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| Country | Swaziland | | | Flag |  | | | Capital | name: Mbabane geographic coordinates: 26 18 S, 31 06 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Lobamba (royal and legislative capital) | | | Population | 1,123,913 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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2009 est.) | | | GMT | +2 | | | Location | Southern Africa, between Mozambique and South Africa
see map | | | Area | total: 17,363 sq km land: 17,203 sq km water: 160 sq km | | | Ethnic groups | African 97%, European 3% | | | Religions | Zionist 40% (a blend of Christianity and indigenous ancestral worship), Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 10%, other (includes Anglican, Bahai, Methodist, Mormon, Jewish) 30% | | | Languages | English (official, government business conducted in English), siSwati (official) | | | Government type | monarchy | | | National holiday | Independence Day, 6 September (1968) | | | Constitution | signed by the King in July 2005 went into effect on 8 February 2006 | | | Legal system | based on South African Roman-Dutch law in statutory courts and Swazi traditional law and custom in traditional courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations | | | Background | 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 HIV/AIDS prevalence rate. | | Internet country code | .sz | |
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