Geography of Swaziland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Swaziland is a country in Southern Africa, lying between Mozambique and South Africa. The country is located at the geographic coordinates . Swaziland has an area of 17,363 square kilometres, of which 160 are water. The major regions of the country are Lowveld, Midveld and Highveld.
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[edit] Physical geography
The climate of Swaziland varies from tropical to near temperate. The terrain largely consists of mountains and hills, with some moderately sloping plains. The lowest point is the Great Usutu River, at 21 metres, and the highest is Emlembe, at 1,862 m.
As a landlocked country, Swaziland has neither coastline nor maritime claims. In terms of land boundaries, Swaziland borders Mozambique for 105 kilometres, and South Africa for 430, giving a total land boundary length of 535 km.
[edit] Natural resources
Swaziland possesses the following natural resources: asbestos, coal, clay, cassiterite, hydropower, forests, small gold and diamond deposits, quarry stone, and talc
670 km² of the country's land is irrigated. The following table describes land use in Swaziland.
| Use | Percentage of Area |
|---|---|
| arable land | 9.77 |
| permanent crops | 0.7 |
| other | 89.53 |
[edit] Environment
The kingdom of Swaziland is prone to floods and drought. Soil erosion as a result of overgrazing is a growing problem.
Swaziland is party to the following international agreements: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban and Ozone Layer Protection. The country has signed, but not ratified the agreement on desertification, and the law of the sea.
[edit] External links
- European Digital Archive on the Soil Maps of the world - soil maps of Swaziland
