Geography & environment — Eswatini
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Geography & environment at a glance
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources. Key figure for Eswatini: Africa
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Location & size
- Geographic Location
Africa
- Geographic Coordinates
26 30 S, 31 30 E
- Total Area
6,704 Square Miles 17,364 Square Kilometers
- Land Area
6,642 Square Miles 17,204 Square Kilometers
- Water Area
62 Square Miles 160 Square Kilometers
- Land Boundaries
332 Miles 535 Kilometers
- Border Countries
Mozambique 105 km, South Africa 430 km
Physical geography
- Terrain
Mostly mountains and hills; some moderately sloping plains
- Highest Point
1,862 Meters
- Highest Point Location
Emlembe 1,862 m
- Lowest Point
21 Meters
- Lowest Point Location
Great Usutu River 21 m
- Natural Resources
Asbestos, coal, clay, cassiterite, hydropower, forests, small gold and diamond deposits, quarry stone, and talc
- Irrigated Land
192 Square Miles 498 Square Kilometers
Climate & time
- Time Zone
UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Climate
- Climate
- Swaziland is divided into four well-defined regions running from west to east. The mountainous highveld, where Mbabane is located, has a humid, near-temperate climate with mean annual rainfall of 40-90 inches (100-230 centimeters), rarely suffering from drought. Daytime weather is more variable in the highveld than in other regions
- a foggy morning may be followed by a sunny afternoon and vice versa. Temperatures in Mbabane range from an average of 51ºF to an average of 72ºF. In some parts of Mbabane, frost develops in winter and snow occasionally occurs. The middleveld and the Lubombo Plateau (the central and extreme eastern sections) are subtropical and drier, with mean annual rainfall of 25-47 inches (65-120 centimeters). Temperatures average 78ºF to an average low of 57 degrees. The middleveld is the site of the industrial center of the country, Manzini, as well as the University of Swaziland campuses and has an average elevation of 2,500 feet. The average elevation of the Lubombo Plateau is 1,800 feet. The lowveld is subtropical and drier with a mean annual rainfall of 20-30 inches (50-90 centimeters)
- the majority of this rainfall is from heavy storms. Temperatures in Big Bend, the largest town in the lowveld, range from an average low of 58ºF to a high of 84ºF. The altitude ranges from 500 to 1,000 feet.
- Terrain
Mostly mountains and hills; some moderately sloping plains
- Location
Southern Africa, between Mozambique and South Africa
- Total Area
6,704 Square Miles 17,364 Square Kilometers
- Border Countries
Mozambique 105 km, South Africa 430 km
Environment
- Environment - Current Issues
- Limited supplies of potable water
- wildlife populations being depleted because of excessive hunting
- overgrazing
- soil degradation
- soil erosion
- Environment - International Agreements
- Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection Signed,
- but not ratified: Law of the Sea