Swazi


Swazi

Bantu-speaking people inhabiting the grasslands of Swaziland and neighbouring regions of South Africa and Mozambique. With the Zulu and the Xhosa, the Swazi (numbering more than two million) form the southern Nguni ethnolinguistic group. They are chiefly agriculturalists and pastoralists. The highest traditional political, economic, and ritual powers are shared by a hereditary male ruler and his mother. The king's wives and children are settled in royal villages, diplomatically dispersed throughout the territory.

Variants of SWAZI

Swazi or Swati

This entry comes from Encyclopædia Britannica Concise.
For the full entry on Swazi, visit Britannica.com.

Seen & Heard

What made you look up Swazi? Please tell us what you were reading, watching or discussing that led you here.

Test Your Vocabulary

Take Our 10-Question Quiz

Get Our Free Apps
Voice Search, Favorites,
Word of the Day, and More
Join Us on FB & Twitter
Get the Word of the Day and More