KwaZulu-Natal

Location Name

KwaZulu-Natal

Description

Location: Province in eastern South Africa on the Indian Ocean.

Motto: Masisukume sakhe (isiZulu for ‘Let us rise and build’).

Capital: Pietermaritzburg. The largest city is Durban, also home to South Africa’s main cargo port which is the biggest in Africa.

Municipalities: One metropolitan municipality (eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality) and 10 district municipalities, which are further subdivided into 43 local municipalities.

Principal languages: isiZulu 83%, English 13%, Afrikaans 1%.

Population: 11 538 325.

Surface area: 94 361 km2.

Environment: Known as the Garden province of South Africa. Generally hilly. Range from the subtropical coast to the east, the Midlands grasslands in the centre, and the Drakensberg Mountain range in the west. Long shoreline on the Indian Ocean.

Economy: Its main industry is sugar refining, with agriculture dominated by the production of sugarcane and subtropical fruit. Mining – South Africa’s main producer of coking and semi-anthracite coal. Manufacturing of aluminium. Offshore mining and fisheries. Forestry. Growing ecology tourism based on the rich biodiversity and conservation efforts.

Notable features/Interesting information: Two UNESCO World Heritage Sites – uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park and iSimangaliso Wetland Park. Birthplace of notable historical figures, including Shaka Zulu, Albert Luthuli (Nobel Peace Prize winner 1960), Pixley ka Isaka Seme (founder of the African National Congress (ANC)), Ladysmith Black Mambazo (Grammy award-winning musical group) and DJ Black Coffee (Grammy-award winning musician), Mangosuthu Buthelezi (founder of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP)), and Jacob Zuma (former President of South Africa).

Previous name: Merger of the KwaZulu homeland and the previous Natal Province. KwaZulu is isiZulu for ‘Place of the Zulu’. ‘Natal’ derives from the Portuguese word for Christmas, the name given to the area by Portuguese sailors who discovered the area on Christmas Day.

Official website: http://www.kznonline.gov.za/.

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KwaZulu-Natal

https://municipalities.co.za/provinces/view/4/kwazulu-natal

https://visitkzn-sa.com/welcome/

https://www.britannica.com/place/KwaZulu-Natal

https://www.gov.za/about-sa/south-africas-provinces

Administrative Level

Province

Province

KwaZulu-Natal