Swaziland Map

Swaziland is located in southern part of Africa. The Swaziland map offers detailed information on the geographical and political boundaries of the country.

The map of Swaziland further indicates the topographic features, climatic condition and natural vegetation of the country. Spread over total area of 17,363 sq km, Swaziland holds a population of 1,133,066 as per the census data of July 2007.

Zionist, Muslim, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Anglican, Jewish, Bahai and Mormon are some of the prominent religious groups of Swaziland. The Kingdom of Swaziland adheres to the monarchial form of government. The economy of Swaziland primarily depends on agriculture.

On its east is Mozambique. South Africa borders the country from the other sides. The land mass that is known now as Swaziland has been populated before historical records came into existence. At present the ethnic Swazis, who mainly speak Bantu, are the main residents of this country.

Independence, Republic and Government
In 1881 the then British government signed an agreement that granted autonomy to Swaziland. However, Britain only granted the independence of Swaziland in November 1963. As per this agreement an executive council and a legislative council were set up. However, these developments faced the opposition of the Swazi National Council as they were supposedly against what the common populace of Swaziland had been hoping for. The government of Swaziland could be described as a monarchy. The king is regarded as the head of the state. The kings of Swaziland are also known as Ngwenyama, which means lion. The present king of Swaziland is King Mswati III. He came to power in 1986 after his father and previous monarch, King Sobhuza II passed away in 1982 and there was a period when the country was administered through regency

Culture and Heritage
A big part of the culture and heritage of Swaziland is comprised by its music as well as its various religious practices and ceremonies. The music of Swaziland incorporates its ancient folk traditions as well as modern genres such as rock, hip hop and pop.

Incwala and Umhlanga are two of the major ceremonies of Swaziland. Incwala is celebrated in December and August is when Umhlanga happens. As part of Umhlanga the Swazi ladies incise reeds for five days, which is the tenure of the festival. It also incorporates a dance routine that only the Swazi ladies can perform. In Swaziland there are festivals that celebrate other important events of one's life such as marriages or other socially crucial happenings such as harvesting for example. Some of the musical instruments that are part of traditional Swazi culture are kudu horn, rattles, calabash and reed flute. Hip hop music is very popular in Swaziland. This trend began during the decade of 90s and the torch was carried by a number of bands such as Vamoose. The hip hop scene has also been contributed to by South Africa where hip hop is highly appreciated.

Tourism
There are plenty of places to see in Swaziland as far as the tourists are concerned. Some of the major tourist attractions at Swaziland could be mentioned as below:

Mkhaya Game Reserve Mantenga Nature Reserve Hlane Royal National Park Siteki

Malolotja Nature Reserve Mlilwane Game Reserve Mlawula Nature Reserve

Last Updated On : March 05, 2013