KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal (/kwɑːˌzuːluː nəˈtɑːl/, also referred to as KZN; nicknamed "the garden province")[7] is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province.
This article is about a province of South Africa. For the former bantustan, see KwaZulu. For the former province, see Natal (province). For other uses, see Zululand (disambiguation).
KZN
iKwaZulu-Natali
27 April 1994
Thami Ntuli, (IFP)
94,361 km2 (36,433 sq mi)
3,451 m (11,322 ft)
0 m (0 ft)
12,417,210 [2]
132/km2 (340/sq mi)
84.8%
9.3%
4.1%
1.5%
0.3%
77.8%
13.2%
3.4%
1.6%
ZA-KZN
iKwaZulu-Natali
iKwaZulu-Natala
KwaZoeloe-Natal
It is located in the southeast of the country, with a long shoreline on the Indian Ocean. It shares borders with three other provinces and the countries of Mozambique, Eswatini and Lesotho. Its capital is Pietermaritzburg, and its largest city is Durban. It is the second-most populous province in South Africa, with slightly fewer residents than Gauteng.
Two areas in KwaZulu-Natal have been declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the iSimangaliso Wetland Park and the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park. These areas are extremely scenic as well as important to the surrounding ecosystems.
During the 1830s and early 1840s, the northern part of what is now KwaZulu-Natal was established as the Zulu Kingdom. The southern part was, briefly, the Boer Natalia Republic before the British took over control in 1843, renaming it as the Colony of Natal in 1843. The Zulu Kingdom remained independent until 1879.
KwaZulu-Natal is the birthplace of many notable figures in South Africa's history, such as Albert Luthuli, the first non-white and the first person from outside Europe and the Americas to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (1960); Pixley ka Isaka Seme, the founder of the African National Congress (ANC) and South Africa's first black lawyer; John Langalibalele Dube, the ANC's founding president; Harry Gwala, ANC member and anti-apartheid activist; Mac Maharaj, Grammy award winning group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Grammy award winning DJ Black Coffee, ANC member, anti-apartheid activist and Little Rivonia Trial defendant; Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the founder of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP); Anton Lembede, the founding president of the ANC Youth League; Jacob Zuma, the former President of South Africa; Bhambatha, a 19th-century Zulu chief who became an anti-apartheid icon; and Shaka Zulu.
Provincial coat of arms[edit]
The lion and wildebeest supporters are symbols of, respectively, KwaZulu and Natal, the regions joined to create KwaZulu-Natal. Besides its importance as a symbol of the Zulu monarchy, the lion is also featured in the state emblems of the India and the United Kingdom which together represent the three largest people groups in KwaZulu-Natal and also represents the unity between them. The zig-zag stripe represents the Drakensberg, which is green in summer, but snowcapped in winter.[15]
The star represents the Star of Bethlehem, due to Vasco da Gama naming the region "Natalia", a reference to the birth of Christ, on Christmas Day in 1497. The strelitzia flower on the shield symbolizes the province's beauty. The assegai and knobkierrie behind the shield represent protection and peace. The base of the crown element is a type of headdress traditionally worn by Zulu elders, that represents wisdom and maturity. The element itself is a Zulu-style grass hut. The motto is Masisukume Sakhe, Zulu for "Let us stand up and build".[15]
Education[edit]
Universities[edit]
The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) has five campuses in the province.[35] It was formed on 1 January 2004 after the merger between the University of Natal and the University of Durban-Westville.[36] Other universities are: