Swaziland is one of the few countries in the world that has an absolute monarchy, and it holds the dubious distinction of having the highest AIDS rate per capita in the world.
史瓦濟蘭是世界上少數實行絕對君主政體的國家之一，也擁有世界上平均每人愛滋感染率最高的「紀錄」。
PHOTO: AFP
A closer look 說古論今
Swaziland is a landlocked country in southern Africa. It's small but has stunning national parks where visitors can see lions, elephants, rhinos and leopards. The country is almost entirely surrounded by South Africa, and almost half its exports go there.
King Mswati III, 39, has ruled over Swaziland since 1986. Currently the king has 13 wives, 27 children and over 200 siblings to care for. He uses profits from the royal-owned company Tibiyo TakaNgwane and money from the national treasury to purchase luxury cars and build new palaces for them. The king is greatly criticized for these lavish purchases because almost 70% of Swazis live on less than US$1 a day.
Most Swazis live in the countryside and rely on subsistence agriculture. Over farming and droughts are problems in Swaziland and have led to major food shortages in the past. But without doubt the greatest challenge facing the country is AIDS.
About 40% of Swazis are infected with HIV, which has led to an unusually low life expectancy of 32 years and a huge number of orphaned children. Most Swazis lack the money needed to get proper treatment, and many don't even know they're infected until they start to succumb to the disease's devastating effects.
(Michael Kearney, Staff Writer)
史瓦濟蘭是非洲南部的一個內陸國家。領土雖小，但卻擁有景色優美的國家公園，遊客可以觀賞獅子、象群、犀牛和豹等野生動物。國土幾乎完全被南非包圍，有一半的輸出品也都運銷南非。
國王恩史瓦蒂三世，今年三十九歲，自一九八六年起開始統治史瓦濟蘭。目前他有十三位王妃，二十七個小孩，及超過兩百個兄弟姊妹要照料。為了這些親族，他用皇家公司Tibiyo TakaNgwane收益及國庫的資金來購買名車及建造新皇宮。恩史瓦蒂國王奢侈的生活飽受嚴厲的批評，因為全國有７０％的人民每天生活費不到一美元。
大多數的史瓦濟蘭人民住在農村，以務農維生。過度開墾和旱災是史瓦濟蘭的困境，也是過去糧食短缺的主因。但無庸置疑地，愛滋病的問題才是史國面臨的最大挑戰。
史瓦濟蘭有將近４０％的人口感染愛滋病，導致國民的平均壽命奇低，僅有三十二歲，及一群數量龐大的孤兒。多數史瓦濟蘭人因為貧窮而無法接受適當的治療，其中更有許多人直到他們受到病痛嚴重的影響前，根本不知道自己受到感染。（翻譯：袁星塵）
Who knew? 你知道嗎?
In late August or early September, tens of thousands of young Swazi maidens take part in the Umhlanga, or the reed dance. Girls who wish to take part in the eight-day traditional ceremony gather in the Queen Mother's village. They separate into two groups and march to reed beds that are usually about 10km to 30km away from the village. After camping overnight at the reed beds, each girl cuts about 10 to 20 reeds and ties them into a bundle. The next day the girls bring their reed bundles back to the village. They finish their costume preparations and lay the reed bundles outside the Queen Mother's abode.
Toward the end of the ceremony, the girls, bare-breasted and wearing their traditional costumes, dance and sing as the king watches. If he wishes, he can choose one of the maidens to become his future wife.
在八月下旬或九月初之際，上萬名的史瓦濟蘭少女參加蘆葦節活動。希望參與這場為期八天的傳統慶典的女孩們聚集在王母村，她們分為兩組，行進至通常離村莊十至三十公里遠的蘆葦床。在蘆葦床露宿一晚後，每位女孩剪下十到二十支蘆葦捆成一束。隔天，女孩們帶著她們的蘆葦束回到村莊，等梳好妝換好衣服後，再將蘆葦束放置到王母的住所外。
祭典將近尾聲時，這些上空、身著傳統服飾的女孩們會唱歌跳舞供國王欣賞。如果國王願意，他可以從中任選一個少女作為他未來的妃子。
What time is it there? 現在那裡幾點?
Swaziland is six hours behind Taiwan. When it's 10pm in Taiwan, it's 4pm in Swaziland.
史瓦濟蘭時間比台灣晚六小時。台灣晚上十點時，當地時間是下午四點。
FLAG 國旗
The red stripe on Swaziland's flag symbolizes past battles the country has fought, and the two blue stripes symbolize peace. The two yellow stripes symbolize the country's mineral wealth. Two spears, a shield and a staff with feathers are located on the red stripe.
史瓦濟蘭國旗上的紅色橫條代表過去曾發生的戰爭，兩條藍色的條紋則象徵和平。中間兩道黃色橫紋則象徵史國的礦產豐富。紅色橫條上則有雙矛、一盾及一支裝飾著羽毛的權杖。
ABOUT SWAZILAND 國家概況
Size: 17,363km2, or about half the size of Taiwan
Location: Southern Africa
Border countries: Mozambique and South Africa
Capital: Mbabane
Population: 1,133,066
Languages: English and Siswati
Government: monarchy
Currency: 1 Swaziland lilangeni = 4.57 New Taiwan dollars
面積：一萬七千三百六十三平方公里，約有半個台灣大
位置：非洲南部
鄰國：莫三比克及南非
首都：墨巴本
人口：一百一十三萬三千零六十六人
語言：英語及史瓦濟語
政府：君主政體
貨幣：一史瓦濟蘭伊瑪朗濟尼幣等於新台幣四點五七元
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