Lobamba is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

in Eswatini, and is one of the two capitals (along with Mbabane), serving as the

legislative A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...

traditional A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

, spiritual, seat of government of the

Parliament of Eswatini The Parliament of Eswatini ''(Swazi: Libandla)'' consists of two chambers: *The Senate (Upper Chamber) (Indlu yeTimphunga) *The House of Assembly (Lower Chamber) The Houses of Parliament are located in Lobamba. See also * Politics of Eswatini ...

,"The Parliament of Swaziland"
. Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. Accessed April 7, 2014. and

Ludzidzini Royal Village The Ludzidzini Royal Village is the home to the House of Dlamini The House of Dlamini is the royal house of the Kingdom of Eswatini. Mswati III, as king and Ngwenyama of Eswatini, is the current head of the house of Dlamini. Swazi kings up to the ...

, the residence of Queen Ntfombi, the

Queen Mother A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. It arises in hereditary monarchies in Europe and is also used to describe a number of ...

."Lobamba"
Encyclopædia Britannica. Accessed April 8, 2014.

Mswati III Mswati III (born Makhosetive; 19 April 1968) is the king ( Swazi: Ngwenyama, Ingwenyama yemaSwati) of Eswatini and head of the Swazi royal family. He was born in Manzini in the Protectorate of Swaziland to King Sobhuza II and one of his young ...

lives about away at the Lozitha Palace. The King and Queen Mother participate in annual December and January

Incwala Incwala () is the main ritual of kingship in the Kingdom of Eswatini. This is a national event that takes place during the summer solstice. The main participant in incwala is the King of Eswatini; when there is no king there is no incwala. In ...

ceremonies and August and September Reed Dancees at Ludzidzini Royal Village, also known as the Royal Kraal. Key attractions are the Parliament, National Museum of Eswatini,

Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary is Eswatini's oldest protected area, owned and managed by a non-profit trust. Overview The sanctuary serves as a headquarters for the Big Game Parks including Mlilwane's sister reserves Hlane Royal National Park and ...

, and the King Sobhuza II Memorial Park. The Embo State Palace, not open to visitors, was built by the British government for the

polygamous Crimes Polygamy (from Late Greek (') "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, sociologists call this polygyny. When a woman is marrie ...

King

Sobhuza II Sobhuza II, (; also known as Nkhotfotjeni, Mona; 22 July 1899 – 21 August 1982) was the Paramount Chief and later Ngwenyama of Swaziland for 82 years and 254 days, the longest verifiable reign of any monarch in recorded history. Sobhuza was ...

, whose family included 600 children. He led the movement for Eswatini's independence from the United Kingdom and was its first prime minister.

Overview

It is located in the western part of the country in the woodland "Valley of Heaven", or

Ezulwini Valley Ezulwini Valley is a valley of northwest Eswatini. Also known as "The Valley of Heaven", the valley lasts for about 30 kilometres, and is bounded to the east by the Mdzimba hills. The historical capital of Swaziland Lobamba is located in the valley ...

. It is from Mbabane, in the district of

Hhohho Hhohho () is a region of Eswatini, located in the north western part of the country. Hhohho was named after the capital of King Mswati II, who expanded the Swazi territory to the north and west, taking in the districts of Barberton, Nelspruit, ...

and has a subtropical climate with wet summers and dry winters. Sobhuza

In 1997 its population was 3,625. Its population in 2006 was 11,000. Across the country, 84.3% of its people are

Swazi Swazi may refer to: * Swazi people, a people of southeastern Africa * Swazi language * Eswatini Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked coun ...

and 9.9% are Zulu. The remainder are

Tsonga Tsonga may refer to: * Tsonga language, a Bantu language spoken in southern Africa * Tsonga people, a large group of people living mainly in southern Mozambique and South Africa. * Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (; born 17 April 1985) i ...

(2.5%),

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

(1.6%) and others (1.7%). Its official languages are

and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

History

Two areas have been called Lobamba, the first now called "Old Lobamba" was established in 1750 in southern Eswatini. The subject of this article is a settlement that was created by

in the northwest section of the country. In 1903, following the

Boer Wars The military history of South Africa chronicles a vast time period and complex events from the dawn of history until the present time. It covers civil wars and wars of aggression and of self-defence both within South Africa and against it. It in ...

, the British government took control of Eswatini and it was then ruled by a

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

. In 1921 King

became leader of Eswatini, which was still under the British government's control. Eswatini became independent of the British government on September 6, 1968, which was announced at a cattle

byre A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; th ...

in Lobamba by Prince Makhosini. He was the country's first prime minister and the great-grandson of

Sobhuza I Sobhuza I (also known as Ngwane IV, Somhlolo) (1788–1850) was king of Eswatini, from 1815 to 1850. Born around the year 1788, his father was King Ndvungunye (also known as ''Zikodze''), and his mother was Somnjalose Simelane. He was calle ...

. With its independence, Eswatini was a member in its own right of the

Organization of African Unity The Organisation of African Unity (OAU; french: Organisation de l'unité africaine, OUA) was an intergovernmental organization established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 32 signatory governments. One of the main heads for OAU's ...

(OAU),

British Commonwealth The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...

, and the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

.Emmanuel Kwaku Akyeampong; Henry Louis Gates.
Dictionary of African Biography
'. Oxford University Press; 2 February 2012. . p. 233–234. It was made a

constitutional monarchy A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...

under Sobhuza II,Ruth Cyr.
Twentieth Century Africa
'. iUniverse; 2001. . p. 488. who lived in the royal residence, or kraal, in Lobamba.

Government

Parliament building of Eswatini, Lobamba

Lobamba is the legislative seat of the Eswatini government.

Parliament of Eswatini

It was made a branch of the

Commonwealth Parliamentary Association The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), previously known as the Empire Parliamentary Association, is an organisation which works to support good governance, democracy and human rights. In 1989 the patron of the CPA was the Head ...

on January 1, 1965, and its date of independence was January 1, 1968. The constitution was signed by King

on July 26, 2005. The

king King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

appoints the

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

and the council. There are two chambers: the Senate and the House of Assembly. The parliament building is sometimes open to visitors.

Embo State Palace

The royal Embo State Palace was built by the British to house the

and his family, including 600 children. It is not open to visitors and photographs are not allowed.Alan Murphy; Kate Armstrong; James Bainbridge.
Lonely Planet Southern Africa
'. Lonely Planet; 2010. . p. 592.

Royal residences

King

lives at the Lozitha Palace, about from the city. He visits the Royal Kraal, or Ludzidzini Royal Residence, during the Umhlanga dance and

ceremonies. The royal village includes the queen mother's Royal Kraal, dwelling clusters, and a parade ground for ceremonies.

Infrastructure

Law enforcement

Caricature of William Palmer, 2nd Earl of Selborne (1859-1942)

Lobamba has a police station and is served by The Royal Eswatini Police Service. During the British colonial era

Lord Selborne Earl of Selborne, in the County of Southampton, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1882 for the lawyer and Liberal politician Roundell Palmer, 1st Baron Selborne, along with the subsidiary title of Viscount Wo ...

, High Commissioner for South Africa signed a proclamation in 1907 for what became the Eswatini Police Force. After Eswatini's independence in 1968, the force was renamed the Royal Eswatini Police Force. Its name was further changed making it a service, rather than a force.

Education

Education is free, but is not required. It had low literacy rates, but they are rising. Lobamba National High School is in Lobamba.

Health and welfare

The government provides health facilities to manage

endemic disease In epidemiology, an infection is said to be endemic in a specific population or populated place when that infection is constantly maintained at a baseline level without extra infections being brought into the group as a result of travel or simi ...

and

malnutrition Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is "a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients" which adversely affects the body's tissues ...

. Retirement, disability and survivor pensions are available through its welfare system.

Transportation

Many of the roads in Eswatini are unsurfaced, but there are good roads that connect principal towns, including the MR3 highway and MR103 road.Kate Armstrong.
South Africa, Lesotho & Swaziland
'. Lonely Planet; 2006. . p. 582. There are small local airstrips and a railroad that operates between Eswatini and Mozambique.Peter Haggett.
Encyclopedia of World Geography
'. Marshall Cavendish; 1 July 2001. . p. 2477. The

Matsapha Airport Matsapha Airport is an airport located near Manzini, a city in Manzini District of Eswatini. It serves flights of the Eswatini Government and mercy flights. History Although a new airport for Manzini, King Mswati III International Airport ...

is from Lobamba. The next closest domestic and international airport is

Maputo International Airport Maputo International Airport , also known as Mavalane International Airport, formerly Lourenço Marques Airport (IATA: LUM), is an airport located northwest of the center of Maputo, the largest city and capital of Mozambique. It is the largest ...

in Mozambique, which is away. One of the tour operators in Eswatini is Swazi Trails, which has tours of the Lobamba royal village, nature reserves, game parks, and craft centres. Nabo Bashoa runs minibus tours.

Culture and attractions

National Museum of Eswatini

The National Museum of Eswatini, located in Lobamba next to the Parliament building, was built in 1972 and expanded in 1986 and 1990. The museum was made a non-profit institution in 1974 by the

International Council of Museums The International Council of Museums (ICOM) is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to museums, maintaining formal relations with UNESCO and having a consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Founded in 1946, I ...

. The museum houses a memorial to the revered King

and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

n artifacts. It has a collection of photographs that include subjects of the Mbabane and

Manzini Region Manzini is a region of Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland), located in the center-west of the country. It has an area of 4,093.59 km² and a population of 355,945 (2017). Its administrative center is Manzini. It borders all three other r ...

s and British colonial administrators. A 16th-century head of

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

, discovered nearby, is located in the natural history wing and provides evidence of trade with the

east East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...

."National Museum"
Swaziland National Trust Commission. Accessed April 7, 2014. The natural history wing includes

highveld The Highveld (Afrikaans: ''Hoëveld'', where ''veld'' means "field") is the portion of the South African inland plateau which has an altitude above roughly 1500 m, but below 2100 m, thus excluding the Lesotho mountain regions to the south-east of ...

and

lowveld Veld ( or ), also spelled veldt, is a type of wide open rural landscape in :Southern Africa. Particularly, it is a flat area covered in grass or low scrub, especially in the countries of South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Botswa ...

dioramas to illustrate the diverse Eswatini ecosystems and feature rarely seen nocturnal animals. Its nature-centric exhibits integrate environmental and cultural impacts. A recreation of a Swazi homestead is located outside the museum.

Somhlolo stadium

Also located near the Parliament building is the Somhlolo stadium for football and other major events. Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary in Eswatini 01

Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary

Just outside Lobamba is the Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary that has horseback and hiking trails, guided mountain-bike tours, rustic trail camps and camping in caves. Throughout the park are opportunities to observe game, including

antelope The term antelope is used to refer to many species of even-toed ruminant that are indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelope comprise a wastebasket taxon defined as any of numerous Old World grazing and browsing hoofed mammals ...

giraffe The giraffe is a large African hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa''. It is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on Earth. Traditionally, giraffes were thought to be one species, ''Giraffa camelopardalis ...

zebra Zebras (, ) (subgenus ''Hippotigris'') are African equines with distinctive black-and-white striped coats. There are three living species: the Grévy's zebra (''Equus grevyi''), plains zebra (''E. quagga''), and the mountain zebra (''E. zeb ...

s, and many types of birds.

King Sobhuza II Memorial Park

A memorial park was established in the memory of King

, who was the leader of the country's independence in 1968. The king's life is told through an exhibit of photographs. Three of the king's vintage cars are in the museum and his mausoleum is within the park.''Lobamba: Attractions.''
The Kingdom of Swaziland. Retrieved April 20, 2014.

Malkern Valley

Malkerns Valley is an arts and crafts center located south of Lobamba.

Events

Ceremonies

Lobamba is famous for two ceremonies that are held there: the Reed Dance, celebrated in August and September in honour of the Queen Mother, and the

, in December and January in honour of the King. These ceremonies include dancing, singing, and celebrations with traditional attire.''Incwala''
The Kingdom of Swaziland. Retrieved April 20, 2014.

Notes

References

External links

Geography of Eswatini
, swazidirectory.co.sz

Virtual Tourist. {{Authority control Populated places in Hhohho Region Capitals in Africa