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Eswatini

Swasiland - Kingdom of Eswatini


There are a lot of names for this country, most people actually know it as Swasiland, but this name was not abandonse din 2018. The current official name is Umbuso weSwatini or Kingdom of Eswatini. The official languages are siSwati and English, it has its own currency Lilangeni (SZL) but also uses South African rand (ZAR).

The country is named after its main ethnic group, the Swazi. They actually settled in the area in the 18th century, before they were known as Ngwane or bakaNgwane. The Swazi nation was autonomous from both British and Dutch rule, but in 1903, after the British victory in the Second Boer War, Swaziland became one of the British "High Commission Territories". It regained independence in 1968.

Eswatini has four geographical regions running from north to south, which are determined by altitude, Highveld, Middleveld, Lowveld, and Lubombo plateau. The Highveld is the area where the capital Mbabane is located at the western border. The Middleveld hasd an avaerage height of 700 m asl, the Lowveld around 250 m asl.