Mbabane (; ss, ÉMbábáne, ) 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 ...

Eswatini Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...

(previously called Swaziland), and is one of the two

capitals Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

(along with

Lobamba Lobamba is a city in Eswatini, and is one of the two capitals (along with Mbabane), serving as the legislative, traditional, spiritual, seat of government of the Parliament of Eswatini,executive capital. With an estimated population of 94,874 (2010), it is located on the

Mbabane River The Mbabane River is a river of Eswatini. It flows through Hhohho, Hhohho District in the north-west of the country. The city of Mbabane is located along the river. Tributary, Tributaries include the Polinjane River. See also * Geography of Eswati ...

and its tributary the

Polinjane River Polinjane River is a river of Eswatini. A tributary of the Mbabane River The Mbabane River is a river of Eswatini. It flows through Hhohho, Hhohho District in the north-west of the country. The city of Mbabane is located along the river. Tributary ...

in the Mdzimba Mountains. It is located in the Hhohho Region, of which it is also the

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

. The average elevation of the city is 1,243 meters. It lies on the MR3 road.

History

The town grew after the nation's

administrative centre An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located. In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lu ...

moved from

Bremersdorp Manzini (formerly known as ''Bremersdorp'') is a large city in Eswatini (Swaziland), which is also the capital of Eswatini's Manzini Region. The city is the country's largest urban center ahead of Mbabane, with a population of 110,000 (2008). It is ...

(now called Manzini) in 1902. It derives its name from a chief, Mbabane Kunene, who lived in the area when British settlers arrived. Mbabane was founded in 1887 by Mickey Wells, on the spot where the Transvaal-to-Mozambique route crossed the Mbabane river. It was declared the capital of the new Protectorate of Swaziland in 1902. During this time, Mbabane consisted of a few shops, churches and schools founded by white settlers. Black Africans were not allowed to live in the town and had to reside in nearby rural districts. By the 1930s, Mbabane had electricity, running water, telephone connection and a

hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...

. Prior to the Second World War, most Swazis lived in rural districts and worked outside

, which prevented the town from growing. After the war, the creation of trade schools in the city, the arrival of the Goba railway connecting Maputo to the mines in South Africa, and foreign investment resources within Eswatini (particularly sugar) all contributed to the city's growth. Mbabane became the central hub for development in the Hhohho district. In the years following independence, governmental buildings such as the British Consulate were built in Mbabane. Further growth has been achieved through the growth of the tourism industry in Eswatini, of which Mbabane has become the centre. Mbabane today is home to hotels and recreational sites such as clubs and golf courses tending to tourists.

Economy

Mbabane's closest border crossing to South Africa is

Ngwenya Ngwenya is a town in western Eswatini, lying near the border with South Africa, north west of Mbabane, on the MR3 road. The South African town opposite Ngwenya is Oshoek in Mpumalanga province. It is known for its glass factory and artwork ...

Oshoek Oshoek in Mpumalanga is the main border post between South Africa and Eswatini The N17 national road starts here. The area on the /Eswatini side of the border is known as Ngwenya, and the road (MR3 Road The MR3 road, also known as the Matsaph ...

, and though siSwati is the primary language, English is widespread. Mbabane, and Eswatini itself, depend on tourism and

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...

exports. It is also a commercial hub for the surrounding region, while tin and iron were mined nearby. The city has two sites for light industries.

Education

Mbabane is the home of the Waterford-Kamhlaba

United World College United World Colleges (UWC) is an international network of schools and educational programmes with the shared aim of "making education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future." The organization was founde ...

of Southern Africa, as well as one of the three campuses of the University of Eswatini.

Limkokwing University of Creative Technology Limkokwing University of Creative Technology (also called Limkokwing and LUCT) is a private university that has a presence across Africa, Europe, and Asia. With its main campus in Malaysia, the university has over 30,000 students from more tha ...

is a private international university that lies by the South African-Eswatini border with several university candidates from Eswatini.

Culture

Indingilizi Gallery Indingilizi Gallery is an art gallery in Mbabane, Eswatini, established in 1982. Most of Eswatini's top artists have had their work showcased here. The gallery showcases a range of Swazi art including sculptures, paintings, batiks, mohair, ethnic ...

is an art gallery in Mbabane, established in 1982 and showcases a range of Swazi art, including sculptures, paintings, batiks, mohair, ethnic jewellery and pottery.

Places of worship

Among the places of worship, they are predominantly

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

churches: Roman Catholic Diocese of Manzini ( Catholic Church),

Swaziland Reformed Church The Swaziland Reformed Church was founded in 1944 and become a congregation of the Dutch Reformed Church in Africa in 1967. Later the Swaziland Missionary Board was formed to coordinate the missionary work of the Reformed Church in Swaziland. In 198 ...

( World Communion of Reformed Churches), Zion Christian Church. There are also

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

mosques.

Geography

Mbabane is located in the district of Hhohho, of which it is also the capital, and lies on the

and its tributary the

in the Mdzimba Mountains. The average elevation of the city is 1243 metres. Neighbourhoods and suburbs include

Mbangweni Shiselweni II (sometimes called Mbangweni) is an ''inkhundla'' of Eswatini, located in the Shiselweni District. Its population as of the 2007 census was 20,067. Populated places in Shiselweni Region {{Swaziland-geo-stub ...

, Sidvwashini,

Kent Rock Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces t ...

, Sandla,

Westridge Park Westridge may refer to: Geography Canada *Westridge, British Columbia, a residential neighbourhood in Burnaby, British Columbia *Westridge (Edmonton), a residential neighbourhood in Edmonton, Alberta *Westridge Shopping Centre Pakistan *Westridge, ...

, Malunge,

New Checkers New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

, Msunduza and Vukutentele.

Climate

Due to its altitude, Mbabane features a moderate subtropical highland climate ( Köppen'': Cwb''). The city has a mild climate and snow is a rare event, which has occurred only three times since 1900. The city averages only four days of frost a year. The average temperature is in July and in January.''The Cambridge Factfinder''; 4th ed. The thermal range is low, but the winter night is cold for a

subtropical climate The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical and climate zones to the north and south of the tropics. Geographically part of the temperate zones of both hemispheres, they cover the middle latitudes from to approximately 35° north and ...

in general. Most of the precipitation is concentrated in the summer. The difference in the driest month (June) and the wettest (January) is 210 mm. Abacus Backpackers Mbabane Swaziland

Swaziland - Portable market hut in Mbabane

International relations

Twin towns – sister cities

Mbabane is twinned with: *

Fort Worth Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...

, Texas, US * Taipei, Taiwan * Mersing, Malaysia *

Melilla Melilla ( , ; ; rif, Mřič ; ar, مليلية ) is an autonomous city of Spain located in north Africa. It lies on the eastern side of the Cape Three Forks, bordering Morocco and facing the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of . It was par ...

, Spain * Maputo, Mozambique

References

Bibliography

External links

* * {{Coord, 26, 19, S, 31, 08, E, region:SZ_type:city, display=title Capitals in Africa Populated places in Hhohho Region 1902 establishments in Africa Populated places established in 1902