Introduction
Mbabane is the administrative capital of Swaziland, a small country in southern Africa. The town dates back to the early 1900s. It lies amid hills on the Mbabane River in the western part of the country.
Places of interest
Mbabane is a bustling city with recently built shopping centers and a crowded business district in the center of town. Other attractions include the large Coronation Park and the Mbabane Market, where local vendors sell a wide selection of handicrafts.
Most of Swaziland's government offices are located in Mbabane. However, the country's parliament building, royal palace, and national museum are in Lobamba, 11 miles (18 kilometers) to the south.
Economy
Mbabane and the nearby city of Manzini are the commercial centers of Swaziland. Mbabane has become a busy trading center for the country's major products, such as sugar, wood products, paper, and machinery. A railway, completed in 1964, links Mbabane to the coast of Mozambique. Swaziland's international airport is closer to Manzini than it is to Mbabane.
History
The traditional homesteads of the Swazi people were not clustered together in large settlements. Mbabane was originally the cattle kraal, or corral, of the Swazi king Mbandzeni. The British took control of Swaziland in 1902 and made Mbabane the capital of the colony. When Swaziland gained its independence from Britain in 1968 Mbabane remained its capital. Population (1986 census), city, 38,290; (1998 estimate), metropolitan area, 60,000.
