Mbabane

Administrative capital and largest settlement of Swaziland, in the northwest of the country, near the South African border; population (2001 est) 74,800. It is situated in the Hhohho District of the Highveld, and is connected by rail to nearby coal mines and to the Indian Ocean port of Maputo, in Mozambique, 160 km/100 mi to the east. The legislative capital, Lobamba, is nearby to the south. In addition to mining and local crafts, industries include cement manufacture, finance, and banking. Aided by the development of a hotel and casino complex in the Ezulwini valley, about 11 km/7 mi from Mbabane, tourism has become a major industry.

The town originated near the cattle kraal of Mbandzeni, the Swazi king, towards the end of the 19th century, and by 1902, when the British took control of the country, had developed sufficiently to become the capital of the country; it retained this position at independence in 1968. The University of Swaziland is located here.