‪Swaziland‬
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - 05/2014

Swaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland and sometimes called kaNgwane or Eswatini, is a sovereign state in Southern Africa surrounded – with the exception of Mozambique to its east – by South Africa.

It and its ethnic people take their names from Mswati II, the 19th-century king under whose rule Swazi territory was expanded and unified.

Swaziland is one of the smallest countries in Africa.

It is no more than 200 kilometres (120 mi) north to south and 130 kilometres (81 mi) east to west.

Regardless, the country has a very diverse topography of varying climate with a cool and mountainous highveld and a hot and dry lowveld.

The population is primarily ethnic Swazis whose language is siSwati. 

They established their kingdom in the mid 18th century under the leadership of Ngwane III. 

The present boundaries were drawn up in 1881.

After the Anglo-Boer War, Swaziland was a British protectorate from 1903 until 1967, gaining independence on 6 September 1968.

The country is a monarchy, currently ruled by King (Ngwenyama) Mswati III.

The king is head of state and appoints the prime minister and a number of representatives of both chambers of parliament.

Elections are held every five years to determine the majority of the house of assembly.

The current constitution was adopted in 2005.

Swaziland is a member of the Southern African Development Community, the African Union, and the Commonwealth of Nations.

Swaziland is a lower-middle-income country with a GDP per capita of $6,367.

With membership in the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) and COMESA, her main trading partners are South Africa, United States, European Union, and her currency, the Lilangeni, is pegged to the South African Rand.

The agriculture and manufacturing sectors of the country's economy are responsible for the majority of employment.

The Swazi population faces major health issues. HIV/AIDS, and to a lesser extent, TB are the main health challenges. As of year 2013 Swaziland has an estimated life expectancy of 50 years.

The population of Swaziland is fairly young with a median age of 20.5 years with people 14 years old and below making up 37.4% of the total population. The present population growth rate is 1.195%.

Swaziland is well known for its culture.

Umhlanga, held in the month of August/September and incwala the dance of the kingship held in December/January are the most important national events.

Kingdom of Swaziland - Umbuso we Swatini

Motto: 
"Siyinqaba" (Swati)
"We are a fortress"
"We are a mystery/riddle"
"We hide ourselves away"

Anthem: 
Nkulunkulu Mnikati wetibusiso temaSwati
Oh God, Bestower of the Blessings of the Swazi

Capital: 
• Lobamba (royal / legislative)
• Mbabane (administrative / 26°19′S 31°8′E)

Largest city: Mbabane

Official languages: siSwati English

Demonym: Swazi

Government: Unitary parliamentary absolute monarchy
• King: King Mswati III
• Ndlovukati: Queen Ntombi
• Prime Minister: 

Legislature: Parliament of Swaziland
• Upper house: Senate
• Lower house: House of Assembly

Independence from Britain: 6 September 1968 

Area:
• Total: 17,364 km2 (157th) - 6,704 sq mi
• Water (%): 0.9

Population: 
2014 estimate 1.106,000 (154th) - 2007 census 1,018,449
Density: 68.2/km2 (135th) - 176.8/sq mi

GDP (PPP): 2014 estimate
• Total: $7.039 billion
• Per capita: $6,367

Currency: South African rand, Swazi lilangeni (SZL)
Time zone: SAST (UTC+2)
Drives on the left
Calling code: +268
ISO 3166 code: SZ
Internet TLD: .sz