Mbabane (pronounced Um-ba-ba-neh) is Eswatiniā€™s capital city and has a magnificent setting, ringed by the craggy backdrop of the Dlangeni Hills. With an average height of 1243m, it sits firmly in the highveld, its temperate climate offering some relief during the hot season.

Though only a medium-sized town by Western standards with a population of some 95,000, it is nonetheless Eswatiniā€™s largest and received ā€˜cityā€™ status in 1992.

Mbabaneā€™s history dates back to the 1750s when Chief Mbabane Kunene settled in the area. The town developed during colonial times and became the British colonial capital in 1903, after the Anglo-Boer war. Development saw the first post office in 1906 and the arrival of electricity in 1920 (at the British Commissionerā€™s residence, of course). A golf course, tennis courts, cricket pitch and theatre club soon followed.

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