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  • Title: Swaziland.
    Author: United States. Department of State. Bureau of Public Affairs.
    Journal: Backgr Notes Ser; 1985 Apr; ():1-6. PubMed ID: 12178109.
    Abstract:
    Focus in this discussion of Swaziland is on the following: the people; geography; history; government and political conditions; the economy; foreign relations; defense; and relations between the US and Swaziland. In 1985 the population was estimated at 636,000 with an annual growth rate of 3.4%. The infant mortality rate is 156/100 with a life expectancy of 47 years. Most Swazi are subsistence farmers. About 16,000 are employed outside the country, principally in South African gold and platinum mines. The whites consist of English-, Africans-, and Portuguese-speaking groups and are engaged mainly in agriculture, commerce, construction, and mining. The chief occupation of the white Africans is that of skilled and semiskilled labor. The country's official languages are siSwati and English. Swaziland is all but surrounded by the Transvaal and Natal provinces of the Republic of South Africa. It also shares a 112-kilometer border with Mozambique. According to tradition, the people of the present Swazi nation migrated south before the 16th century to what is now Mozambique. Following a series of conflicts with people living in the area of modern Maputo, the Swazi settled in northern Zululand in about 1750. In 1894, under a convention between the British and South African governments, the South African Republic assumed the powers of protection and administration. In 1903 Britain formally took over the administration of Swaziland. Swaziland became independent on September 6, 1968. The 1st post-independence elections were held in May 1972. The new Parliament consists of a 50 member House of Assembly and a 20 member Senate. Legislation passed by the Parliament must be approved by the Crown before it becomes law. Swaziland ranks among the more prosperous countries in Africa. Most of the high-level economic activity is in the hands of non-Africans, but ethnic Swazis are becoming more active small entrepreneurs and are slowly moving into middle-management positions. Cattle are the main evidence of Swazi wealth. The sugar industry is the leading export earner. In recent years, a number of small industries have been established, many of them in the 2 new industrial estates at Matsapa, near Manzini, and at Nhlangano, in the south. Swaziland, a member of the UN and the Organization of African Unity, seeks to expand its diplomatic relations with other states. National defense is provided by the Umbufto Swaziland Defense Force, consisting of fewer than 300 troops. The US seeks to maintain and strengthen the good bilateral relations that have existed since Swaziland become independent in 1968. The US respects the country's nonracial policy and encourages continued economic and political development.
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