended in 1973 in a State of Emergency decree presumably still in force today, though the government claims that it has been dissolved. In 2001 King Mswati III appointed a committee to draft a new constitution. Drafts were released for comment in May 2003 and November 2004. However they were strongly criticised by civil society organizations in Swaziland and human rights organisations elsewhere. In 2005, the constitution was put into to effect though there is still much debate in the country about that issue.

King Mswati III is often criticized for living so lavishly in a nation that is afflicted by the world's highest HIV infection rates. His fleet of luxury cars, and the millions spent towards refurbishing his numerous wives' luxury mansions, are at odds with the approximately 34 percent of the nation that stand unemployed, nearly 70 percent of which live on less than a dollar a day, and with around 39 percent of adults who are afflicted by HIV.

Districts

Main article: Districts of Swaziland

Swaziland is divided into four districts:

Geography

Main article: Geography of Swaziland

Swaziland offers a wide variety of landscapes, from the mountains along the Mozambican border to savannas in the east and rainforest in the northwest. Several rivers flow through the country, such as the Lusutfu River. With 50,000 inhabitants, the capital city - Mbabane - is the largest town in the nation; others include Manzini, Lobamba and Siteki.

Labour

Swaziland is in the process or formulating an Action Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour, which is expected to be adopted in the period 2006-2007.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Swaziland

Music of Swaziland

External links

Government

Swaziland Government official government site
Ministry of Tourism official site

News

African News Dimension
Times of Swaziland newspaper

Overviews

BBC News - Country Profile: Swaziland
CIA World Factbook - Swaziland
Open Directory Project - Swaziland directory category

US State Department - Swaziland includes Background Notes, Country Study and major reports

Tourism

Other

Online documentary about King Mswati III
Matsapha Airport information
Friends of Swaziland, returned Peace Corps volunteer group
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natan_Gamedze Nathan Gamzede, Swazi Prince and Orthodox Rabbi
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/wz.html

African Union member states | Landlocked countries | Swaziland | English speaking countries

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