The Kingdom of Swaziland is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. Swaziland is a second smallest country in Africa after Gambia just over 17 ,364 sq. km . It is divided into four geographical regions running from north to south, each with its own climate and characteristics varying from 98 to 1,800 meters above sea level. The mountainous highveld in the west has rivers gorges and waterfalls while the middleveld has fertile valleys. In the east is the lowveld and the Lubombo area which boarders Mozambique.

In the highveld region the climate is warm wet summers with temperatures up to 33 oC and dry winters, when night time temperatures can reach as low as minus 4.5 oC. Average rainfall is between 1.016 and 2.286 mm. The middleveld has a warmer and dryer climate, ideal for crop growing . Temperatures vary between 37 oC in the summer and 2.5 degrees in dry winter months. Average rainfall is between 762 and 1.143mm. The Lowveld has a climate with temperatures reaching up to 42 degrees in summer and as low as minus 2.6 degrees in winter. Annual rainfall is between 508 and 590 mm. The Lubombo Region has a similar climate to that of the middleveld.

King Mswati III

Swaziland is ruled by King Mswati III who was crowned in April 1986, following the death of his father King Sobhuza II ( 1921 - 1982), who was the world's longest reigning monarch. Swazis are loyal to the king and they are a proud and peaceful nation who have carefully guarded their traditional tribal values and customs. The estimated population of Swaziland is around 1.10 million. English is the official language and all government information and notices are published in English. The vernacular siSwati, is widely spoken. 90 % of the population are Swazi with the remaining 10% being other Africans, Europeans and those of mixed descent. Around 60% of the population is Christian and the rest follow indigenous religions.

The Structure of government combines the western concept of government with the traditional tribal system and the people elect representatives to parliament. Executive power is vested in the king who appoints the Prime minister and rules in consultation with the cabinet and the bicameral parliament. The current prime minister is Mr. Themba Dlamini.

The administrative capital of Swaziland is Mbabane, where all the government ministries and departments are based. We have other Towns including Manzini which is Swaziland's industrial capital and it was granted city status in 1992. Other towns are Siteki and Nhlangano.

Being a small landlocked country with limited domestic markets, Swaziland relies heavily on export based agricultural commodities and industries. As a result growth and development are influenced by climatic conditions, global trends and commodity prices as well as capital and aid flow. Inflation rate is around 10%.
Within the global economy , tourism is one of the fastest growing industries and will continue to survive because of Swaziland's peace and stability and low crime rate compared to South Africa as well as its natural beauty, wildlife and culture. Swaziland offers unique attractions which appeal to different categories of tourists. The Kingdom of Swaziland's Big Game Parks has proven to be a tremendous success as it is praised of its excellent services to visitors.