2019-12-17 Tue

Swaziland, recently renamed as Kingdom of Eswatini in 2018, is a small, landlocked monarchy in southern Africa. It is known for its wilderness reserves and festivals showcasing traditional Swazi culture. Marking its northeastern border with Mozambique and stretching down to South Africa, the Lebombo Mountains are a backdrop for Mlawula Nature Reserve’s many hiking trails. Nearby Hlane Royal National Park is home to diverse wildlife including lions, hippos and elephants.

Swaziland was under Great Britain for more than 60 years, until they got independence in 1968. The name change happened on the 50th anniversary of independence from Britain and the king’s 50th birthday. The king announced that African countries started using their original ancient names after independence and that Swaziland will be now officially known as the Kingdom of eSwatini.

The Swaziland Lilangeni (singular, emalangeni: plural) is the national currency of the Kingdom of eSwatini. It is subdivided into 100 cents and issued by the Central Bank of Swaziland (renamed as Central bank of Eswatini).

Today we are discussing a 10 Emalangeni banknote issued in 2006. The obverse depicts King Mswati III to left; the Parliament building in Lobamba to centre; with the Coat of Arms depicting a lion as a symbol for the King and an elephant as the Queen; a spear to extreme right.

The reverse depicts the Grey Go-away-bird also known as Grey Lourie to left and the hydroelectric plant at Luphohlo to centre. This multi-coloured note has a Swazi shield as its watermark.

Image Courtesy: Banknote World