Kingdom of Swaziland

Swaziland

National anthem of Swaziland

Nkulunkulu Mnikati wetibusiso temaSwati

"Nkulunkulu Mnikati wetibusiso temaSwati" is the national anthem of Swaziland.
more information on Nkulunkulu Mnikati wetibusiso temaSwati

Map of Swaziland

Basic information on Swaziland

Autonomy for the Swazis of southern Africa was guaranteed by the British in the late 19th century; independence was granted in 1968. Student and labor unrest during the 1990s pressured King MSWATI III, the world's last absolute monarch, to grudgingly allow political reform and greater democracy, although he has backslid on these promises in recent years. A constitution came into effect in 2006, but political parties remain banned. The African United Democratic Party tried unsuccessfully to register as an official political party in mid 2006. Talks over the constitution broke down between the government and progressive groups in 2007. Swaziland recently surpassed Botswana as the country with the world's highest known rates of HIV/AIDS infection.

Location	Southern Africa, between Mozambique and South Africa
Population	1,133,066 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.)
Nationality	noun: Swazi(s) adjective: Swazi
Flag description	three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width), and blue; the red band is edged in yellow; centered in the red band is a large black and white shield covering two spears and a staff decorated with feather tassels, all placed horizontally