Eswatini, officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and also known by its former official name Swaziland and formerly the Kingdom of Swaziland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its north, west, south, and southeast. At no more than 200 km (120 mi) north to south and 130 km (81 mi) east to west, Eswatini is one of the smallest countries in Africa; despite this, its climate and topography are diverse, ranging from a cool and mountainous highveld to a hot and dry lowveld.
Artifacts indicating human activity dating back to the early Stone Age have been found in the Kingdom of Eswatini. The earliest known inhabitants of the region were Khoisan hunter-gatherers. Later, the population became predominantly Nguni during and after the great Bantu migrations. People speaking languages ancestral to the current Sotho and Nguni languages began settling no later than the 11th century. The country now derives its name from a later king named Mswati II. Mswati II was the greatest of the fighting kings of Eswatini, and he greatly extended the area of the country to twice its current size. The people of Eswatini largely belong to a number of clans that can be categorized as Emakhandzambili, Bemdzabu, and Emafikamuva, depending on when and how they settled in Eswatini.
Hhohho is a region of Eswatini, located in the north western part of the country. Hhohho was named after the capital of King Mswati II, who expanded the Swazi territory to the north and west, taking in the districts of Barberton, Nelspruit, Carolina and Piet Retief. These areas were later acquired by what was the Province of Transvaal and today they form part of the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa. It has an area of 3,625.17 km², a population of 320,651 (2017), and is divided into 14 tinkhundla. The administrative center is the national capital of Mbabane. It borders Lubombo Region on the southeast and Manzini Region in the southwest.
Manzini is a region of Eswatini, located in the center-west of the country. It has an area of 4,093.59 km2 and a population of 355,945 (2017). Its administrative center is Manzini. It borders all three other regions of Eswatini: Hhohho in the north, Lubombo in the east, and Shiselweni in the south. It is bordered by the Mpumalanga province in South Africa to the west.
Shiselweni is a region of Eswatini, located in the south of the country. It has an area of 3,786.71 km² and a population of 204,111 (2017). Its administrative center is Nhlangano. It borders Lubombo in the northeast and Manzini Region in the northwest.
The Parliament of Eswatini is bicameral, consisting of a lower chamber and an upper one. Some of the members of both chambers are elected, while the rest are appointed by the King of Eswatini. Election is by secret ballot in a first-past-the-post system of voting. Members of both chambers serve for five-year terms. All candidates run on a non-partisan basis, as political parties are banned.
The House of Assembly of Eswatini is the lower chamber of the country's bicameral Parliament. The Assembly may debate and pass bills, although as the country is an absolute monarchy, the role of the legislature is mostly advisory.
The Senate of Eswatini is the upper chamber of the country's bicameral Parliament. The Senate may debate or pass a bill, with the exception of a "money bill", which must first be introduced in the lower chamber, the House of Assembly.
The Eswatini national cricket team represents Eswatini, a country in Southern Africa, in international cricket. The Eswatini national cricket team, which is administered by the Eswatini Cricket Association (ECA), became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2007. The ECA, along with the cricket associations of Cameroon, the Falkland Islands and Peru, was promoted to affiliate status in 2007 by the ICC. In 2017, they became associate members. Eswatini is also a member of the African Cricket Association. The Eswatini national cricket team would compete in the World Cricket League Africa Region and the ICC Africa Twenty20 Championship.
Education in Eswatini includes pre-school, primary, secondary and high schools, for general education and training (GET), and universities and colleges at tertiary level.
General elections were held in Swaziland on 27 October 1978. The elections was held using the Tinkhundla system, in which voters elected 80 members to an electoral college, who then selected 40 non-party candidates for the Parliament, whilst the King appointed a further ten. The new system strengthened the position of the country's traditionalists.
General elections were held in Swaziland in November 1987, having originally been scheduled for 1988, but brought forward due to tensions in the country. The elections was held using the 'Tinkhundla' system, in which voters elected members to an electoral college, who then selected 40 non-party candidates for the Parliament, whilst the King appointed a further ten. Unlike previous elections, all forty of the selected candidates were new to parliament.
General elections were held in Swaziland in September and October 1993. The elections was held using the Tinkhundla system, in which voters elected members to an electoral college, who then selected 55 non-party candidates for the Parliament, whilst the King appointed a further ten.
General elections were held in Swaziland on 16 and 24 October 1998. The elections was held using the Tinkhundla system, in which voters elected members to an electoral college, who then selected 55 non-party candidates for the Parliament, whilst the King appointed a further ten. 198,445 voters were registered, with 119,845 casting votes, giving a turnout of 60.4%.
The Swazi Democratic Party, also known by its abbreviation SWADEPA, is a political party in Eswatini led by its president Jan Sithole. SWADEPA was established in 2011 and took part in the 2013 parliamentary elections in Swaziland by putting up candidates running as individuals.
Lubombo is a region of Eswatini, located in the east of the country. It has an area of 5,849.11 km2 and a population of 212,531 (2017). Its administrative center is Siteki. It borders all three other regions: Hhohho to the north, Manzini to the west, and Shiselweni to the south. It is divided into 11 tinkhundla.
General elections were held in Eswatini on 18 August and 21 September 2018.
Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini is the union government created by the constitution of Eswatini where the monarch holds supreme executive, legislative, and judicial powers. The Ngwenyama (lion) is a hereditary leader, rules the country, with the assistance of a council of ministers and a national legislature.
The Sive Siyinqaba National Movement is a political party in Eswatini. It is led Ngomuyayona Gamedze as of 5 November 2022 as president, taking over from former Minister of Tourism Musa Nkambule and calls for a constitutional monarchy as a replacement for the absolute monarchy currently in place in Eswatini. Sive Siyinqaba National Movement also calls for a government by the people, for the people. The party's official colors blue and yellow stand for peace and wealth.
The following lists events that happened during 1978 in Eswatini.
