Interesting facts about Swaziland?
- Swaziland is a small landlocked Southern African country almost completely surrounded by South Africa and bordered by Mozambique to the north;
- King Mswati III is the royal leader of the Swazi Kingdom, however the prime Minister and the Cabinet run the day to day government business;
- 70% of Swaziland population live below the poverty line with 40% of the population being unemployed;
- Swaziland’s life expectancy at 46 years is among one of the lowest in the world;
- Swaziland has two official languages, namely, Siswati that is majorly spoken by the Swazis and English, generally used when conducting government business;
- Swaziland gained independence in 1968. In 1973 the then King Sobhuza II abolished the constitution, dissolved the parliament and started an absolute monarchy;
- One of the top tourist attraction in Swaziland is Ngwenya mines, one of the oldest mines in the world, discovered in 1970;
- Major exports of Swaziland include cotton, sugar, citrus, canned fruit and refrigerators. South Africa is Swaziland’s major export market, taking up to 60% of their total exports;
- Swaziland maintains diplomatic and economic ties with the USA, UK, South Africa, Japan and South Korea among other countries.