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Swaziland
Kingdom of Swaziland Umbuso weSwatini
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 Location of Swaziland (dark blue) – in Africa (light blue & dark grey) | |
| Capital | Lobamba (royal and legislative) Mbabane (administrative; coordinates below) |
| Official languages | English Swati |
| Demonym(s) | Swazi |
| Government | Unitary parliamentary constitutional and absolute monarchy |
• Monarch | King Mswati III |
| Queen Ntombi | |
| Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini | |
| Themba N. Masuku | |
| Legislature | Parliament of Swaziland |
| Senate | |
| House of Assembly | |
| Independence | |
• from British protection | 6 September 1968 |
| Area | |
• Total | 17,364 km2 (6,704 sq mi) (157th) |
• Water (%) | 0.9 |
| Population | |
• 2009 estimate | 1,185,000[1] (154th) |
• 2007 census | 1,018,449 |
• Density | 68.2/km2 (176.6/sq mi) (135th) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2011 estimate |
• Total | $6.233 billion[2] |
• Per capita | $5,302[2] |
| GDP (nominal) | 2011 estimate |
• Total | $3.947 billion[2] |
• Per capita | $3,358[2] |
| Gini | 60.9 very high |
| HDI (2011) |  0.522[3]low · 140th |
| Currency | Lilangeni (SZL) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Driving side | left |
| Calling code | +268 |
| ISO 3166 code | SZ |
| Internet TLD | .sz |
Estimates for the country take into account the effects of mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected. | |
Swaziland is a country in Africa. It is officially the Kingdom of Swaziland (Umbuso weSwatini), and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini. Its capital is Mbabane. The country is named after the 19th century king Mswati II.
Swaziland is a small country. It is no more than 200 kilometres (120 mi) north to south and 130 kilometres (81 mi) east to west. It is completely surrounded by land. Swaziland does not touch the sea. The two countries that touch it are Mozambique and South Africa.
Health
Swaziland is strongly affected by HIV and AIDS. The 2012 CIA World Factbook showed Swaziland with the highest HIV infection rate in the world. It also showed the lowest life expectancy at 31 years.
Education
Education in Swaziland is free at primary level, mainly 1st and 2nd grades. It is also free for orphaned and vulnerable children. Children are not required to attend.[4] In 1996, the primary school enrollment rate was 90.8%. Girls and boys both attended at the primary level.[4] In 1998, 80.5% of children reached grade five.[4]
The University of Swaziland provides higher education.
Demographics
Most of Swaziland's people are ethnically Swazi. There is also a small number of Zulu and White Africans, mostly people of British and Afrikaner descent. Swaziland also had Portuguese settlers and African refugees from Mozambique.
82.70% of the people are Christian, Christianity in Swaziland is sometimes mixed with traditional beliefs and practices. Some people think of the king as having a spiritual role.
Swazi have been subsistence farmers and herders. They now mix such activities with work in the growing urban economy and in government. Some Swazi work in the mines in South Africa.
SiSwati[5] and English are the official languages. SiSwati has 2.5 million speakers and is taught in schools. It is also one of the official languages of South Africa.
About 76,000 people in the country speak Zulu.[6] Tsonga is spoken by about 19,000 people in Swaziland. Afrikaans is also spoken by some residents of Afrikaner descent.
Districts
Swaziland is divided into four districts:
Cities
The cities in Swaziland are:
| Rank | City | Census 1986 | Census 1997 | Calc. 2005 | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Manzini | 46,058 | 78,734 | 110,537 | Manzini |
| 2. | Mbabane | 38,290 | 57,992 | 76,218 | Hhohho |
| 3. | Big Bend | 9,676 | 9,374 | 10,342 | Lubombo |
| 4. | Malkerns | 4,830 | 7,400 | 9,724 | Manzini |
| 5. | Nhlangano | 4,107 | 6,540 | 9,016 | Shiselweni |
| 6. | Mhlume | 6,509 | 7,661 | 8,652 | Lubombo |
| 7. | Hluti | n.a. | 5,806 | 6,763 | Shiselweni |
| 8. | Simunye | 8,762 | 5,633 | 6,512 | Lubombo |
| 9. | Siteki | 2,271 | 4,157 | 6,152 | Lubombo |
| 10. | Piggs Peak | 3,223 | 4,581 | 5,750 | Hhohho |
| 11. | Lobamba | n.a. | 3,625 | 4,557 | Manzini |
| 12. | Ngomane | n.a. | 3,902 | 4,511 | Lubombo |
| 13. | Vuvulane | n.a. | 3,594 | 4,155 | Lubombo |
| 14. | Mpaka | 1,007 | 2,144 | 3,586 | Lubombo |
| 15. | Kwaluseni | n.a. | 2,701 | 3,395 | Manzini |
| 16. | Bhunya | 3,361 | 2,650 | 3,046 | Manzini |
| 17. | Mhlambanyatsi | 2,075 | 2,553 | 2,886 | Manzini |
| 18. | Mondi | 2,886 | 2,703 | 2,872 | Hhohho |
| 19. | Tabankulu | 4,651 | 2,551 | 2,815 | Lubombo |
| 20. | Hlatikulu | 1,276 | 2,076 | 2,748 | Shiselweni |
| 21. | Bulembu | 4,850 | 2,443 | 2,260 | Hhohho |
| 22. | Kubuta | n.a. | 1,750 | 2,038 | Shiselweni |
| 23. | Tjaneni | 3,682 | 2,250 | 1,899 | Lubombo |
| 24. | Sidvokodvo | 1,339 | 1,528 | 1,746 | Manzini |
| 25. | Lavumisa | 850 | 1,117 | 1,300 | Shiselweni |
| 26. | Ngwenya | 445 | 842 | 1,281 | Hhohho |
| 27. | Nsoko | 2,868 | 963 | 1,175 | Lubombo |
| 28. | Mankayane | 913 | 1,040 | 1,144 | Manzini |
References
- ↑ Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division (2009) (PDF). World Population Prospects, Table A.1. 2008 revision. United Nations. http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wpp2008/wpp2008_text_tables.pdf. Retrieved 12 March 2009.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Swaziland". International Monetary Fund. http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2012/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=91&pr.y=7&sy=2009&ey=2012&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=734&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a=. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
- ↑ "Human Development Report 2011". United Nations. 2011. http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_2011_EN_Tables.pdf. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Swaziland" "2001 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor". Bureau of International Labor Affairs, U.S. Department of Labor. 2002. http://www.dol.gov/ilab/media/reports/iclp/tda2001/Swaziland.htm "Swaziland". Retrieved 29 December 2009.
- ↑ U.S. Department of State. "Background Note:Swaziland". http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2841.htm. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
- ↑ M. Paul Lewis (2009). "Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Sixteenth edition". http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=SZ. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
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