Eswatini

Images

Map of Eswatini showing its national boundaries with South Africa and Mozambique, major cities including Mbabane and Manzini, and main towns and roads. An inset locator map highlights Eswatini's position in southern Africa.

Map of southern Africa highlighting Eswatini, with its capital Mbabane marked. Surrounding countries-South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, and Lesotho-are labeled for geographic context.

Map of Eswatini (Swaziland) showing major rivers such as the Komati, Mbuluzi, Usutu, and Ngwavuma, the Mnjoli Reservoir, and the Drakensberg range along the western border. The map outlines Eswatini's borders with South Africa and Mozambique, and includes a small inset locator map of southern Africa.

A sawmill with stacks of cut logs sits at the edge of dense pine and eucalyptus forest, with scattered white buildings and dirt roads in the hilly Highveld of western Swaziland.

A shallow river with rocky banks and green trees flows through a valley in Swaziland, Africa, with hills and distant mountains in the background.

Numerous black and yellow locusts cluster on green grass stems in a grassy field in Swaziland, southern Africa.

Roan antelope (Hippotragus equinus) with long, ringed horns and a reddish-brown coat sits in tall grass at Mkhaya Game Reserve, Swaziland.

At a Glance

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Eswatini summary

Eswatini: Media

country, Africa

Images

Eswatini

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Map of Eswatini showing its national boundaries with South Africa and Mozambique, major cities including Mbabane and Manzini, and main towns and roads. An inset locator map highlights Eswatini's position in southern Africa.

Eswatini

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Swazi

Swazi

Swazi dancers, Eswatini.

Christoph Riedl

Map of southern Africa highlighting Eswatini, with its capital Mbabane marked. Surrounding countries-South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, and Lesotho-are labeled for geographic context.

Eswatini

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Map of Eswatini (Swaziland) showing major rivers such as the Komati, Mbuluzi, Usutu, and Ngwavuma, the Mnjoli Reservoir, and the Drakensberg range along the western border. The map outlines Eswatini's borders with South Africa and Mozambique, and includes a small inset locator map of southern Africa.

Physical features of Eswatini

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

A sawmill with stacks of cut logs sits at the edge of dense pine and eucalyptus forest, with scattered white buildings and dirt roads in the hilly Highveld of western Swaziland.

Eswatini: Highveld region

Sawmill at the foot of an artificially established forest of pine and eucalyptus...

© John Moss/Photo Researchers

A shallow river with rocky banks and green trees flows through a valley in Swaziland, Africa, with hills and distant mountains in the background.

Lusushwana River

The Lusushwana River, one of the main tributaries of the Usutu River, Eswatini.

© Attila Jandi/Dreamstime.com

Numerous black and yellow locusts cluster on green grass stems in a grassy field in Swaziland, southern Africa.

locust

Locusts swarming in a grassland in Eswatini.

© Kate Braun—Kbraunsd/Dreamstime.com

Roan antelope (Hippotragus equinus) with long, ringed horns and a reddish-brown coat sits in tall grass at Mkhaya Game Reserve, Swaziland.

Roan antelope

A roan antelope (Hippotragus equinus) pauses amid tall grass , Mkhaya Game...

© Attila Jandi/Dreamstime.com

A Swazi person stands outdoors in traditional dress, holding a staff, with patterned cloth wrapped around the body and mountains visible in the background.

Swazi

Swazi in traditional dress.

Shostal Associates

Street market stalls with colorful umbrellas line the sidewalk in the capital of Swaziland, as people walk and shop beside passing cars on a cloudy day.

Eswatini street market

Shoppers at a street market, Mbabane, Eswatini.

© Isak Wiklund/Dreamstime.com

People walk along a sidewalk lined with shops and trees in the downtown area of Mbabane, the capital of Swaziland. Cars are parked on the street to the left.

Mbabane, Eswatini

People walking on a sidewalk lined with stores, Mbabane, Eswatini.

© Isak Wiklund/Dreamstime.com

Open-pit terraces of the Ngwenya Iron Ore Mines in Eswatini, with mining roads and machinery visible, set against distant mountain ranges.

Eswatini

Ngwenya Mine in Eswatini.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Handwoven baskets and patterned textiles displayed at an outdoor craft market in Swaziland, with items hanging from wooden beams.

Handicrafts

Traditional handicrafts and textiles on display at a market, Eswatini.

© Elzbieta Sekowska//Shutterstock.com

A large group of young women in colorful traditional attire walk together carrying tall reeds during the Reed Dance (Umhlanga) Festival in Swaziland, 2006.

Eswatini

Unmarried girls and young women participating in the Umhlanga (Reed Dance) in Eswatini.

Amada44

Map of Southern Africa highlighting the principal peoples present from the 17th to mid-19th century, with names of groups such as San, Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho, Tswana, Herero, and others labeled across the region. Major rivers, lakes, plateaus, and select towns are shown, along with some physical features and archaeological sites. Modern political boundaries are outlined for reference.

Principal peoples of Southern Africa, 17th to mid-19th century

Map showing the approximate locations of the principal peoples of Southern Africa...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Map of colonial southern Africa from 1884 to 1905, using color codes to show territories controlled by Britain, Portugal, and Germany at different times. The map highlights British-controlled areas in orange, Portuguese-controlled areas in purple, German-controlled areas in green, and disputed regions in red, with boundaries and key colonial regions labeled. Major features include German South West Africa, German East Africa, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Colony, and the Orange Free State.

Colonial Southern Africa, 1884–1905

European penetration into Southern Africa in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Historical map of the southern part of Africa from 1902, showing colonial territories including German Southwest Africa, Bechuanaland, Transvaal Colony, Orange River Colony, Cape Colony, and Natal. The map includes detailed insets of Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Ladysmith, with colonial boundaries and major towns marked.

Eswatini c. 1902

Map of Southern Africa showing Swaziland (now Eswatini), from the 10th edition of...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

King Mswati III of Eswatini, wearing a red military uniform with medals and a hat, speaks at a podium with a gold emblem in Manzini, Eswatini.

Mswati III

Eswatini King Mswati III, picured here in 2018.

© Maximum Exposure PR/Shutterstock.com

Swaziland

Swaziland

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Audio

National anthem of Eswatini

The instrumental version of the national anthem of Eswatini.

Interactives

Eswatini: Ethnic composition

Eswatini: Ethnic composition

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Eswatini: Religious affiliation

Eswatini: Religious affiliation

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Eswatini: Urban-rural

Eswatini: Urban-rural

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Eswatini: Age breakdown

Eswatini: Age breakdown

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Eswatini: Major import sources

Eswatini: Major import sources

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Eswatini: Major export destinations

Eswatini: Major export destinations

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

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