Swaziland: Fact file

Updated May 2008

Name Kingdom of Swaziland
Area 17 363 sq km (Frame 2008, 1165)
Capital Mbabane
Major cities Manzini (Frame 2008, 1166)
Boundaries South Africa, Mozambique (Landlocked)
Population 1.1 million, 2005 (UNDP 2007/8)
Pop growth rate 0.6%, 2005-15 (UNDP 2007/8)
Urbanisation 24.1%, 2005 (UNDP 2007/8)
Life expectancy Female 41.4 yrs, male 40.4 yrs, 2005 (UNDP 2007/8)
Infant mortality 110/1000, 2005 (UNDP 2007/8)
HIV/AIDS prevalence 26%, adult, 2007 est (Government of the Kingdom of Swaziland 2008, 3)
Adult literacy rate Female 78.3%, male 80.9%, 2005 (UNDP 2007/8)
Military expenditure 1.8% of GDP; 2005 (UNDP 2007/8)
Health expenditure 4.0% of GDP; 2004 (UNDP 2007/8)
Legal system Roman-Dutch law, traditional law (Dube & Magagula 2007)
Independence 6 September 1968
GDP US$2.936 billion, 2007 est (IMF 2008a)
GDP per capita US$2 523, 2007 est (IMF 2008a)
GDP growth rate 2.9%, 2007 est (IMF 2008a)
Main exports Chemicals, clothing, sugar, wood pulp and wood products (Frame 2008, 1168)
Currency 100 cents = 1 Lilangeni
Unemployment 40%, 2008 (Frame 2008, 1165)
Inflation rate 8.2%, 2007 est (IMF 2008a)
External debt ratio 12.3% of GDP, 2007 (IMF 2008b)
Roads 3 594 km, 28.2% tarred (Frame 2008, 1163)
Rail 300 km (SADC 2007, 238)
Airports 1 international (Manzini) (Avigation Networks Undated)
Ethnic groups Swazis (97%), other Africans (2%), others (1%) (Frame 2008, 1165)
Languages Official languages Siswati, English. Other small groups include Zulu and Tsonga (Ethnologue.com undated)
Religion Christian 86.9%, African Traditional 10.7% and Nonreligious 1.2% (Religious Freedom 2001)

References

AVIGATION NETWORKS UNDATED "Airports in Swaziland", [www] http://worldaerodata.com/countries/Swaziland.php [opens new window] (accessed 24 Apr 2007).

DUBE, B & MAGAGULA, A "The Law and Legal Research in Swaziland" IN Globalex, [www] http://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/Swaziland.htm [opens new window] (accessed 24 Apr 2008).

ETHNOLOGUE.COM UNDATED "Languages of Swaziland" [www] http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=Swaziland [opens new window] (accessed 25 Apr 2008).

FRAME, I 2008 (ed) Africa South of the Sahara 2008, Routledge.

GOVERNMENT OF THE KINGDOM OF SWAZILAND 2008 "Monitoring the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS): Swaziland Country Report", [www] http://data.unaids.org/pub/Report/2008/swaziland_2008_country_progress_report_en.pdf [PDF document, opens new window] (accessed 5 may 2008).

IMF 2008a World Economic Outlook Database, April 2008, [www] http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2008/01/weodata/index.aspx [opens new window] (accessed 21 Apr 2008).

IMF 2008b Regional Economic Outlook: Sub-Saharan Africa, [www] http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/reo/2007/AFR/ENG/sreo0407.pdf, 118 [PDF document, opens new window] (accessed 22 Apr 2008).

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM 2001 "Nation profile: Swaziland", [www] http://religiousfreedom.lib.virginia.edu/nationprofiles/Swaziland/rbodies.html [opens new window] (accessed 25 Apr 2008).

SADC 2007 "Swaziland" IN Country Profiles, [www] http://www.sadcreview.com/pdfs07/swaziland2007_08.pdf [PDF document, opens new window] (accessed 24 Apr 2008).

UNDP 2007/8 "Swaziland", IN Human Development Report 2007/8, [www] http://hdrstats.undp.org/countries/data_sheets/cty_ds_SWZ.html [opens new window] (accessed 24 Apr 2008).