Swaziland
Type of Government: Monarchy
Independence: 1968 from the UK
Head of State: King Mswati III (since April 25, 1986)
2007/2008 UN Development Index ranking (out of 177 countries): 141
2007 TI Corruption Perception Index (out of 179): 84
Political Development: Student and labor unrest during the 1990s pressured King MSWATI III, the world’s last ruling monarch, to grudgingly allow political reform and greater democracy, although he has backslid on these promises in recent years.
Adult HIV Rate: 38.8%
Life Expectancy: 32.23
GDP: $2.214 billion
Inflation: 5.7%
Poverty: 69%
Petroleum: N/A
Leading Export Partner: South Africa (59.7%)
Economic Note: 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 more than nine-tenths of its imports and to which it sends 60% 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.
