Swaziland
History
Human remains and artifacts from more than 100,000 years ago have been
found in Swaziland. Evidence of agriculture and iron use dates from about
the 4th century CE, and people speaking languages ancestral to current
Sotho and Nguni languages began settling no later than the 11th century
CE. The ruling Dlamini lineage had chiefships in the region in the 18th
century. An enlarge Swazi kingdom was established by Sobhuza I in the
early 19th century. Soon thereafter the first whites started to settle
in the area. In the 1890s the South African Republic in the Transvaal
claimed sovereignty over Swaziland but never fully established power.
After the South African War of 1899-1902, Swaziland became a British dependency.
The country was eventually granted independence on September 6, 1968.
Since then, Swaziland has seen a struggle between pro-democracy activists
and the totalitarian monarchy.
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Politics
The head of state is the king, which since 1986 has been King Mswati
III. As the monarch, he does not only appoint the prime minister - the
head of government - but also appoints a small number representatives
for both chambers of the Libandla (parliament). The Senate consists of
30 members, while the House of Assembly has 65 seats, 55 of which are
occupied by elected representatives (elections held every 5 years).
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Economy
In this small, landlocked economy, subsistence agriculture occupies more
than 80% of the population. The manufacturing sector has diversified since
the mid-1980s. Sugar and wood pulp remain important foreign exchange earners.
Mining has declined in importance in recent years with only coal and quarry
stone mines remaining active. Surrounded by South Africa, except for a
short border with Mozambique, Swaziland is heavily dependent on South
Africa from which it receives nine-tenths of its imports and to which
it sends more than two-thirds of its exports. Customs duties from the
Southern African Customs Union and worker remittances from South Africa
substantially supplement domestically earned income. The government is
trying to improve the atmosphere for foreign investment. Overgrazing,
soil depletion, drought, and sometimes floods persist as problems for
the future. More than one-fourth of the population needed emergency food
aid in 2002 because of drought, and more than one-third of the adult population
was infected by HIV. 2004 Swaziland acknowledges for the first time that
it has one of the highest Aids rates in the world, with almost 40% of
adults infected with the HIV. Prime Minister Themba Dlamini has declared
a humanitarian crisis due to the combined effect of drought and land degradation,
increasing poverty and HIV/Aids. The United Nations special envoy on AIDS
Stephen Lewis said “Swaziland stands alone with the world's highest
rate of HIV infection after nearby Botswana made headway against the deadly
pandemic”
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Demographics
The majority of the population consists of Swazi, but there are also
small numbers of Zulu, Europeans and Mozambican refugees. The official
languages are Swati and English; the latter is also the official written
language. The chief religion is Christianity, often in a form blended
with several indigenous religions. There are also Jewish and Muslim communities.
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Aids in Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa is currently the area where AIDS is taking the largest
toll. Some countries now have around 25% of the working adult population
who are HIV-positive, in 1999 Botswana had estimate 35.8% (source World
Press Review (http://www.worldpress.org/map.htm)) but the latest United
Nations estimates in early 2002 that Botswana had a 38.8% rate, Zimbabwe
a 33.7% rate and Lesotho 31%. As of 2004 Swaziland has overtaken Botswana
with a estimated 40% rate with Lesotho not far behind..
As these people begin to develop full-blown AIDS, they will be unable
to work, and require significant medical care. It is forecast that this
will likely cause a collapse of economies and societies in the region,
further increasing the suffering and hardship faced. In some heavily infected
areas, the epidemic has left behind many orphans being cared for by elderly
parents.
Many governments in the region continued to deny that there was a problem
for years, and are only now starting to work towards solutions. Lack of
money is the core reason why most AIDS deaths occur in Third World countries.
There is a need for large amounts of money in all of the areas of prevention
of the disease: Education, health-care, employment, and treatment.
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