Eswatini

Eswatini is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered by South Africa to the west, south and north, and Mozambique to the east. The capital is Mbabane, with Lobamba serving as the royal and legislative capital. The country has a population of about 1.2-million and operates as an absolute monarchy under King Mswati III. Eswatini's economy is closely integrated with South Africa's, with the majority of its imports and exports passing through its larger neighbour. The country is a member of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), alongside South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho and Namibia, sharing a common external tariff and revenue pool. Key economic sectors include agriculture, manufacturing, forestry and sugar production, with sugar being a major export commodity. The economy also benefits from textile and apparel exports, particularly to the United States under the African Growth and Opportunity Act. Eswatini uses the lilangeni as its currency, which is pegged at par to the South African rand, and the rand also circulates freely within the country. The nation faces development challenges including high unemployment, poverty and one of the world's highest HIV prevalence rates. The country was known as Swaziland until King Mswati III announced the name change to Eswatini in April 2018, reverting to the Swazi-language name meaning 'place of the Swazi'.