About Swaziland
The Kingdom of Swaziland
Swaziland is a small, landlocked country in Southern Africa (one of the smallest on the continent), embedded between South Africa in the west, north and south and Mozambique in the east. The country is named after the Swazi, a Bantu tribe. It is divided into four regional administrative districts: Hhohho, Manizini, Lubomobo and Shiselweni. Regions are further subdivided into Tinkhundla administrated by chieftains.
Geography
Swaziland offers a wide variety of landscapes, from the mountains along the Mozambican border to savannas in the east and rainforest in the northwest. Several rivers flow through the country, such as the Great Usuthu River.
The capital Mbabane has 67,200 inhabitants (2004), while the largest town in the country is Manzini with population 73,000; other large towns include Lobamba, Nhlangano, Pigg's Peak, Hlathikhulu and Siteki.
Swaziland
History
Human remains and artifacts from more than 100,000 years ago have been found in Swaziland. The earliest inhabitants of the area were Khoisan hunter-gatherers.
They were largely replaced by the Bantu tribes during Bantu migrations. Evidence of agriculture and iron use dates from about the 4th century, and people speaking languages ancestral to current Sotho and Nguni languages began settling no later than the 11th century.
The ruling Dlamini lineage had chiefships in the region in the 18th century. An enlarged Swazi kingdom was established by King Sobhuza I in the early 19th century. Soon thereafter the first whites started to settle in the area. In the 1890s the South African Republic in the Transvaal claimed sovereignty over Swaziland but never fully established power. After the Second Boer War of 1899–1902, Swaziland became a British protectorate. The country was eventually granted independence on September 6, 1968. Since then, Swaziland has seen a struggle between anti-government activists and the monarchy.
King Mswati III
Languages
Swazi (also known as SiSwati, Swati or Seswati) is a Bantu language of the Nguni Group spoken in Swaziland and South Africa. It has 1.5 million speakers and is taught in schools. It is an official language of Swaziland (along with English) and one of the official languages of South Africa.
About 76,000 people in the country speak Zulu. Tsonga, which is spoken by many people throughout the region is spoken by about 19,000 people in Swaziland.
Mlilwane-Reservat
Religions
The most common religion in Swaziland is Christianity which totals 82.70% of the total population, in which various indigenous African churches constitute the majority, followed quickly by Roman Catholicism. There are also non-Christian religions practised in the country such as Islam: 0.95%, Bahai: 0.5%, and Hinduism: 0.15%.
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