Swaziland

Area: 17,364sq.km/6704sq.mi

Population: 847,000

Capital: Mbabane

Swaziland (known to the Swazis as Ngwane) lies in the southeast of the African continent, bounded on the north, west and south by South Africa and on the east by Mozambique. With an area of 17,364sq.km/ 6704sq.mi, it is the second smallest state in Africa (after Gambia).

Swaziland is a monarchy, with a parliament whose main function is to advise the king. The head of government is appointed by the king. Political parties are banned.

The official language is Swazi (SiSwati). English is also used to some extent in administration and education. The most used route from Johannesburg to Mbabane, capital of Swaziland, is on N 4 to Machadodorp and then R 541. Mbabane can also be reached on R 29 to Ermelo and then R 39. The best route from KwaZulu/Natal is on N 2 via Nsoko and Big Bend to Manzini and Mbabane.

The hilly region in the west of the country (Mt Mlembe, 1862m/6109ft) is part of the Great Escarpment on the edge of South Africa's central plateau (the highveld). Well watered by rain and rivers and densely wooded as a result of deforestation, this is the economic heartland of Swaziland (iron and asbestos working). East of this is a fertile upland region, the middle- veld, which in turn gives place to the flat and also fertile lowveld (200-300m/650-1000ft). A natural frontier with Mozambique in the east is formed for 150km/95mi by the Lebombo Mountains, a basaltic range of hills (around 600m/2,000ft) geologically related to the Drakensberg of South Africa which extends northward from northern Zululand for 600km/370mi to the Limpopo. Swaziland's principal river is the Usutu, which flows into the Pongola River beyond the eastern frontier. The Usutu valley is the most populous part of the country.

Climate

In the hilly part of the country the subtropical climate is relatively temperate, with a good deal of rain. The middleveld, with an average annual rainfall of around 1000mm/40in., is Swaziland's main agricultural region. The lowveld is hot and dry, with extensive irrigated areas in which the main crop is sugar-cane.

Vegetation

Swaziland's eucalyptus and pine forests, mostly the result of deforestation programs, lie mainly on the highveld, which is otherwise a grassland region. In the rainy middleveld the umbrella acacia is common, while the lowveld with its scanty rainfall is a region of savanna with thorny shrubs.

Population

Swaziland has an average population density of 49 to the sq. kilometer (127 to the sq.mi), the western and eastern regions being more densely populated, with steadily increasing numbers of people moving into these areas from the rest of the country. More than two-thirds of the population live on the land.

95% of the population are Swazis. In addition there are a few thousand of mixed race, some 2000 Europeans, Indians, Pakistanis and 46,000 refugees from Mozambique. The annual rate of population growth, at over 3%, is very high.

The predominant religions are various Bantu faiths and Protestantism (African Apostolic Church).

The economy of Swaziland is heavily dependent on that of South Africa. The most important branch of the economy is the services sector. Many thousand Swazis work in South Africa.

Although two-thirds of the population work on the land, agriculture makes only a minor contribution to the gross domestic product. Most of the country's agricultural land is devoted to subsistence agriculture, on land granted on lease by the king through the local authorities; the rest is owned by Europeans or by companies. In Swazi eyes stock-farming has more prestige than arable farming, and as a result there are very large numbers of livestock, leading to over-grazing and erosion of the soil. The government seeks by promoting the development of cooperatives to encourage the growing of more basic foodstuffs and produce for the market. In the lowveld, with the help of irrigation, citrus fruits, rice and sugar-cane are grown. The most important agricultural export product is sugar. Other important products are cotton and citrus fruits and, for meeting domestic needs, maize and millet, the traditional staple foods.

Forestry, particularly on the highveld, is of considerable economic importance as a result of large-scale redeforestation projects from the 1950s onwards. Most of the timber felled consists of conifers, mainly pines.

Industry contributes just under a third of the gross domestic product. The processing industries deal mainly with the products of agriculture and forestry, and accordingly a dominant place is occupied by the foodstuffs industries (particularly sugar), timber-working and papermaking. Textiles, metalworking and chemicals are also of some importance. Plans for the further development of industry are hampered by the country's land-locked situation and by the small domestic market. The government seeks to attract investment by offering various incentives such as tax concessions and favorable prices for land.Mining also makes a contribution to Swaziland's economy. The asbestos plant at Havelock is one of the largest in the world. Coal is worked at Mpaka and on the eastern borders of the country. Other minerals are kaolin, diamonds, gold and tin.

Swaziland's imports, mainly from South Africa, include machinery, transport equipment, fuel and foodstuffs; its principal exports, mainly to South Africa and the European Union, are foodstuffs, animals and timber.

Almost half of Swaziland's electric power is imported from South Africa. It has a number of small coal-fired power stations and hydro-electric stations, and it is planned to develop these sources of energy still further. In the field of tourism the country's main attractions are its game reserves and the mountain scenery of the highveld; most foreign visitors come from South Africa.

History

The Swazis came to what is now Swaziland during the Nguni migration around 1750. In the 19th C great Swazi kings - Sobhuza I (c. 1780-1839), Mswati II (c. 1820-68) - formed the Swazi people ("Mswati's people") from the Swazi upper strata, old established Sotho tribes and other immigrant Nguni groups. Then in the middle of the C the first whites began to appear - adventurers, hunters, traders, missionaries and farmers. When the pressure from these incomers, particularly Boers from the Transvaal, grew steadily greater Mswati asked Britain for protection, which was granted on certain conditions. Mswati's grandson Mbandzeni, who succeeded him as king, was compelled by economic necessity to sell large tracts of territory and grant all mining rights to South Africans. After the British annexation of the Transvaal, in 1881, Britain established Swaziland's independence from the Transvaal and laid down its present frontiers. From 1894 to 1899 it was a protectorate of the Transvaal. Until the accession in 1921 of the legendary king Sobhuza II (b. 1899) the country was ruled by his grandmother, who called on her subjects to buy the country back. During her reign, in 1903, Swaziland became a British protectorate. In the distribution of land by the British authorities the Swazis were allotted mainly arable land. In spite of increasing problems between the colonial authorities and the queen regent Swaziland took part in the First World War on the Allied side. In recognition of this the British authorities bought up land occupied by whites and returned it to the Swazis.

After Swaziland became independent on September 6th 1968 (National Day) King Sobhuza II (1899-1982) remained head of state. In 1972, during a period of political conflict, he suspended the democratic constitution and banned all political parties. In 1978 a new constitution came into force, restricting the two-chamber parliament to a purely advisory role. After Sobhuza's death a regency under two of his widows Mswati II succeeded him as king. In 1989 he appointed Obed Ufanyana Diamini prime minister.

There are twelve frontier crossings, usually open only during the day, between South Africa and Swaziland. European and other visitors require a visa, which can be obtained at the frontier. With Mbabane, which has comfortable hotels, as a base, the country can be explored by car. The most important main roads are asphalted, but even the unsurfaced tracks are usually negotiable by an ordinary car. In the remoter parts of the country, particularly during the months of high rainfall (October to March), it is essential to inquire locally about road conditions.