Swaziland
Swaziland is a landlocked country covering 17 363 km2 of highlands, deep valleys, plains and lowlands. Along its eastern boundary, the Lebombo Mountains form a natural boundary with Mozambique and South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province, while the western boundary with South Africa is demarcated by several high mountains. Although excavations have provided evidence that Iron Age people lived in the area some 1 600 years ago, the Swazi state was created in the early 1800s under Sobhuza I, who initially settled with his Ngwane people in the upper reaches of the Nkomati Valley after they were driven northwards by the Ndwandwe. Sobhuza later moved southeastwards, establishing his capital in the Little Usutu Valley. After Sobhuza’s death, the kingdom was ruled by a regent until 1845, when Mswati became king. He organised the Ngwane along military lines and his subjects became known as ‘the people of Mswati’. Various concessions for grazing and minerals and ‘friendship’ treaties with the Boers saw the kingdom’s territory reduced by half its original size. In 1894, Swaziland became a protectorate of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR), and in 1906 it was detached from the Transvaal and became a separate British colony. Swaziland became independent in 1968 and is ruled by a king, Mswati III, who wields both executive and legislative authority. The Swazi people are still deeply rooted in their culture and traditions and are known for their beautiful crafts, which include basketry, mats, pottery, printed cloth, jewellery and soapstone carvings, and for their reed dance, or umhlanga.
Source http://www.southafrica.org.za/tour-sa-kingdom-of-swaziland.html
