 Kingdom of Swaziland
At a Glance
The small Kindom of Swaziland - approximately 17,000 sq kilometres in size - is bordered in the north and in the west by Mpumalanga, in the south by KwaZulu-Natal and in the east by Mozambique.
 The various landscapes are characterised by forested Highveld in the north-west, the softly undulating hills of the Middleveld in the central part, flattening out towards the south-east, where the subtropical Lowveld begins, which is being used mainly agriculturally and covers 40% of the entire country. In the very east, the Lebombo Mountains form the border to Mozambique and run south in to KwaZulu-Natal. Precipitations occur mainly during the humid hot summer months, when Swaziland looks lush and green. The winter months, however, are dry and quite cold, particularly in the Middle- and Highveld.
Swaziland is proud of having achieved its independence in 1968 and restored its traditionalist African way of life. The friendly Swazis mainly live in small rural communities with still stable polygamous family structures and strict morale.
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Since 1986, the young King Mswati III rules the country. Although the king, who is married to 22 women at present, tends to indulge in an utterly luxurious lifestyle and rules as an absolute monarch, he and the entire royal family are highly revered by most of their subjects. The monarch is also the spiritual leader of his people.
 Swaziland is famous for its many cultural ceremonies, celebrated in a picturesque and colourful way. The most important and spectacular one is the Incwala Kingship Ceremony. It is celebrated every year at the end of December in the cultural and spiritual centre of the country, Ludzidzini Royal Village. On this occasion, the monarch appears in his full regal attire to bless the first fruits of the year's harvest. No less popular is the Umhlanga Reed Dance at the end of August. Then young women from all parts of the country - they must be still virgins - gather herein the royal village to dance before the king and his mother. At the end of the ceremony the king usually chooses another wife for himself out of at least 30,000 débutantes.
Swaziland is an attractive destination for the lovers of nature and hikers, boasting a number of excellent nature reserves. The most outstanding reserves are Milwane Wildlife Sanctuary near Lobamba, Hlane Royal National Park as well as the Mlawula Nature Reserve in the east, the smaller Mkhaya Game Reserve in the south and the Malolotja Nature Reserve in the west.
Travel Info and Accommodation in Swaziland
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