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| Oasi | Sahara | Maghreb |
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| Swaziland |
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| Swaziland Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Mbabane CBD Mbabane CBD Moses Mpila Swaziland is a small landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is almost completely surrounded by South Africa but it also borders on Mozambique. Most people visiting Swaziland will come from Johannesburg only about 400 km from Mbabane the capital of Swaziland and connected by good roads. The major attraction of the country is its well preserved culture. From the ritual smearing of the bride with red ochre in the traditional marriage ceremony to the mystical rite of Kingship, the Incwala, each ritual is deeply significant and is performed only at the appropriate time and place. The centuries- old ceremonies are as valid today as they were in days of Ngwane, the first King of Swaziland and this balance of ancient and modern, traditional and western gives Swaziland and her people their distinctive character. Urban Swazi's in spite of a very 20th century lifestyle still maintain firm links to the rural areas where water is fetched from the river and cooking takes place in a three-legged pot over an open fire. When duty calls, there is no contradiction for the majority of Swazi's in leaving an air-conditioned office in town and shedding a three-piece business suit in favour of the traditional cloths and skins of emahiya and to take their place with the regiments to perform the task or ceremony for which the nation has been summoned. Watching the regiments wearing the traditional dress of their great-grand-fathers, singing the songs of their ancestors and performing the ancient ritual dances, only the glimpse of a wristwatch here or a flashlight there will remind you that this is not the Swaziland of a hundred or two hundred years ago. Remember that no man will gain the respect of a Swazi unless he is married. In Swazi culture, if you are single, you have no experience! _______Getting Around Edit This Swaziland has a good system of buses running regular routes and minibus taxis running shorter routes at slightly higher prices than the buses. Most roads are good but there are rough ones out bush. Driving down the Ezulwini Valley in heavy traffic can be slow and dangerous. Away from the main population centres the main dangers are people and animals on the road. With a legal blood alcohol limit of 0.15% drunken drivers can be another danger! _______Economy Edit This Economy—overview: In this small landlocked economy subsistence agriculture occupies more than 60% of the population. Manufacturing features a number of agroprocessing factories. Mining has declined in importance in recent years; high-grade iron ore deposits were depleted by 1978 and health concerns have cut world demand for asbestos. Exports of soft drink concentrate sugar and wood pulp are the main earners of hard currency. Surrounded by South Africa except for a short border with Mozambique Swaziland is heavily dependent on South Africa from which it receives nearly 90% of its imports and to which it sends more than half of its exports. Remittances from Swazi workers in South African mines supplement domestically earned income by as much as 20%. The government is trying to improve the atmosphere for foreign investment. Overgrazing soil depletion and drought persist as problems for the future. GDP (purchasing power parity): $5.424 billion (2007 est.) GDP—real growth rate: 3% (19976 est.) GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity—$3 800 (1997 est.) GDP—composition by sector: agriculture: 10% industry: 42% services: 48% (1997 est.) Inflation rate—consumer price index: 9.5% (1997) Labor force: total: 135 000 (1996) by occupation: private sector about 70% public sector about 30% Unemployment rate: 22% (1995 est.) Budget: revenues: $400 million expenditures: $450 million including capital expenditures of $115 million (FY96/97) Industries: mining (coal and asbestos) wood pulp sugar soft drink concentrates Industrial production growth rate: 3.7% (FY95/96) Electricity—capacity: 130 000 kW (1995) Electricity—production: 407 million kWh (1995) note: imports 60% of its electricity from South Africa Electricity—consumption per capita: 1 062 kWh (1995) Agriculture—products: sugarcane cotton maize tobacco rice citrus pineapples corn sorghum peanuts; cattle goats sheep Exports: total value: $893 million (f.o.b. 1996) commodities: soft drink concentrates sugar wood pulp cotton yarn (1995) partners: South Africa 58% EU 20% Mozambique 6% (1994) Imports: total value: $1.1 billion (f.o.b. 1996) commodities: motor vehicles machinery transport equipment foodstuffs petroleum products chemicals (1995) partners: South Africa 88% Japan UK US (FY94/95) Debt—external: $194 million (1995) Economic aid: recipient: ODA $NA Currency: 1 lilangeni (E) = 100 cents Exchange rates: emalangeni (E) per US$1—4.9417 (January 1998) 4.5998 (1997) 4.2706 (1996) 3.6266 (1995) 3.5490 (1994) 3.2636 (1993); note—the Swazi emalangeni are at par with the South African rand Fiscal year: 1 April—31 March For updates; visit us again....Cheers michaelas & brianna & peyton _________People Edit This Population: 966 462 (July 1998 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 46% (male 223 649; female 224 782) 15-64 years: 51% (male 238 547; female 255 137) 65 years and over: 3% (male 9 625; female 14 722) (July 1998 est.) Population growth rate: 1.96% (1998 est.) Birth rate: 41 births/1 000 population (1998 est.) Death rate: 21.4 deaths/1 000 population (1998 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1 000 population (1998 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.65 male(s)/female (1998 est.) Infant mortality rate: 103.37 deaths/1 000 live births (1998 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 38.53 years male: 37.31 years female: 39.79 years (1998 est.) Total fertility rate: 5.96 children born/woman (1998 est.) Nationality: noun: Swazi(s) adjective: Swazi Ethnic groups: African 97% European 3% Religions: Christian 60% indigenous beliefs 40% Languages: English (official government business conducted in English) siSwati (official) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 76.7% male: 78% female: 75.6% (1995 est.) :::::::Ezulwini valley Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Swazi Cultural Village Swazi Cultural Village Henri Bergius, Routa MC Ezulwini valley is the main tourist location in Swaziland, with several hotels, a casino, golf course and night club. On the road from capital Mbabane there is a very large crafts market area with reasonable prices obtainable by haggling. The Swazi Cultural Village, a reconstructed Swazi village from late 19th century is also located in the Ezulwini valley. Don't miss the Sondzela Nature Reserve. There is a backpackers on site within the reserve, though the entrance gate may be difficult and confusing to find. The animals on the reserve are the tamest 'wild' animals ever seen and you are sure to be able to come within close reach of them. There is also a daily hippo-feeding. ::::::::Lobamba Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see :::::Manzini Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Manzini Manzini Ernst Sigl Manzini is the commercial and industrial centre of Swaziland. For some time it was the capital of the country before it was moved to Mbabane. The town and its roads can be rather busy and chaotic. The market is held twice weekle and is one of the main attractions. Matsapha International Airport is just north of Manzini. ::::::::Mbabane Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Mbabane Mbabane Ernst Sigl Mbabane is the capital of Swaziland, but it may well not have become the capital if the British had not won the Anglo-Boer at the turn of the century. During the 1890’s the Boer administration had earmarked what was then Bremersdorp (now Manzini) for the main centre, preferring the warm climate of the middlevelt area. In "Travels of an American Insurance Agent" by Jas. A. Cavanagh, which was published in 1900, Bremersdorp is indeed described as the capital of Swaziland. However, all that changed when the British won the war and Swaziland subsequently became a protectorate of that country. The English prefered the cool hills of the highvelt and so the area which grew to become Mbabane was designated the Kingdom’s administrative capital. Mbabane is set among the glorious mountain scenery of the Dlangeni Hills in Swaziland’s western highvelt at an altitude of 1,200 metres. The actual town of Mbabane was established near a cattle kraal belonging to King Mbanzeni - great grandfather of the present Monarch, King Mswati III. The first government building was erected on the corner of Allister Miller and Walker Streets which today is the site of the Mbabane Branch of the Swaziland Building Society. The head quarters for the colonial administration was not built until 1939. This fine Cape Dutch structure, which was sadly damaged by a bomb late 1998, today houses the Deputy Prime Minister’s office. Next to it was the old court house which presently accommodates the Trade Promotion Unit under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. ::::::::qucrkpt hrqvc Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see vsuykxatn cpmrshkfq yzvksmc htrfoyusi lpdoxy mqugv qngeh Part or or all of this text stems from the original article at: rtasqcdzg brcdkfwvp |