Christmas Island (2003) | Swaziland (2001) | |
Administrative divisions | none (territory of Australia) | 4 districts; Hhohho, Lubombo, Manzini, Shiselweni |
Age structure | 0-14 years: NA%
15-64 years: NA% 65 years and over: NA% (2003 est.) |
0-14 years:
45.53% (male 250,327; female 252,479) 15-64 years: 51.88% (male 276,186; female 296,728) 65 years and over: 2.59% (male 11,687; female 16,936) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | NA | sugarcane, cotton, corn, tobacco, rice, citrus, pineapples, sorghum, peanuts; cattle, goats, sheep |
Airports | 1 (2002) | 18 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002) |
total:
1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total:
17 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 10 (2000 est.) |
Area | total: 135 sq km
land: 135 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total:
17,363 sq km land: 17,203 sq km water: 160 sq km |
Area - comparative | about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC | slightly smaller than New Jersey |
Background | Named in 1643 for the day of its discovery, the island was annexed and settlement was begun by the UK in 1888. Phosphate mining began in the 1890s. The UK transferred sovereignty to Australia in 1958. Almost two-thirds of the island has been declared a national park. | Autonomy for the Swazis of southern Africa was guaranteed by the British in the late 19th century; independence was granted 1968. Student and labor unrest during the 1990s have pressured the monarchy (one of the oldest on the continent) to grudgingly allow political reform and greater democracy. |
Birth rate | NA births/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 40.12 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA |
revenues:
$400 million expenditures: $450 million, including capital expenditures of $115 million (FY96/97) |
Capital | The Settlement | Mbabane; note - Lobamba is the royal and legislative capital |
Climate | tropical; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds | varies from tropical to near temperate |
Coastline | 80 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
Constitution | NA | none; constitution of 6 September 1968 was suspended 12 April 1973; a new constitution was promulgated 13 October 1978, but was not formally presented to the people; since then a few more outlines for a constitution have been compiled under the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC), but so far none have been accepted |
Country name | conventional long form: Territory of Christmas Island
conventional short form: Christmas Island |
conventional long form:
Kingdom of Swaziland conventional short form: Swaziland |
Currency | Australian dollar (AUD) | lilangeni (SZL) |
Death rate | NA deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 21.84 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | $NA | $281 million (2000 est.) |
Dependency status | territory of Australia; administered by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (territory of Australia) | chief of mission:
Ambassador Gregory L. JOHNSON embassy: Central Bank Building, Warner Street, Mbabane mailing address: P. O. Box 199, Mbabane telephone: [268] 404-6441 through 404-6445 FAX: [268] 404-5959 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (territory of Australia) | chief of mission:
Ambassador Mary Madzandza KANYA chancery: 3400 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 362-6683 FAX: [1] (202) 244-8059 |
Disputes - international | none | Swaziland has asked South Africa to open negotiations on reincorporating some nearby South African territories that are populated by ethnic Swazis or that were long ago part of the Swazi Kingdom |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | $55 million (1995) |
Economy - overview | Phosphate mining had been the only significant economic activity, but in December 1987 the Australian Government closed the mine. In 1991, the mine was reopened. With the support of the government, a $34 million casino opened in 1993. The casino closed in 1998. The Australian Government in 2001 agreed to support the creation of a commercial space-launching site on the island, slated to begin operation in 2003. | In this small landlocked economy, subsistence agriculture occupies more than 60% of the population. Manufacturing features a number of agroprocessing factories. Mining has declined in importance in recent years: diamond mines have shut down because of the depletion of easily accessible reserves; high-grade iron ore deposits were depleted by 1978; and health concerns have cut world demand for asbestos. Exports of soft drink concentrate, sugar, and wood pulp are the main earners of hard currency. Surrounded by South Africa, except for a short border with Mozambique, Swaziland is heavily dependent on South Africa from which it receives four-fifths of its imports and to which it sends two-thirds of its exports. Remittances from the Southern African Customs Union and Swazi workers in South African mines substantially supplement domestically earned income. The government is trying to improve the atmosphere for foreign investment. Overgrazing, soil depletion, drought, and sometimes floods persist as problems for the future. Prospects for 2001 are strengthened by government millennium projects for a new convention center, additional hotels, an amusement park, a new airport, and stepped-up roadbuilding and factory construction plans. |
Electricity - consumption | NA kWh | 198 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | - | 852 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | - | 701 million kWh
note: supplied by South Africa (1999) |
Electricity - production | NA kWh | 375 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: NA%
hydro: NA% nuclear: NA% other: NA% |
fossil fuel:
53.33% hydro: 46.67% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Murray Hill 361 m |
lowest point:
Great Usutu River 21 m highest point: Emlembe 1,862 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | limited supplies of potable water; wildlife populations being depleted because of excessive hunting; overgrazing; soil degradation; soil erosion |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Desertification, Law of the Sea |
Ethnic groups | Chinese 70%, European 20%, Malay 10%
note: no indigenous population (2001) |
African 97%, European 3% |
Exchange rates | Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.9354 (2002), 1.9320 (2001), 1.7173(2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998) | emalangeni per US dollar - 7.7803 (January 2001), 6.9056 (2000), 6.1087 (1999), 5.4807 (1998), 4.6032 (1997), 4.2706 (1996); note - the Swazi lilangeni is at par with the South African rand; emalangeni is the plural form of lilangeni |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by the Australian governor general
head of government: Administrator William Leonard TAYLOR (since 4 February 1999) elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and Australia |
chief of state:
King MSWATI III (since 25 April 1986) head of government: Prime Minister Sibusiso Barnabas DLAMINI (since 9 August 1996) cabinet: Cabinet recommended by the prime minister and confirmed by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch |
Exports | $NA | $881 million (f.o.b., 2000) |
Exports - commodities | phosphate | soft drink concentrates, sugar, wood pulp, cotton yarn, refrigerators, citrus and canned fruit |
Exports - partners | Australia, NZ | South Africa 65%, EU 12%, Mozambique 11%, US 5% (1998) |
Fiscal year | 1 July - 30 June | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | the flag of Australia is used; note - in early 1986, the Christmas Island Assembly held a design competition for an island flag, however, the winning design has never been formally adopted as the official flag of the territory | three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width), and blue; the red band is edged in yellow; centered in the red band is a large black and white shield covering two spears and a staff decorated with feather tassels, all placed horizontally |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $NA | purchasing power parity - $4.4 billion (2000 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
agriculture:
10% industry: 46% services: 44% (1998 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $NA | purchasing power parity - $4,000 (2000 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | NA% | 2.4% (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 10 30 S, 105 40 E | 26 30 S, 31 30 E |
Geography - note | located along major sea lanes of Indian Ocean | landlocked; almost completely surrounded by South Africa |
Highways | total: 240 km
paved: 30 km unpaved: 210 km (2000) |
total:
3,000 km paved: 850 km unpaved: 2,150 km (1997) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | $NA | $928 million (f.o.b., 2000) |
Imports - commodities | consumer goods | motor vehicles, machinery, transport equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals |
Imports - partners | principally Australia | South Africa 84%, EU 5%, Japan 2%, Singapore 2% (1998) |
Independence | none (territory of Australia) | 6 September 1968 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | 3.7% (FY95/96) |
Industries | tourism, phosphate extraction (near depletion) | mining (coal and asbestos), wood pulp, sugar, soft drink concentrates |
Infant mortality rate | total: NA%
male: NA% female: NA% |
109.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | NA% | 6.4% (2000 est.) |
International organization participation | none | ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 2 (2000) | 3 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | 670 sq km (1993 est.) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court; District Court; Magistrate's Court | High Court; Court of Appeal; judges for both courts are appointed by the monarch |
Labor force | NA | NA |
Labor force - by occupation | tourism 400 people, mining 100 people (1995) | private sector 70%, public sector 30% |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total:
535 km border countries: Mozambique 105 km, South Africa 430 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% note: mainly tropical rainforest; 63% of the island is a national park (1998 est.) |
arable land:
11% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 62% forests and woodland: 7% other: 20% (1993 est.) |
Languages | English (official), Chinese, Malay | English (official, government business conducted in English), siSwati (official) |
Legal system | under the authority of the governor general of Australia and Australian law | based on South African Roman-Dutch law in statutory courts and Swazi traditional law and custom in traditional courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
Legislative branch | unicameral Christmas Island Shire Council (9 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve one-year terms)
elections: last held NA December 2002 (next to be held NA December 2003) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 9 |
bicameral Parliament or Libandla, an advisory body, consists of the Senate (30 seats - 10 appointed by the House of Assembly and 20 appointed by the monarch; members serve five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (65 seats - 10 appointed by the monarch and 55 elected by popular vote; members serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Assembly - last held 16 and 24 October 1998 (next to be held NA 2003) election results: House of Assembly - balloting is done on a nonparty basis; candidates for election are nominated by the local council of each constituency and for each constituency the three candidates with the most votes in the first round of voting are narrowed to a single winner by a second round |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: NA years
male: NA years female: NA years (2003 est.) |
total population:
38.62 years male: 37.86 years female: 39.4 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | NA | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 76.7% male: 78% female: 75.6% (1995 est.) |
Location | Southeastern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of Indonesia | Southern Africa, between Mozambique and South Africa |
Map references | Southeast Asia | Africa |
Maritime claims | contiguous zone: 12 NM
exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
none (landlocked) |
Merchant marine | none (2002 est.) | - |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of Australia | - |
Military branches | - | Umbutfo Swaziland Defense Force (Army), Royal Swaziland Police Force |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $19.198 million (FY00/01) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 4.75% (FY00/01) |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49:
248,084 (2001 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49:
143,618 (2001 est.) |
National holiday | NA | Independence Day, 6 September (1968) |
Nationality | noun: Christmas Islander(s)
adjective: Christmas Island |
noun:
Swazi(s) adjective: Swazi |
Natural hazards | the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard | NA |
Natural resources | phosphate, beaches | asbestos, coal, clay, cassiterite, hydropower, forests, small gold and diamond deposits, quarry stone, and talc |
Net migration rate | NA migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | none | Imbokodvo National Movement or INM [leader NA]; Ngwane National Libertatory Congress or NNLC [Obed DLAMINI, president]; People's United Democratic Movement or PUDEMO [Mario MASUKU, president]; Swaziland National Front or SWANAFRO [Elmond SHONGWE, president]; Swaziland Progressive Party or SPP [J. J. NQUKU, president]; Swaziland United Front or SUF [Matsapa SHONGWE, leader]
note: political parties are banned by the constitution promulgated on 13 October 1978; illegal parties are prohibited from holding large public gatherings; the organizations listed are political associations |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | NA |
Population | 433 (July 2003 est.) | 1,104,343
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | -9% (2003 est.) | 1.83% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Flying Fish Cove | none |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 7, FM 6 (2000) |
Radios | - | 155,000 (1997) |
Railways | 24 km to serve phosphate mines | total:
297 km; note - includes 71 km which are not in use narrow gauge: 297 km 1.067-m gauge |
Religions | Buddhist 36%, Muslim 25%, Christian 18%, other 21% (1997) | Protestant 55%, Muslim 10%, Roman Catholic 5%, indigenous beliefs 30% |
Sex ratio | NA (2003 est.) | at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
Suffrage | - | 18 years of age |
Telephone system | general assessment: service provided by the Australian network
domestic: only analog mobile telephone service is available international: satellite earth stations - one Intelsat earth station provides telephone and telex service (2000) |
general assessment:
not a modern system domestic: system consists of carrier-equipped, open-wire lines and low-capacity, microwave radio relay international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | NA | 33,500 (2000) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | NA | 30,000 (2000) |
Television broadcast stations | NA | 10 (2000) |
Terrain | steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central plateau | mostly mountains and hills; some moderately sloping plains |
Total fertility rate | NA children born/woman (2003 est.) | 5.82 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | NA% | 22% (1995 est.) |
Waterways | none | none |