KwaZulu-Natal

KwaZulu-Natal, province in southeastern South Africa, bordered on the south by Eastern Cape province, on the west by Free State province and Lesotho, and on the north by Mpumalanga province, Mozambique, and Swaziland. Covering 92,100 sq km (35,560 sq mi), the province was formed in 1994 by the merger of Natal, one of the four former South African provinces, and KwaZulu, a former bantustan (or black homeland) created for Zulu-speaking people as part of the South African government's system of apartheid, or separation of the races. (For the history of the region containing KwaZulu, see Zululand).

The province can be divided into three geographic zones: a lowland region along the Indian Ocean coast; rolling plains in the central section of the province; and a mountainous area including two ranges, the Drakensberg Mountains in the west and the Lebombo Mountains in the far north. The Drakensberg range has South Africa's highest mountains, including Njesuthi (3,446 m/11,306 ft), Champagne Castle (3,375 m/ 11,072 ft), Cleft Peak, Monk's Cowl, eNdumeni, and Cathkin Peak. Average temperatures in the province range from 17° to 28° C (63° to 82° F) in the warmer part of the year (October to April) and from 11° to 25° C (52° to 77° F) in the colder months. Annual rainfall totals about 690 mm (27 in), with rain falling most months of the year.

KwaZulu-Natal had a population of 9,651,100 in 2005. Zulu make up the majority of the population. The main language is Zulu; other languages include English, Afrikaans, and Xhosa. A large portion of South Africa's Indian population lives in KwaZulu-Natal. Most whites and blacks in KwaZulu-Natal are Christians, while Indians are divided into a Hindu majority and a Muslim minority. The capital of KwaZulu-Natal has not yet been determined. The two possibilities are Pietermaritzburg, which was also the capital of Natal, and Ulundi, which was a royal capital of the Zulu kingdom in the 19th century and became the administrative capital of the former bantustan KwaZulu in the 1970s. Durban, KwaZulu-Natal's largest city, serves as a major port and a center for manufacturing and tourism. Other important cities include Dundee; Ladysmith; Newcastle, a steel and coal center; Port Shepstone; Richards Bay, a port that primarily serves as an outlet for coal exports; and Vryheid.

The province has four universities: the University of Natal (founded in 1910) in Durban and in Pietermaritzburg, the University of Zululand (1960) in Kwa-Dlangezwa, and the University of Durban-Westville (1961). Important historical places in the province include Blood River, the site of a battle between Afrikaners and Zulu in 1838; Isandlwana, the site of a battle between British and Zulu in 1879; Groutville, the childhood home of Albert Luthuli, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1960; the site of Dukuza in the present town of Stranger, the royal capital of Shaka, chief of the Zulu from 1816 to 1828; and the site of Phoenix, a community near Durban founded by Mohandas Gandhi in 1904 and destroyed in 1985 by squatters from the adjacent township.

KwaZulu-Natal's economy centers around agriculture. The principal crop, sugarcane, is grown in coastal areas, along with subtropical fruits, such as bananas, guavas, litchi nuts, mangoes, and papaws. Cattle ranching and dairy and vegetable farming dominate agriculture in the interior of the province. Coal mines operate in the northern part of the province around Newcastle, Dundee, Glencoe, and Vryheid. Tourism also ranks as an important industry, with many visitors attracted to coastal resorts, the Drakensberg Mountains, and national parks such as Hluhluwe Game Reserve, Giant's Castle Game Reserve, Umfolozi Game Reserve, and Saint Lucia Marine Reserve.

KwaZulu-Natal's provincial government consists of a premier, an executive council of ten ministers, and a legislature. The provincial assembly and premier are elected for five-year terms, or until the next national election. Political parties are awarded assembly seats based on the percentage of votes each party receives in the province during the national elections. The assembly elects a premier, who then appoints the members of the executive council.