Filed under Africa and more precisely Southern Africa, Eswatini is a sovereign state. Treaties and official documents call it Kingdom of Eswatini. Its seat of government is Lobamba.
The land area is 17,364 km², which ranks it 160th of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind Kuwait and just ahead of Timor-Leste. Put next to a country most people can picture, it is about half again the size of Qatar.
It is home to roughly 1.2 million people, placing it 160th of 250 by population — between Mauritius above it and Djibouti below. Among the 5 entries in Southern Africa it ranks 5th by area and 5th by population.
Geography and neighbours of Eswatini
The coordinates the dataset gives are 26.5° S, 31.5° E, which puts it in the southern hemisphere, roughly 2,950 km from the equator, in what geographers would call subtropical latitudes.
Australia and the Pitcairn Islands sit at almost exactly the same latitude on other parts of the globe.
2 countries share a land border with it: Mozambique and South Africa. The largest of them by area is South Africa, which is also the most populous. Together those neighbours hold about 98.6 million people.
It has no sea coast of its own. That is true of 45 of the 250 entries here, so all seaborne trade runs through a neighbour's ports. You can see the full picture on the landlocked countries page.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
The people of Eswatini
Spread across 17,364 km², that works out at about 72 people per square kilometre, which makes it less crowded than the typical entry on this list. For comparison, the median entry on this list sits near 90 per square kilometre.
People from Eswatini are called Swazis.
2 languages carry official status: English and Swazi. English, the first listed, is shared with 90 other entries worldwide.
Against Africa as a whole it is the 49th most populous of 59 entries, and it accounts for 1.7% of everyone living in Southern Africa.
The practical details for Eswatini
More than one currency circulates: Swazi lilangeni (SZL) and South African rand (ZAR). No other entry in this dataset uses it, so the currency is specific to Eswatini.
The top-level domain is .sz. To phone it from abroad you dial +268. Its ISO codes are sz and SWZ, which is what most databases and flag files use.
If a quiz asks for the capital of Eswatini, the answer is Lobamba.
It holds a seat at the United Nations, one of 193 entries here that do. The other 57 entries are territories, dependencies or observers, which is why totals on this site run to 250 rather than the familiar 195.
Neighbouring countries
Eswatini shares borders with 2 countries:
Fun facts about Eswatini
- Its capital city is Lobamba.
- It shares land borders with 2 countries: Mozambique and South Africa.
- Websites based there use the .sz domain.
- Its full official name is Kingdom of Eswatini.
- Australia and the Pitcairn Islands sit at almost the same latitude, on the far side of the globe.
- It is landlocked, one of 45 entries here with no coastline of its own.
- Population density works out at roughly 72 people per square kilometre.
Eswatini — frequently asked questions
- What is the capital of Eswatini?
- The capital of Eswatini is Lobamba.
- Which countries border Eswatini?
- Eswatini borders 2 countries: Mozambique and South Africa. South Africa is the largest of them by area.
- What language is spoken in Eswatini?
- Eswatini lists 2 official languages: English and Swazi.
- How big is Eswatini?
- Eswatini covers 17,364 km², ranking 160th of 250 by land area. That makes it about half again the size of Qatar.
- Is Eswatini landlocked?
- Yes. Eswatini has no sea coast, which makes it one of 45 landlocked entries in this dataset. Everything it imports or exports by sea has to cross a neighbour's territory first, and that transit dependency is a well-documented drag on trade costs.
- Where is Eswatini located?
- Eswatini is in Southern Africa, part of Africa. Its reference coordinates are 26.5° south and 31.5° east, roughly 2,950 km from the equator in subtropical latitudes.
- What currency does Eswatini use?
- Eswatini uses the Swazi lilangeni, written L (currency code SZL). No other entry in this dataset uses it.
- Is Eswatini a country?
- Yes. Eswatini is a sovereign state and one of the 193 UN members listed on this site.
- What is the population of Eswatini?
- Eswatini has a population of about 1.2 million, which makes it the 160th most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. Mauritius sits just above it and Djibouti just below.
