Okay, here’s my blog post about mapping Swaziland (Eswatini) in Africa, written from a personal, practical perspective:
So, I got this idea in my head to try and map out Eswatini. I mean, I knew where it was, generally speaking – southern Africa, kinda tucked in there next to South Africa. But I wanted to actually see it, visualize it, you know? Not just on some big world map, but get a closer look.
First thing I did was hit up Google Maps, obviously. Typed in “Swaziland” (yeah, I know, it’s officially Eswatini now, but old habits die hard). Zoomed in, played around with the satellite view. It was cool to see the terrain, the mountains and valleys. Felt a little like a bird flying over it all.
But I wanted more detail. So I started messing with the “layers” thing. Turned on the terrain view, which gave me a better sense of the elevation changes. I could really see how those mountains dominated a lot of the country.
Getting a Feel for the Place
Next, I figured I’d look for some major cities, just to orient myself. Mbabane, the capital, was easy enough to find. Manzini, too. I started clicking around, looking at the street views where they were available. It’s always fascinating to see what life looks like in different parts of the world, even if it’s just through a screen.
- Mbabane: Seemed pretty hilly, lots of green.
- Manzini: Looked a bit more spread out.
I even tried to find some landmarks. I vaguely remembered reading about a big wildlife reserve… Hlane Royal National Park, I think it was called? Found it! Zoomed in as far as I could, trying to spot some animals (no luck, sadly). But still, it gave me a sense of the scale of the place.
The thing I really enjoy about doing this kind of digital exploring is that it makes the world feel… smaller, I guess? More connected. Here I am, sitting at my desk, and I can get a pretty decent visual sense of a country thousands of miles away. It’s pretty amazing, when you think about it.
Honestly, I spent way too much time doing this. But I learned a lot. I feel like I have a much better grasp of Eswatini’s geography now. Next time I hear it mentioned, I’ll actually have a picture in my head, not just a vague idea. It’s a small thing, but it makes the world feel a little more real.
