eSwatini Facts and Figures

• The founding date of the current state is September 6, 1968
• eSwatini is one of the world’s last remaining absolute monarchies.
• eSwatini is a landlocked country in southern Africa, border by Mozambique on the northeast and by the Republic of South Africa on the southeast, south, west and north.
• With an area of 17,363 square kilometers, eSwatini is the smallest country in Africa.
• eSwatini has two capital cities. Mbabane is the administrative, officially recognized capital, while Lobamba is the royal and legislative capital.
• The estimated population is 1.4million (2016 figures)
• The country has moderate temperatures, with hot and rainy days in summer, around November-January, and cold winter months (May-July) especially in the highveld, Mbabane falls within this climatic region.
• English and SiSwati are the official languages and are spoken by almost all Swazis. (Government business is conducted in English.)
• The lilangeni (plural: emalangeni) is the currency of eSwatini. It is equivalent to the South African rand which is also accepted in eSwatini.

• 82% of the Swazi’s are Christian
• Officially recognised holidays are:
  • New Year's Day, 1 January; King’s Birthday, 19 April; National Flag Day, 25 April; Workers Day, 1 May; Birthday of King Sobhuza II, 22 July; Umhlanga (Reed Dance) Day, usually last Monday in August; Somhlolo (Independence) Day, 6 September; Christmas Day, 25 December; Boxing Day, 26 December. Movable religious holidays include Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Monday, Ascension, and the Incwala Ceremony.
  • Many businesses and government offices are closed on these days.
• Top exports from eSwatini are Sugar, Citrus, Forest Products, Wood pulp, Cotton yarn, Refrigerators, Citrus and Canned fruit.
• Once a year, eSwatini holds a festival and reed dance called umhlanga. During the week-long festival, over 25,000 unmarried girls of the kingdom dress in Swazi traditional costume and sing and dance before the King and Queen Mother.
• eSwatini has exceptionally beautiful scenery, with an impressive array of landscapes including mountains and grassy savannah.
• The Mlilwane in eSwatini's Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary means "little fire" in SiSwati. The name is a reference to the frequent lightning strikes on the nearby granite mountains that often result in small fires.
• eSwatini's Hlane Royal National Park is home to to the largest population of nesting vultures in Africa. The reserve is also a former private royal hunting ground turned national park.
• The mountains in eSwatini's Malolotja Nature Reserve are among the oldest in the world at 3.6 billion years.