It is a country deprived of access to the sea, landlocked between South Africa and Mozambique.
Although about a hundred kilometers from the Indian Ocean, Eswatini (new name of Swaziland since 2018) nevertheless boasts its ports and its maritime fleet, as observed by
Geo
.
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Mbabane Port is the port of the Kingdom of Eswatini.
[...] This is a multi-purpose terminal that handles containers, bulk carriers, tankers, small passenger ships and others
,” we can read on the website of the country’s maritime authorities.
The reason is that Eswatini is a flag of convenience.
In other words, a ship (cruise, freight, etc.), which must be registered in a State, can display the flag of a country even if the shipowner is not from there.
A rather common practice in maritime transport, particularly for tax reasons.
This is why a large part of the ships that sail around the world are registered in Panama or Liberia.
Like Eswatini, other landlocked countries have maritime activity, like Luxembourg (216 ships in 2020) or Mongolia.
As it is not possible to access it by boat, tourists can therefore get there by air or land.
French nationals are exempt from visas for a tourist stay of a maximum duration of 30 days.
Most visitors include a detour to this country during a South Africa tour.
Safari enthusiasts will be seduced by its national parks, including Hlane Royal National Park is known for its rhinos.
The Malolotja reserve, adorned with mountains, forests and waterfalls, has 200 km of hiking trails.
10 km from the capital Mbabane, Sibebe Rock, the second largest rock in the world after Uluru in Australia, is one of the emblems of this little-known kingdom of southern Africa.