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85-460: The Makonde Plateau is a roughly rectangular, rising from the coast west of Mtwara Region . There are steep escarpments along its western edge and along the Ruvuma River to the south. The Lukuledi River runs along its northern edge. The eastern portion is dissected by many stream valleys, while the western end is higher, reaching 900 meters elevation. Newala is the plateau's main town. It

170-617: A complex pattern of land ownership by granting many concessions to Europeans. During the concessions some of the King's senior chiefs like Chief Ntengu Mbokane got permission to relocate to farms towards the Lubombo region, in the modern-day city of Nsoko. Others like Mshiza Maseko relocated to farms towards the Komati River in the place called eLuvalweni. The concessions included grants and leases for agriculture and grazing. In 1890, following

255-480: A foreign conflict. The king is the commander-in-chief of the defence force and the substantive Minister of the Ministry of Defence. There are approximately 3,000 personnel in the defence force, with the army being the largest component. There is a small air force, which is mainly used for transporting the king as well as cargo and personnel, surveying land with search and rescue functions, and mobilising in case of

340-655: A gate designated for the candidate of choice while officials counted them. Later on, a constitutional review commission was appointed by King Mswati III in July 1996, comprising chiefs, political activists, and unionists to consider public submissions and draft proposals for a new constitution. Drafts were released for comment in May 1999 and November 2000. These were strongly criticised by civil society organisations in Swaziland and human rights organisations elsewhere. A 15-member team

425-587: A loan from neighbouring South Africa. However, they did not agree with the conditions of the loan, which included political reforms. During this period, there was increased pressure on the Swazi government to carry out more reforms. Public protests by civic organisations and trade unions became more common. Starting in 2012, improvements in SACU receipts eased the fiscal pressure on the Swazi government. A new parliament,

510-400: A national emergency. Eswatini is divided into four regions: Hhohho , Lubombo , Manzini , and Shiselweni . In each of the four regions, there are several tinkhundla (singular inkhundla ). The regions are managed by a regional administrator, who is aided by elected members in each inkhundla. The local government is divided into differently structured rural and urban councils depending on

595-434: A quarter of this is cultivated. The average farm size per rural home (169,482 households - 1988 Census) is projected to be 1.5 ha, with an average of 4.4 people. Mechanization and oxenization of farms are still developing. In this area, the hand hoe is the most popular agricultural implement. Cassava , millet, and sorghum are all important food crops, with maize only recently gaining popularity. The most important cash crop in

680-611: A result of years of anger towards the lack of meaningful reforms that would nudge Eswatini in the direction of democracy, as well as the government's reported banning of the submission of petitions. Numerous buildings said to be connected to King Mswati III were torched by protesters, and police reportedly assaulted and arrested political opponents. The New York Times called the turmoil in the landlocked nation "the most explosive civil unrest in its 53 years of independence". At least 20 people were killed by state security forces and dozens more injured and detained. The government shut down

765-429: A thick texture. The second zone extends west of the coastal sediments geologically. Gneisses and granulites make up this zone of pre-cambrian basement rocks. The soils in this basement are diverse. To the north of Masasi town, there are deep, well-drained red clays. These are the best soils in the area since they are most suited to the region's upland crops. Course-grained sandy soils are common south of Masasi. The region

850-600: A third was taken. In the event, in 1910 he completed his work and set aside 1,639,687 acres, some 38% of Swaziland's area, for the Swazi. The queen regent then encouraged the Swazi to go to work in the Transvaal to earn money to buy more land from the Europeans. Much of the early administration of the territory (for example, postal services) was carried out from South Africa until 1906, when the Transvaal Colony

935-958: Is 9th lowest ranked worldwide and 2nd lowest ranked electoral democracy in Africa . Eswatini is a member of the United Nations , the Commonwealth of Nations , the African Union , the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa , and the Southern African Development Community . As of 2024, it is the only country in Africa that has maintained ties with Taiwan and not the People's Republic of China . The judicial system in Eswatini

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1020-526: Is a dual system. The 2005 constitution established a court system based on the Western model consisting of four regional Magistrates Courts, a High Court, and a Court of Appeal (the Supreme Court), which are independent of crown control. In addition, traditional courts (Swazi Courts or Customary Courts) deal with minor offenses and violations of traditional Swazi law and custom. Judges are appointed by

1105-662: Is an absolute monarchy , the last of its kind in Africa, and has been ruled by King Mswati III since 1986. Elections are held every five years to determine the House of Assembly and the Senate majority, but political parties are prohibited from running. Its constitution was adopted in 2005. Umhlanga , the reed dance held in August/September, and incwala , the kingship dance held in December/January, are

1190-660: Is bordered in the north, west and south by South Africa and by Mozambique in the east. Along the eastern border with Mozambique are the Lebombo Mountains , a mountain ridge at an altitude of around 600 metres (2,000 ft). The mountains are broken by the canyons of three rivers, the Ngwavuma , the Great Usutu and the Mbuluzi . The western border, with an average altitude of 1,200 metres (3,900 ft), lies on

1275-549: Is both the most eastern and southern region in the country. The region is located between 10 and 11 degrees south of the Equator. Mtwara is the third smallest region after Dar es Salaam Region and Kilimanjaro Region at 16,710 km (6,450 sq mi), only occupying about 1.9% of the country. In comparison, Mtwara is slightly smaller than the African nation of Eswatini at 17,230 square kilometers. Mtwara's central area

1360-452: Is diverse, with agriculture, forestry and mining accounting for about 13% of GDP, manufacturing (textiles and sugar-related processing) representing 37% of GDP and services – with government services in the lead – constituting 50% of GDP. Title Deed Lands (TDLs), where the bulk of high value crops are grown (sugar, forestry, and citrus), are characterised by high levels of investment and irrigation, and high productivity. About 75% of

1445-627: Is divided into four climatic regions: the Highveld, Middleveld, Lowveld, and Lubombo plateau. Generally speaking, rain falls mostly during the summer months (December to March), often in the form of thunderstorms. Winter is the dry season . Annual rainfall is highest on the Highveld in the west, between 1,000 and 2,000 mm (39.4 and 78.7 in). The further east, the less rain, with the Lowveld recording 500 to 900 mm (19.7 to 35.4 in) per annum. Variations in temperature are also related to

1530-609: Is in the Southern Zanzibar-Inhambane coastal forest mosaic ecoregion. This Mtwara Region location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Mtwara Region Mtwara Region ( Mkoa wa Mtwara in Swahili ) is one of Tanzania 's 31 administrative regions , with its capital as the municipality of Mtwara . Mtwara Region is home to one of the most infuluential people in Tanzania,

1615-676: Is located on the southwest corner of the plateau, and has expansive vistas over the plains to the west, and south across the Ruvuma River into Mozambique . The Makonde people inhabit the plateau and the adjacent lowlands. The Makonde people also inhabit the Mueda Plateau , which lies immediately south of the Ruvuma River in Mozambique. The Mueda Plateau is also referred to as the Makonde or Maconde plateau. The Makonde Plateau

1700-448: Is mostly for export and predictably, only a small portion of the yield is consumed. The Mtwara Region is officially recognized as the country's leading cashew nut grower, producing roughly half of the country's output. Newala district produces more over half of the region's cashewnut harvest. Masasi comes in second with a 29 percent contribution, and Mtwara district comes in last with a 19 percent average contribution. The mining industry in

1785-839: Is of high elevation, home to the Makonde plateau with Mtwara Region's highest point being Masasi peak at 837 meters above sea level. The largest and longest river in Mtwara Region is the Ruvuma River which is fed by the Mbangala River within the region as one of Ruvuma's many tributaries. The rainy season, which runs from November/December to April/May, has only one peak. The storm's peak typically occurs in January, but may also occur in February or March. The overall amount of annual precipitation varies with altitude. Rainfall in

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1870-463: Is one of the smallest countries in Africa ; despite this, its climate and topography are diverse, ranging from a cool and mountainous highveld to a hot and dry lowveld . The population is composed primarily of ethnic Swazis . The prevalent language is Swazi ( siSwati in native form). The Swazis established their kingdom in the mid-18th century under the leadership of Ngwane III . The country and

1955-466: Is separated into two sections in terms of topography. The coastal plain's landforms are complicated. Second, at 300mm to 400mm, the Makonde Plateau dominates the basement plain. It's mostly low-lying, with scattered rocky outcroppings and steep riverbanks. The western part, which is beyond the Makonde Plateau, flows to the south via the Ruvuma River's tributaries. The Makonde Plateau is drained by

2040-535: Is situated in the Middleveld. The Lowveld, at around 250 metres (820 ft), is less populated than other areas and presents a typical African bush country of thorn trees and grasslands. Eswatini contains three ecosystems: Maputaland coastal forest mosaic , Zambezian and mopane woodlands , and Drakensberg montane grasslands . The country had a 2018 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 4.21/10, ranking it 142nd globally out of 172 countries. Eswatini

2125-434: Is the king or ngwenyama (lit. lion ), currently King Mswati III, who ascended to the throne in 1986 after the death of his father King Sobhuza II in 1982 and a period of regency. According to the country's constitution, the ngwenyama is a symbol of unity and the eternity of the Swazi nation. By tradition, the king reigns along with his mother (or a ritual substitute), the ndlovukati (lit. she- e lephant ). The former

2210-583: The Kingdom of Eswatini and also known by its former official name Swaziland ( / ˈ s w ɑː z i l æ n d / SWAH -zee-land ) and formerly the Kingdom of Swaziland , is a landlocked country in Southern Africa . It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its north, west, south, and southeast. At no more than 200 km (120 mi) north to south and 130 km (81 mi) east to west, Eswatini

2295-527: The Libandla (parliament) with help from an advisory council. The king is allowed by the constitution to appoint some members to parliament to represent special interests. These special interests are citizens who might have been electoral candidates who were not elected, or might not have stood as candidates. This is done to balance views in parliament. Special interests could be people of a particular gender or race, people with disabilities, significant members of

2380-525: The Makonde . Mtwara is home to Tanzania's 4th president Benjamin Mkapa and is home to a number of influential artists. The boundary with Mozambique to the south is formed by the Ruvuma River . To the west, Mtwara is bordered by Ruvuma Region , to the north by Lindi Region , and to the east is the Indian Ocean . Mtwara Region is home for being the nation's largest producer of Cashew nuts. According to

2465-610: The Nguni during the great Bantu migrations . These peoples originated from the Great Lakes region of eastern and central Africa. Evidence of agriculture and iron use dates from about the 4th century. People speaking languages ancestral to the current Sotho and Nguni languages began settling no later than the 11th century. The Swazi settlers, then known as the Ngwane (or bakaNgwane ) before entering Eswatini, had been settled on

2550-624: The Second Boer War , Swaziland became one of the British " High Commission Territories ", the others being Basutoland (now Lesotho ) and Bechuanaland (now Botswana ), although a protectorate was not established because terms had not been agreed with the Swazi Queen Regent Labotsibeni Mdluli . The Swaziland Administration Proclamation of 1904 established a commission with the task of examining all

2635-689: The Yao and the Makua . The Makonde are the dominant ethnic group in Mtwara Region and are native to east and central Mtwara, specifically in Mtwara-Mikindani District, Mtwara District, Newala, and Tandahimba districts. As of 1967, the Makonde made up 60% of the region. The second-largest group in terms of the territory is the Makua people, who are native to Nanyumbu and Masasi Districts. The Yao are native to parts of Tandahimba District. Since 1988,

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2720-604: The lilangeni , is pegged to the South African rand . Eswatini's major overseas trading partners are the United States and the European Union . The majority of the country's employment is provided by its agricultural and manufacturing sectors. Eswatini is a member of the Southern African Development Community , the African Union , the Commonwealth of Nations , and the United Nations . The government

2805-495: The 1967 elections, Swaziland was a protected state until independence was regained in 1968. Following the elections of 1972, the constitution of Swaziland was suspended by King Sobhuza II who thereafter ruled the country by decree until his death in 1982. At that point, Sobhuza II had been king of Swaziland for almost 83 years, making him the longest-reigning monarch in history . A regency followed his death, with Queen Regent Dzeliwe Shongwe as head of state until 1984 when she

2890-404: The 2012 national census, the region had a population of 1,270,854, which was lower than the pre-census projection of 1,374,767. For 2002-2012, the region's 1.2 percent average annual population growth rate was the 26th highest in the country. It was also the fourteenth most densely populated region with 76 people per square kilometer. The native peoples of the Mtwara Region are the Makonde ,

2975-1208: The Eswatini National Trust Commission, the Eswatini Environment Authority , and the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. In addition, Big Game Parks, a private entity, is tasked with the management of the Game Act, which controls wildlife and CITES. There are 6 formal and more than 10 informal protected areas in the country. The formally gazetted areas include: Malolotja Nature Reserve , Mantenga Nature Reserve, Mlawula Nature Reserve , Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary , and Mkhaya Game Reserve , and Hlane Royal National Park . In addition to these, there are many private and community nature reserves, as well as some with mixed governance structures. These include: Dombeya Game Reserve, Mbuluzi Game Reserve , Shewula Nature Reserve, Phophonyane Falls Nature Reserve , Royal Jozini , IYSIS (Inyoni Yami), Ngwempisi Wilderness, Sibebe and others. There are other entities that practice secondary or tertiary conservation, as well as two conservancies:

3060-422: The House of Assembly were held in 1978, and they were conducted under the tinkhundla as electoral constituencies determined by the King, and established an Electoral Committee appointed by the King to supervise elections. Until the 1993 election, the ballot was not secret, voters were not registered, and they did not elect representatives directly. Instead, voters elected an electoral college by passing through

3145-455: The Maombi and Mbuo rivers. Mtwara, like the rest of Tanzania, is mostly a farming community. Farming is the main source of income for the region's residents. Agribusiness employs over 92 percent of the population, in addition to other rural activities such as fishing, beekeeping, and small-scale manufacturing. Arable land makes up about 85 percent of the region's total area. However, only about

3230-465: The Masasi district. Mtwara Region is divided into two towns (Mtwara Municipal and Masasi Town) and seven districts , each administered by a council: 2022-2027 (Ambassador of Mtwara) Eswatini This is an accepted version of this page Eswatini ( / ˌ ɛ s w ɑː ˈ t iː n i / ESS -wah- TEE -nee ; Swazi : eSwatini [ɛswáˈtʼiːni] ), formally

3315-832: The Mhlosinga Conservancy and the Lubombo Conservancy . Others include: the Natural History Society of Eswatini and the Eswatini Game Ranchers Association. From 2014 to 2021, Eswatini participated in the "Strengthening the National Protected Areas System" (SNPAS) project. This project attempted to strengthen conservation outcomes and the national footprint of biodiversity conservation across the country. In an effort to broaden

3400-840: The Mtwara district ranges from 935 mm to 1160 mm in the highlands and plateau. At Masasi Mission, the rainfall is 893 mm, whereas at Newala, it is 1001 mm. It also ranges between Mtopwa and Lukwika Mission, ranging from 1133 mm to 832 mm. Similarly, the highest monthly mean temperature at Mtwara on the seashore in December is 27 degrees Celsius, while the lowest monthly mean temperature is 23 degrees Celsius in July. In Mtwara, relative humidity ranges from 87 percent in March to 79 percent in October. Inland, temperatures and humidity are lower. Soils are determined by geology. There are two geological zones in

3485-457: The Swazi take their names from Mswati II , the 19th-century king under whose rule the country was expanded and unified; its boundaries were drawn up in 1881 in the midst of the Scramble for Africa . After the Second Boer War , the kingdom, under the name of Swaziland, was a British high commission territory from 1903 until it regained its full independence on 6 September 1968. In April 2018,

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3570-537: The Swazis as Emafikamuva . The autonomy of the Swazi nation was influenced by British and Dutch rule of southern Africa in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1881, the British government signed a convention recognising Swazi independence, despite the Scramble for Africa that was taking place at the time. This independence was also recognised in the London Convention of 1884 . King Mbandzeni created

3655-635: The Swazis" in the Swazi language and was partially intended to prevent confusion with the similarly named Switzerland . Eswatini workers began anti-government protests against low salaries in September 2018. They went on a three-day strike organised by the Trade Union Congress of Eswatini that resulted in widespread disruption. In June 2021, pro-democracy protests broke out across the country, sparking riots, looting, and street skirmishes with police and soldiers. This civil unrest began as

3740-687: The United Kingdom in London in 1922 regarding the issue of the land. In the period between 1923 and 1963, Sobhuza II established the Swazi Commercial Amadoda which was to grant licences to small businesses on the Swazi reserves and also established the Swazi National School to counter the dominance of the missions in education. His stature grew with time, and the Swazi royal leadership was successful in resisting

3825-461: The altitude of the different regions. The Highveld temperature is temperate and seldom uncomfortably hot, while the Lowveld may record temperatures around 40 °C (104 °F) in summer. The average temperatures at Mbabane, according to the season: The government of Eswatini has expressed concern that climate change is exacerbating existing social challenges such as poverty, a high HIV prevalence, and food insecurity and will drastically restrict

3910-404: The area is cashew nuts, followed by groundnuts and sesame. Because livestock rearing is not a common practice among the people of the region, its economic contribution is negligible. The cashew nut crop, which accounts for about 25% of the region's GDP, is one of Mtwara's significant contributors. The Mtwara Region produces 40% of the country's cashew nut production. Tanzanian cashew nut production

3995-613: The area of the country to twice its current size. The Emakhandzambili clans were initially incorporated into the kingdom with wide autonomy, often including grants of special ritual and political status. The extent of their autonomy, however, was drastically curtailed by Mswati, who attacked and subdued some of them in the 1850s. With his power, Mswati greatly reduced the influence of the Emakhandzambili while incorporating more people into his kingdom either through conquest or by giving them refuge. These later arrivals became known to

4080-707: The banks of the Pongola River . Before that, they were settled in the area of the Tembe River near present-day Maputo , Mozambique. Continuing conflict with the Ndwandwe people pushed them further north, with Ngwane III establishing his capital at Shiselweni at the foot of the Mhlosheni hills. Under Sobhuza I , the Ngwane people established their capital at Zombodze in the heartland of present-day Eswatini. In this process, they conquered and incorporated

4165-565: The business community, civic society, scholars, and chiefs. The Swazi bicameral Parliament, or Libandla, consists of the Senate (30 seats; 10 members appointed by the House of Assembly and 20 appointed by the monarch; to serve five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (65 seats; 10 members appointed by the monarch and 55 elected by popular vote ; to serve five-year terms). The elections are held every five years after dissolution of parliament by

4250-517: The concessions and defining their boundaries. This work was finished by 1907, and the Swaziland Concessions Partition Proclamation provided for a concessions partition commissioner to be appointed to set aside areas for the sole use and occupation of the Swazis. The commissioner had the power to expropriate up to one third of each concession without compensation, but payment would need to be made if more than

4335-471: The constituency headman are also elected from each chiefdom. The secondary and final elections takes place at the various constituencies called tinkhundla . Candidates who win primary elections in the chiefdoms are considered nominees for the secondary elections at inkhundla or constituency level. The nominees with majority votes become the winners and they become members of parliament or constituency headman. According to 2023 V-Dem Democracy indices Eswatini

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4420-454: The country's ability to develop, as per Vision 2022. Economically, climate change has already adversely impacted Eswatini. For instance, the 2015–16 drought decreased sugar and soft drink concentrate production export (Eswatini's largest economic export). Many of Eswatini's major exports are raw agricultural products and are therefore vulnerable to a changing climate. Eswatini has a spectrum of formal and informal conservation areas that protect

4505-448: The country's population and the median age is 22 years. Artifacts have been found indicating human activity dating back to the early Stone Age , around 200,000 years ago. Prehistoric rock art paintings dating from as far back as c.  27,000 years ago to as recently as the 19th century can be found around the country. The earliest known inhabitants of the region were Khoisan hunter-gatherers . They were largely replaced by

4590-474: The critically endangered South-central black rhinoceros and seven other endangered or vulnerable species. Eswatini is rich in bird life, including white-backed vultures , white-headed , lappet-faced and Cape vultures , raptors such as martial eagles , bateleurs , and long-crested eagles , and the southernmost nesting site of the marabou stork . Eswatini is an absolute monarchy with constitutional provision and Swazi law and customs. The head of state

4675-404: The death of Mbandzeni, a Swaziland Convention created a Chief Court to determine disputes about controversial land and mineral rights and other concessions. Swaziland was given a triumviral administration in 1890, representing the British, the Dutch republics, and the Swazi people. In 1894, a convention placed Swaziland under the South African Republic as a protectorate . This continued under

4760-422: The edge of an escarpment . Eswatini is separated into four geographical regions. These run from north to south and are determined by elevation. Mbabane , the capital, is on the Highveld . The Middleveld, lying at an average 700 metres (2,300 ft) above sea level, is the most densely populated region of Eswatini with a lower rainfall than the mountains. Manzini , the principal commercial and industrial city,

4845-418: The failure of the transfer by temporarily suspending the autonomy of KaNgwane.) The 1990s saw a rise in student and labour protests calling on the king to introduce reforms. Thus, progress towards constitutional reforms began, culminating with the introduction of the current Swazi constitution in 2005. This happened despite objections by political activists. The current constitution does not clearly deal with

4930-410: The first Legislative Council was constituted on 9 September 1964. By 1964, the area of the country reserved for occupation by the Swazi had increased to 56%. Changes to the original constitution proposed by the Legislative Council were accepted by Britain and a new constitution providing for a House of Assembly and Senate was drawn up. Elections under this constitution were held in 1967. Following

5015-440: The inkhundla all matters of interest and concern to their various chiefdoms, and take back to the chiefdoms the decisions of the inkhundla. The chairman of the bucopho is elected at the inkhundla and is called indvuna ye nkhundla . There are three tiers of government in the urban areas and these are city councils, town councils and town boards. This variation considers the size of the town or city. Equally, there are three tiers in

5100-430: The internet (with the compliance of mobile providers MTN and Eswatini Mobile) making it difficult to access reliable news from the country. The king was also said to have fled the country, though government officials disputed those claims, also calling for an end to the protests. A small landlocked kingdom with an area of 17,364 km (6,704 sq mi), Eswatini is located at approximately 26°30'S, 31°30'E and

5185-492: The king and are usually expatriates from South Africa. The Supreme Court, which replaced the previous Court of Appeal, consists of the chief justice and at least four other Supreme Court judges. The High Court consists of the chief justice and at least four High Court judges. The chief justices have been: The military of Eswatini ( Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force ) is used primarily during domestic protests, with some border and customs duties. The military has never been involved in

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5270-467: The king. The last elections were held on 29 September 2023. The balloting is done in a non-partisan manner. All election procedures are overseen by the Elections and Boundaries Commission. At Swaziland's independence on 6 September 1968, Swaziland adopted a Westminster-style constitution. On 12 April 1973, King Sobhuza II annulled it by decree, assuming supreme powers in all executive, judicial, and legislative matters. The first non-party elections for

5355-412: The level of development in the area. Although there are different political structures to the local authorities, effectively the urban councils are municipalities and the rural councils are the tinkhundla. There are twelve municipalities and 55 tinkhundla. Each inkhundla has a development committee ( bucopho ) elected from the various constituency chiefdoms in its area for a five-year term. Bucopho bring to

5440-454: The long established clans of the country known to the Swazi as Emakhandzambili (those found ahead). Eswatini derives its name from a later king named Mswati II . KaNgwane , named for Ngwane III, is an alternative name for Eswatini, the surname of whose royal house remains Nkhosi Dlamini . Nkhosi curiously means "king" in Ethiopian Semitic languages. Mswati II was the greatest of the fighting kings of Eswatini, and he greatly extended

5525-401: The nation's most important events. The Swazi population faces major health issues: HIV/AIDS and (to a lesser extent) tuberculosis is widespread. Twenty-eight percent of the adult population is HIV-positive. As of 2018, Eswatini has the 12th-lowest life expectancy in the world , at 58 years. The population of Eswatini is young. As of 2018, people aged 14 years or younger constitute 35% of

5610-450: The nation's rich biological diversity. These areas comprise about 5% of the country's land area. Eswatini has over 820 species of vertebrates and over 2400 species of plants, with many endemic species. This diversity suggests Eswatini is globally important for biodiversity conservation. Land degradation and conversion to other land uses are the major threats to biodiversity, including plantation agriculture (legal and illegal), bush-clearing,

5695-430: The official name was changed from Kingdom of Swaziland to Kingdom of Eswatini, mirroring the name commonly used in Swazi. Eswatini is a developing country that is classified as having a lower-middle income economy. As a member of the Southern African Customs Union and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa , its main local trading partner is South Africa; to ensure economic stability, Eswatini's currency,

5780-462: The position of Member of Parliament, Constituency Headman ( Indvuna ), and the Constituency Executive Committee ( Bucopho ). The minimum number of nominees is four and the maximum is ten. Primary elections also take place at the chiefdom level. It is by secret ballot . During the primary elections, the voters are given an opportunity to elect the member of the executive committee (bucopho) for that particular chiefdom. Aspiring members of parliament and

5865-447: The region has a bright future. On a limited scale, 35 minerals have been discovered and mined. The Masasi District has been mining sapphire , christalbella, alexandrite, tourmaline, and rhodolite since 1995. Mtwara Region is home to the Mnazi Bay-Ruvuma Estuary Marine Park that is one of the largest marine parks in the country. The marine park is a sanctuary for breeding Humpback whales . Forest reserves occupy about 8.33 percent of

5950-410: The region has been facing mass migration as younger people seek economic opportunities in Dar es Salaam creating a vibrant Makonde community in Temeke District of Dar es Dalaam especially in Mbagala , which is named after the Mbagala River located in Mtwara Region. In 1948, the British Government formulated the " Tanganyika groundnut scheme " through the Overseas Food Corporation (OFC). The purpose

6035-415: The region's 1,672,000 ha of land. This area is 139,295 hectares. Masasi district has the greatest amount of forest cover in the region. The central government manages 130,545 hectares of forest reserves. This equates to 93.7 percent. District councils possess another 8,749 hectares, or 6.3 percent of total forest reserves. In total, there are 16 forest reserves in the region. The majority of them are located in

6120-553: The region, resulting in two geologically determined soil types. The first zone is the coastal sedimentary deposit, which stretches 31-125 kilometers from the Indian Ocean to the tip of Newala's Makonde Plateau. Deep, well-drained, sandy soils with poor fertility and moisture holding capacity are produced in this zone. Sandstones are used to make them. Marine heavy clay soils, also known as vertisols, are found in some regions. Coastal limestones also provide red, well-drained soils with

6205-532: The rule of Ngwane V until the outbreak of the Second Boer War in October 1899. King Ngwane V died in December 1899, during incwala , after the outbreak of the Second Boer War. His successor, Sobhuza II , was four months old. Swaziland was indirectly involved in the war with various skirmishes between the British and the Boers occurring in the country until 1902. In 1903, after the British victory in

6290-529: The rural areas which are the regional administration at the regional level, tinkhundla and chiefdoms. Decisions are made by full council based on recommendations made by the various sub-committees. The town clerk is the chief advisor in each local council or town board. There are twelve declared urban areas, comprising two city councils, three town councils and seven town boards. The main cities and towns in Eswatini are Manzini , Mbabane , Nhlangano and Siteki which are also regional capitals. Eswatini's economy

6375-482: The sea. The deal was negotiated by the governments of South Africa and Swaziland, but was met by popular opposition in the territory meant to be transferred. The territory had been claimed by Sobhuza II as part of the Swazi monarchs' traditional realm, and the South African government hoped to use the area as a buffer zone against guerrilla infiltration from Mozambique . (The South African government responded to

6460-474: The second since the promulgation of the constitution, was elected in 2013. The king then reappointed Sibusiso Dlamini as prime minister for the third time. On 19 April 2018, Mswati III announced that the Kingdom of Swaziland had been renamed as the Kingdom of Eswatini, reflecting the extant Swazi name for the state eSwatini , to mark the 50th anniversary of Swazi independence. The name Eswatini means "land of

6545-705: The spectrum of areas eligible for conservation support (which practice bona-fide conservation management), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) established a new category for informal, or non-gazetted, conservation areas in 2018. These are now called OECMs, or Other Effective Conservation Measures. The SNPAS Project adopted this OECM terminology and began certifying informal conservation areas in Eswatini in 2021. There are known to be 507 bird species in Eswatini, including 11 globally threatened species and four introduced species, and 107 mammal species native to Eswatini, including

6630-695: The spread of alien and invasive plants, and unsustainable resource harvesting; major land fragmentation is evident. Eswatini is a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity , the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species ( CITES ), and the United National Framework Convention on Climate Change. There are three main government ministries responsible for national biodiversity management:

6715-407: The status of political parties. The first election under the constitution took place in 2008. Members of Parliament (MPs) were elected from 55 constituencies (also known as tinkhundla ). These MPs served five-year terms which ended in 2013. In 2011, Swaziland suffered an economic crisis which was caused by reduced Southern African Customs Union (SACU) receipts. This caused the government to request

6800-555: The weakening power of the British administration and the possibility of the incorporation of Swaziland into the Union of South Africa . The constitution for independent Swaziland was promulgated by Britain in November 1963 under the terms of which a Legislative Council and an Executive Council were established. This development was opposed by the king's Swazi National Council ( Liqoqo ). Despite such opposition, elections took place, and

6885-429: Was announced in December 2001 to draft a new constitution; several members of this team were reported to be close to the royal family. Nominations take place at the chiefdoms. On the day of nomination, the name of the nominee is raised by a show of hand, and the nominee either accepts or rejects the nomination. If accepted, the nominee must have the support of at least ten members of that chiefdom. The nominations are for

6970-537: Was granted self-government. A British high commissioner had some of the functions of a governor, but the Swazis were self-governing on their reserves, and the territory was not deemed to be a British possession. Sobhuza's official coronation as king was in December 1921 after the regency of Labotsibeni, after which he led an unsuccessful deputation to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council of

7055-536: Was removed by the Liqoqo and replaced by Queen Mother Ntfombi Tfwala . Mswati III , the son of Ntfombi, was crowned in 1986 as king and ngwenyama of Swaziland. An attempt to transfer neighbouring parts of South Africa , more precisely parts of the Zulu homeland of KwaZulu and parts of the Swazi homeland of KaNgwane , to Swaziland in 1982 was never realized. This would have given land-locked Swaziland access to

7140-443: Was to alleviate the worldwide shortage of vegetable oils. However, inadequate research and adverse environmental conditions due to poor planning resulted in the complete and disastrous failure of the scheme. In this region, the exported crop was to go through the port of Mtwara. This port was created for the scheme; it was linked to the growing areas near Nachingwea by a new railway. Mtwara was part of Lindi Region until 1971. Mtwara

7225-403: Was viewed as the administrative head of state and the latter as a spiritual and national head of state, with real power counterbalancing that of the king, but during the long reign of Sobhuza II, the role of the ndlovukati became more symbolic. The king appoints the prime minister from the legislature and also appoints a majority of senators and a minority of legislators to the lower chamber of

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