(CNN) The king of Swaziland, Africa's last absolute monarch, has changed the name of his country to the "Kingdom of eSwatini" to mark the 50th anniversary of independence -- and to avoid confusion with Switzerland.

King Mswati III announced the move during a golden jubilee ceremony celebrating freedom from British colonial rule. He said the country's new name was used by Swaziland before it was colonized.

Speaking to a large crowd in a stadium in the city of Manzini, 40 km (25 miles) from the capital Mbabane, the king said: "African countries on getting independence reverted to their ancient names before they were colonized. So from now on the country will be officially be known as the Kingdom of eSwatini," the AFP news agency reported.

The name "Swaziland", the King said, had caused confusion. "Whenever we go abroad, people refer to us as Switzerland," he added.

In recent years, the ruler has referred several times to the "Kingdom of eSwatini", which means "land of the Swazis" in the local language.