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82-1016: Mbuluzi Game Reserve is a privately owned reserve in Eswatini , within the Lubombo Conservancy . There are three lodges privately situated on the Mlawula River , and a campsite, situated above some rapids in the Mbuluzi River . Large wildlife species present in the reserve include South African giraffes , plains zebras , black wildebeests , kudus , nyalas , bushbucks , waterbucks , impala , warthogs , crocodiles , vervet monkeys , vhacma baboons , common duikers . Also occasionally seen are hippopotami , bushpigs , Cape clawless otters , and red duikers . Eswatini Eswatini ( / ˌ ɛ s w ɑː ˈ t iː n i / ESS -wah- TEE -nee ; Swazi : eSwatini [ɛswáˈtʼiːni] ), formally
164-617: 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
246-456: A firm institutional footing under SADC's umbrella failed. On 14 August 2001, the 1992 SADC treaty was amended. The amendment heralded the overhaul of the structures, policies and procedures of SADC, a process which is ongoing. One of the changes is that political and security cooperation is institutionalised in the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security (OPDS); one of the principal SADC bodies. It
328-480: 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
410-655: 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
492-612: A lingua franca in the African Great Lakes region, other parts of East Africa, and to a lesser degree, parts of Southern Africa – is an official language of Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda and of the African Union . SADC has 27 legally binding protocols dealing with issues such as Defence, Development, Illicit Drug Trade, Free Trade and Movement of People. The SADC Free Trade Area was established in August 2008, after
574-587: 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,
656-400: 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
738-611: 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
820-532: A sports programme including athletics , football , netball , boxing and basketball . In 2012, the SADC deployed peacekeepers to the Democratic Republic of Congo in order to counter a rebel threat. The deployed troops were supplied by Tanzania, Malawi, and South Africa. In August 2019 SADC adopted Swahili as its fourth working language, alongside English, French and Portuguese. Kiswahili –
902-600: 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
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#1732783770697984-896: 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
1066-526: 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
1148-682: Is a free trade zone spanning the whole continent from the Cape to Cairo ( Cape Town in the Republic of South Africa to Cairo in Egypt ). In addition to eliminating duplicative membership and the problem member states also participating in other regional economic cooperation schemes and regional political and security cooperation schemes that may compete with or undermine each other, the African Free Trade Zone further aims to strengthen
1230-662: 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
1312-660: 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
1394-452: 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
1476-627: 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
1558-463: 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
1640-535: 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
1722-798: Is subject to the oversight of the organisation's supreme body, the Summit, which comprises the heads of state or government. The organisation holds its own multi-sport event in the form of the SADC Games, which was first held in 2004 in Maputo . Originally planned for an earlier date in Malawi and Lesotho, organisational issues led to abandonment of the plan and the SADC issuing a fine of $ 100,000 against Malawi. The first event in 2004 in Maputo resulted in over 1000 youths under-20 from 10 countries taking part in
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#17327837706971804-434: 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
1886-551: Is threatened by the existence of different product standards and tariff regimes, weak customs infrastructure and bad roads. The socio-economic and political and security cooperation aims of SADC are equally wide-ranging, and intended to address the various common challenges. One significant challenge is that member states also participate in other regional economic cooperation schemes and regional political and security cooperation schemes that may compete with or undermine SADC's aims. For example, South Africa and Botswana both belong to
1968-638: Is working to create conditions for Angola's accession to the SADC Free Trade Area in 2019. The SADC-Customs Union, scheduled to be established by 2010 according to SADC's Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP), is unlikely to become reality in the near future. This is because the European Union's Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) with their inherent extra-regional freetrade regimes provided for several SADC members more benefits than deeper regional market integration within
2050-578: The East African Community to form the African Free Trade Zone , including all members of each of the organizations. The leaders of the three trading blocs agreed to create a single free trade zone, the African Free Trade Zone, consisting of 26 countries with a GDP of an estimated $ 624bn (£382.9bn). It is hoped the African Free Trade Zone agreement would ease access to markets within the zone and end problems arising from
2132-583: 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
2214-527: 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
2296-610: 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
2378-624: 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
2460-651: The Southern Africa Customs Union , Zambia is a part of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa , and Tanzania is a member of the East African Community . According to Human Rights Watch, "SADC has been criticized for its laxity on making human rights compliance within its member states a priority". The organization has six principal bodies: Except for the Tribunal (based in Windhoek , Namibia), SNCs and Secretariat, decision-making
2542-604: 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
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2624-495: 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
2706-1208: 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:
2788-598: The FLS and SADCC sometimes differed. SADCC was transformed into SADC on 17 August 1992, with the adoption by the founding members of SADCC and newly independent Namibia of the Windhoek declaration and treaty establishing SADC. The 1992 SADC provided for both socio-economic cooperation and political and security cooperation. In reality, the FLS was dissolved only in 1994, after South Africa's first democratic elections. Subsequent efforts to place political and security cooperation on
2870-422: 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
2952-762: 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
3034-457: The SADC. As of 2022, the SADC has a total of 16 member states : Burundi has requested to join. The origins of SADC are in the 1960s and 1970s, when the leaders of majority-ruled countries and national liberation movements coordinated their political, diplomatic and military struggles to bring an end to colonial and white-minority rule in southern Africa. The immediate forerunner of the political and security cooperation leg of today's SADC
3116-457: 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,
3198-537: 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
3280-635: 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
3362-687: 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
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3444-461: 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
3526-613: 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
3608-707: 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
3690-863: The bloc's bargaining power when negotiating international deals. Pursuant to the SADC goal of more integration, Botswana and Namibia signed an agreement in February 2023 allowing citizens to travel between the two countries using only identity cards, with passports no longer being needed. Botswana has held talks with Zimbabwe to achieve a similar deal, and expects to open talks with Zambia. SADC countries face many social, development, economic, trade, education, health, diplomatic, defence, security and political challenges. Some of these challenges cannot be tackled effectively by individual members. Cattle diseases and organised-crime gangs know no boundaries. War in one country can suck in its neighbours and damage their economies. The sustainable development that trade could bring
3772-565: 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
3854-517: 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
3936-471: 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
4018-454: 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
4100-448: 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
4182-474: 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
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#17327837706974264-530: 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
4346-422: 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,
4428-428: The fact that several of the member countries belong to multiple groups. The African Free Trade Zone effective has been more than a hundred years in the making—a trade zone spanning the whole African continent from Cape to Cairo and envisioned by Cecil Rhodes and other British imperialists in the 1890s. The only difference is that the African Free Trade Zone is the creation of independent African Countries. The idea
4510-418: 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
4592-410: 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
4674-414: The framework of a SADC-Customs Union. Since these SADC countries formed four different groupings to negotiate and implement different Economic Partnership Agreements with the European Union, the chance to establish a SADC-wide common external tariff as prerequisite for a regional customs union is missed. On Wednesday 22 October 2008, SADC joined with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa and
4756-508: The implementation of the SADC Protocol on Trade in 2000 laid the foundation for its formation. Its original members were Botswana , Lesotho , Madagascar , Mauritius , Mozambique , Namibia , South Africa , Eswatini , Tanzania , Zambia and Zimbabwe , with Malawi and Seychelles joining later. Of the 15 SADC member states, only Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo are not yet participating, however Angolan trade minister Joffre Van-Dúnen Júnior said in Luanda that his ministry
4838-440: 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
4920-430: 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
5002-492: 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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#17327837706975084-467: 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
5166-412: 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
5248-454: 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
5330-401: 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
5412-450: 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,
5494-430: 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,
5576-681: The population is employed in subsistence agriculture upon Swazi Nation Land (SNL). In contrast with the commercial farms, SNL suffers from low productivity and investment. Southern African Development Community The Southern African Development Community ( SADC ) is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone , Botswana . The SADC's goal is to further regional socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security cooperation among 16 countries in southern Africa. Although its primary objectives are development, economic growth, and poverty alleviation, peacekeeping has become increasingly important to
5658-462: 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
5740-415: 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
5822-529: 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
5904-482: 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
5986-474: 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
6068-705: 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
6150-695: 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:
6232-407: 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
6314-555: 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
6396-485: 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
6478-537: 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
6560-536: 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
6642-511: Was the informal Frontline States (FLS) grouping. It was formed in 1980. The Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC) was the forerunner of the socio-economic cooperation leg of today's SADC. The adoption by nine majority-ruled southern African countries of the Lusaka declaration on 1 April 1980 paved the way for the formal establishment of SADCC in April 1980. Membership of
6724-403: 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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