 Swaziland - state flag
Swaziland - State Flag, The flag was officially adopted in 1967 and is based
on the flag that King Sobhuza II gave to the Emasotar Regiment under the "Swazi
Pioneer Corps" in 1941. High red stands for the battles of the past, yellow for
mineral riches, blue for peace. The flag bears the regiment's ox-skin shield in
front of the spear and stage with a shower of feathers from widows and turakos.
- Countryaah:
What does the flag of Swaziland look like? Follow this link, then you will
see the image in PNG format and flag meaning description about this country.
Swaziland - history
Swaziland history, In the area more than 200,000 years old stone tools have
been found. Bantu-speaking groups (including nguni and sotho)
immigrated around the birth of Christ, but the Swazi state cannot be traced back
as far back as the 1700's. Sobhuza 1. (c. 1785-1836) consolidated the kingdom and
assembled a coalition of Nguni and Sotho clans who could withstand the pressure
from the south, where Shaka was gathering the Zulu kingdom
(see Mfecane). Sobhuza's son Mswati (c. 1820-68), who made a name for the
kingdom, initiated a series of wars with the Transvaal Boer Republic, which
from the mid-1800's. annexed parts of Swaziland from the west. At the same time,
the British of the royal house purchased land and subsoil rights; when Swaziland
became a British colony in 1906, was 2/3 of the land
owned by whites. The royal house achieved great prosperity during the 1900's. and
invested large sums in the education system in particular, while white earnings
were rarely reinvested in the country.
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AbbreviationFinder: Check three-letter abbreviation for each country in
the world, such as SWZ which represents the official name of Swaziland.
Swaziland gained formal independence in 1968 as a constitutional monarchy. In
1973, Sobhuza abolished the 2nd Constitution in favor of a traditionalist
system, and he reigned almost unequivocally until his death in 1982. Following
an intriguing interregnum, 18-year-old Mswati was crowned 3rd in 1986. In the
1990's, he initiated cautious political reforms. which, however, did not satisfy
the growing democracy movement with the unions at the forefront. Later, politics
became more conservative. Political tensions increased because the government
and the king opposed democratic reforms and maintained a monarchy. Strengthening
the security police and the introduction of new laws on opposition politics have
diminished the prospect of reforms.
In 2005, the king signed a new constitution which broadly affirmed the
absolute power of the monarchy. Oppression and government control of the media
have weakened the opposition. The King's extravagant lifestyle with the purchase
of expensive cars and houses for his 15 wives (2015) has attracted
attention. There have since been several demonstrations for more economy and
demands for political reform, but criticism has been turned down.
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