- Formerly:
- Natal
KwaZulu-Natal
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What is KwaZulu-Natal?
KwaZulu-Natal is a province in southeastern South Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique and Swaziland to the north, the Indian Ocean to the east, and Lesotho and Free State province to the west. Pietermaritzburg is the provincial capital.
Under apartheid, the former Natal province contained KwaZulu, a nonindependent Black state for the country’s Zulus. In 1994, apartheid was repealed, KwaZulu was reabsorbed, and Natal was renamed KwaZulu-Natal.
The province is known for its hilly, mountainous terrain, especially along its western border, where the Drakensberg Escarpment rises to over 11,000 feet (3,300 meters). The climate ranges from subtropical to temperate. The population is diverse, with Zulus making up the majority, followed by Asians (mostly of Indian descent) and whites (mostly of European descent).
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Where is KwaZulu-Natal located in South Africa?
KwaZulu-Natal is a province in South Africa, located in the southeastern part of the country. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Eastern Cape province to the south, Lesotho and Free State province to the west, and Mpumalanga province to the northwest. Swaziland and Mozambique are to the north. Pietermaritzburg serves as the provincial capital. KwaZulu-Natal is characterized by a diverse landscape, transitioning from a coastal plain to hilly and mountainous terrains, especially towards its western border along the Drakensberg Escarpment.
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What are some major cities in KwaZulu-Natal?
KwaZulu-Natal, a province in South Africa, has a varied topography, from the coast to mountainous regions. Durban, the province’s economic and industrial hub, is a major port city with a large Indian population. Pietermaritzburg is the capital, known as the "City of Flowers," with well-preserved 19th-century buildings. Other significant cities include Richards Bay, known for its coal exports, and Newcastle and Dundee, which are centres for coal mining.
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What languages are spoken in KwaZulu-Natal?
KwaZulu-Natal, a province in South Africa, is home to a diverse population with a variety of languages spoken. The most prevalent language is Zulu, a Bantu language spoken by over nine million people, especially in the Zululand area. Additionally, many Black citizens have retained their cultural identity through the Zulu language and a rich heritage of folklore, ceremony, and customs that reflect a diversity of tribal allegiances. The rest of the Black Africans speak related Bantu languages. Zulu has also borrowed words from Afrikaans and English.
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Why is KwaZulu-Natal important in South African history?
KwaZulu-Natal holds significant historical importance in South Africa as the home of the Zulu people and their 19th-century kingdom. Under the leadership of Shaka, the Zulu kingdom expanded its control and established a well-disciplined fighting force.
The province was the site of British-Zulu warfare, including the Anglo-Zulu War. In 1879, British armies seized the Zulu capital, Ulundi, and divided the kingdom into chieftaincies. Later, the scattered Zulu reserves were consolidated into a Zulu "Homeland," or Bantustan, as part of South Africa's apartheid policy. In 1994, with the abolition of apartheid, KwaZulu was reincorporated into Natal province, which was then renamed KwaZulu-Natal.
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What are some popular tourist attractions in KwaZulu-Natal?
KwaZulu-Natal, a province in South Africa, offers diverse attractions. Durban, the province's largest city and chief seaport, boasts beaches, an esplanade, and an oceanarium, with a large Indian population and a mix of cultures. Inland, reserves like uMkhuze Game Reserve and Umfolozi Game Reserve provide habitat for rare white rhinoceroses, black rhinoceroses, and hundreds of bird species. Ulundi, known as "the High Place," was once the capital of KwaZulu and features a memorial from the Anglo-Zulu War.
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KwaZulu-Natal, province of South Africa, occupying the southeastern portion of the country. It is bounded to the north by Swaziland and Mozambique, to the east by the Indian Ocean, to the south by Eastern Cape province, to the west by Lesotho and Free State province, and to the northwest by Mpumalanga province. Within KwaZulu-Natal is an enclave of Eastern Cape province consisting of the eastern portion of the former Griqualand East (around Umzimkulu). The provincial capital is Pietermaritzburg.
Under the former system of apartheid, or racial separation, Natal province contained the nonindependent Black state of KwaZulu, which served as the legal homeland of the country’s Zulus. Following the repeal of apartheid and the resorption of KwaZulu in 1994, Natal was renamed KwaZulu-Natal. For the history of the province, see Natal.
KwaZulu-Natal is generally hilly or mountainous, especially along its western border. The land rises from the coast to more than 11,000 feet (3,300 metres) along the Drakensberg Escarpment on that border. The slope is not gradual, however, and various rocky outcrops render the terrain into steps of undulating land ascending from an elevation of 500 feet (150 metres) along the coastal plain to areas of 2,000 feet (600 metres) and then 4,000 feet (1,200 metres) in the centre of the province, a region known as the Midlands. Beyond the Drakensberg lies the Highveld, or high plateau.
KwaZulu-Natal’s climate varies from subtropical to temperate. Precipitation decreases from more than 50 inches (1,270 mm) annually along the coast to 30 to 40 inches (760 to 1,020 mm) inland. Temperatures decrease from the frost-free coastal area but still remain warm. In general, summers are hot with occasional rain, while the warm, dry, and sunny winters have made the coast the principal holiday playground of Southern Africa. The higher elevations of the Drakensberg experience freezing temperatures and snow in the winter.
KwaZulu-Natal’s people belong to various ethnic groups. Peoples of Black African descent, mostly Zulu, make up more than four-fifths of the population, while Asians of mostly Indian descent account for about one-tenth and whites of mostly European descent less than one-tenth. Most of the people live along and behind the coast or in the centre of the province; the extreme west and northeast are lightly populated. Many Blacks are concentrated in rural areas consisting of broken, rugged country. Most whites live in or near the port city of Durban or elsewhere along the coast.
Many of the province’s Black citizens have retained much of their cultural identity through their use of the Zulu language and through a rich heritage of folklore, ceremony, and customs that reflect a diversity of tribal allegiances. The rest of the Black Africans speak related Bantu languages. Most of South Africa’s Asians live in KwaZulu-Natal province. More than one-half of the province’s Asians are Hindus, and about one-seventh are Muslims.
A subsistence economy prevails in the areas that were formerly set aside for Blacks. The economy in these areas rests mainly on cattle raising and corn (maize) cultivation and is supplemented by remitted earnings of Blacks who work elsewhere in South Africa. Whites, by contrast, tend to operate in an advanced commercial economy, through which most of the province’s resources have been exploited.
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The mineral wealth of KwaZulu-Natal province consists mostly of coal, which is mined in the north around Newcastle and Dundee and provides South Africa with much of its coking and semi-anthracite coal. The most important agricultural area is along the coast, where sugarcane is the major crop. Sugar refining is mainly carried out in Durban. The province produces such subtropical fruits as pineapples and bananas, and the dairy industry is also important. Plantations of pine and eucalyptus in the Midlands provide raw materials for sawmills and for paper and rayon pulp mills.
Durban, together with neighbouring Pinetown, is the province’s economic and industrial centre. It has most of KwaZulu-Natal’s factories and is one of South Africa’s most important industrial regions. Its factories are primarily concerned with textiles and clothing, food processing, chemicals, sugar refining, and oil refining. Pietermaritzburg also has a number of industries, including an aluminum plant, several footwear factories, and food-processing plants. The province’s road and rail networks are well-developed. KwaZulu-Natal’s chief port, Durban, is South Africa’s main cargo port and serves much of the interior of southern Africa.
Pietermaritzburg and Durban both have campuses of the University of Natal. There is also the University of Durban-Westville at Durban and the University of Zululand at Kwa-Dlangezwa, near Empangeni. Moses Mabhida Stadium, which hosts cultural and sporting events, is located in Durban. Area 36,433 square miles (94,361 square km). Pop. (2011) 10,267,300.