Swaziland

The Kingdom of Swaziland is a landlocked country located in southern Africa and the second smallest country in Africa after Gambia, just over 17,300 sq. km . It is divided into four geographical regions running from north to south, each with its own climate and characteristics varying from 98 to 1,800 meters above sea level. The mountainous highveld in the west has rivers gorges and waterfalls while the middleveld has fertile valleys. In the east are the lowveld plains and Lubombo hills which boarder Mozambique.

In the highveld region the climate is warm wet summers with temperatures up to 33 oC and dry winters, when night time temperatures can reach as low as minus 4.5 oC. Average rainfall is between 1000 and 2000 mm. The middleveld has a warmer and dryer climate, ideal for crop growing. Temperatures are similar but slightly warmer. Average rainfall is generally below 1000 mm. The Lowveld climate is slightly warmer still with annual rainfall averaging around 600 mm. The Lubombo Region has a similar climate to that of the middleveld.

Swaziland is ruled by King Mswati III who was crowned in April 1986, following the death of his father King Sobhuza II (1921 - 1982), who was the world's longest reigning monarch. Swazis are loyal to the king and they are a proud and peaceful nation who have carefully guarded their traditional tribal values and customs. The population of Swaziland is around 1,1 million. English is and siSwati are the official languages and all government information and notices are generally published in English although siSwati is more widely spoken. 90 % of the population are Swazi with the remaining 10% being other Africans, Europeans and those of mixed descent. Around 60% of the population is Christian and the rest follow indigenous religions.

The Structure of government combines the western concept of government with the traditional tribal system and the people elect representatives to parliament. Executive power is vested in the king who appoints the Prime minister and rules in consultation with the cabinet and the bicameral parliament. The current prime minister is Mr. Themba Dlamini. The administrative capital of Swaziland is Mbabane, where all the government ministries and departments are based. Manzini is Swaziland's other main town and is it's industrial capital. Other towns are Siteki and Nhlangano.



Being a small landlocked country with limited domestic markets, Swaziland relies heavily on export based agricultural commodities and industries. As a result growth and development are influenced by climatic conditions, global trends and commodity prices as well as capital and aid flow. The inflation rate is around 6%.
Within the global economy, tourism is one of the fastest growing industries and although Swaziland is little known internationally as a destination, because of it's low crime rate as well as its natural beauty, wildlife and culture it is fast becoming a place to visit.

Souvenirs from Swaziland:
Hand-crafted African Mohair Fashion: www.roseroques.com