The independent Kingdom of Swaziland lies between Mozambique and South Africa and forms part of the Southern African region. The capital city is Mbabane. The other principal town is Manzini.
The official language of Swaziland is SiSwati but English is widely spoken in business and commerce. Swaziland has a free market economy which is dominated by the private sector. It has a small but active stock market. The local currency is the Lilangeni (plural Emalangeni). (US$ / Lilangeni - current
exchange rate).
The international time zone for Swaziland is GMT +2. The international dialling code for Swaziland is +268. The principal airlines that fly to Swaziland are Royal Swazi Air and Botswana Air. Most visitors to Swaziland do not require visas for stays of less than 30 days.
The state of health, the current immunisation status, location and the local disease situation lead to risk of contraction of cholera, hepatitis A, malaria, schistosomiasis, and typhoid fever in Swaziland. Certificate proof of yellow fever and cholera immunisation are required for entry into Swaziland.
Swaziland is landlocked and the economy is heavily dependent on South Africa from which it receives 83% of its imports and sends 74% of its exports. Export products include wood pulp, soft drink concentrate and sugar. South Africa’s economic success has had negative effects on the Swaziland economy as a result of its attraction to foreign investors. In 2001 Swaziland only attracted US$20 million in foreign direct investment.
Agriculture and the agro-industry form the basis of the economy with sugar, citrus and wood pulp as the main products. Subsistence agriculture employs about 60% of the population.
A drought experienced in the region in 2002 and the withdrawal of foreign companies resulted in a decrease in production. The negative effects of HIV/AIDS, highly prevalent in the country, has worsened the situation and unemployment is high. In 2003 the country was rated 133rd on the Human Development Index and in 2002 GDP amounted to US$1.2 billion.
The main export commodities include asbestos, coal, cotton, cut diamonds,
minerals, paper and timber. The main import commodities include animals,
automobiles, chemical products, energy and edible oils.
Payments are made freely within the Common Monetary Area (Swaziland,
Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa) and any exchange control
regulations only apply outside this area.
The Central Bank of Swaziland administers exchange control, and
authorised dealers (commercial banks) are empowered to approve certain foreign
exchange transactions.
No customs or excise tariffs are applicable on goods originating from the
SACU as Swaziland is a member of the SACU and customs duties are levied at the
first port of entry into the Common Customs Area.
The Customs Tariff is based on the two-column Harmonised Commodity Coding
and Description System (HS).
