KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal (/kwɑːˌzuːluː nəˈtɑːl/, also called KZN or Natal) is a province in South Africa. Before 1994, KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the KwaZulu homeland.
KwaZulu-Natal | |
|---|---|
| The Province of KwaZulu-Natal | |
 Flag | |
| Motto(s): Masisukume sakhe (Let us rise and build) | |
 Location of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa | |
| Coordinates: 29°S 31°E / 29°S 31°E | |
| Country |  South Africa |
| Natalia Republic | 12 October 1839 |
| Colony of Natal | 4 May 1843 |
| Natal Province | 31 May 1910 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 27 April 1994 |
| Capital | Pietermaritzburg |
| Districts | |
| Government | |
| • Type | Parliamentary system |
| • Premier | Sihle Zikalala (ANC) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 94,361 km2 (36,433 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 7th in South Africa |
| Highest elevation | 3,451 m (11,322 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 10,259,230 |
| • Estimate (2010) | 10,645,400 |
| • Rank | 2nd in South Africa |
| • Density | 110/km2 (280/sq mi) |
| • Rank | 2nd in South Africa |
| Demonym | Natalian |
| Population groups | |
| • Black African | 86.0% |
| • Indian or Asian | 8.1% |
| • White | 4.4% |
| • Coloured | 1.4% |
| Languages | |
| • Zulu | 80.0% |
| • English | 13.4% |
| • Xhosa | 3.5% |
| • Afrikaans | 1.5% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| ISO 3166 code | ZA-NL |
| Website | www.kwazulunatal.gov.za |
Background
changeIn the 1830s, the northern part of KwaZulu-Natal was part of the Zulu Kingdom. The southern part of KwaZulu-Natal was a Boer republic called Natalia (1839-1843). In 1843, Natalia became a British colony. Zululand remained independent until 1879.
Today KwaZulu-Natal is the traditional home of the Zulu nation. It is called the "garden province." Two natural areas, the iSimangaliso Wetland Park and the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park, have been declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
KwaZulu-Natal is located to the east of South Africa. It borders the Indian Ocean as well as three other provinces, and the countries of Mozambique, Eswatini, and Lesotho. Its capital is Pietermaritzburg and its largest city is Durban.
Geography
change
KwaZulu-Natal is about 92,100 square kilometres (35,600 sq mi) in area, making it about the same size as Portugal. The province has three different geographic areas. The lowland region lies along the Indian Ocean coast. It is very narrow in the south and widens in the northern part of the province. The central region is called the Natal Midlands. The midlands are hilly plateaus that rise toward the west.
The third region is mountainous. The two mountain ranges are the Drakensberg Mountains in the west and the Lebombo Mountains in the north. The Drakensberg mountains are basalt cliffs that rise 3,000 m (9,800 ft) near Lesotho. The Lebombo Mountains are ancient granite mountains that run south from Swaziland. The Tugela River flows west to east across the center of the province and is the region's largest river.
The coastal areas have dense stands of subtropical trees and shrubs and deep ravines. Afromontane Forest grows on the steep sides of the ravines. The midlands have moist (wet) grasslands and small pockets of Afromontane Forest. The north is mostly wet savanna. The Drakensberg region is alpine grassland.
HIV
changeOne of the biggest problems in the province is HIV infection. South Africa has more HIV-positive citizens than any other country in the world.[6] KwaZulu-Natal has the highest rate of HIV infection of all of the provinces. According to UNAIDS in 2009, the infection rate is 39%.[7]
Many people die from complications from AIDS. Infected people in KwaZulu-Natal do not have the health care, medicine, and proper food they need to stay healthy. HIV/AIDS has slowed economic growth by destroying human capital, the ability of people to make money in society.[8]
Sport
changeEvents
change- Comrades Marathon – A yearly marathon run between Pietermaritzburg and Durban.
- Midmar Mile – A mile-long swimming race held yearly at Midmar Dam
- Dusi Canoe Marathon – A yearly canoe marathon, starting in Pietermaritzburg and ending in Durban.
- Durban July – South Africa's premier annual horse racing event at Greyville Racecourse in Durban.
- Mr Price Pro – a premier international surfing event at Durban during winter. It used to be known as the Gunston 500.
KwaZulu-Natal sports teams
change- Football
- Premier Soccer League (PSL), with the following teams from KwaZulu-Natal:
- AmaZulu and Golden Arrows, from Durban
- Thanda Royal Zulu from Richards Bay
- Maritzburg United, from Pietermaritzburg
- Premier Soccer League (PSL), with the following teams from KwaZulu-Natal:
- Rugby union
- The Sharks, who compete in the Super Rugby competition with four other South African teams, five teams from Australia, and five teams from New Zealand
- Natal Sharks (different from the Super Rugby team), who compete in South Africa's domestic competition, the Currie Cup
References
change- ↑ Stats in Brief, 2010 (PDF). Pretoria: Statistics South Africa. 2010. p. 3. ISBN 978-0-621-39563-1.
- ↑ "Community Survey 2007: Basic results" (PDF). Statistics South Africa. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 February 2011. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
- ↑ Mid-year population estimates, 2010 (PDF) (Report). Statistics South Africa. 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
- ↑ "Statistical release P0301: Community Survey, 2007 (Revised version)" (PDF). Statistics South Africa. p. 25. Retrieved 7 October 2009.
- ↑ "Table: Census 2001 by province, language, population group and gender". Census 2001 Interactive Tables. Statistics South Africa. Archived from the original on 3 June 2012. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
- ↑ Dugger, Celia W. (30 September 2009). "U.N. Cites Global Rise in Detection and Treatment of AIDS". New York Times. New York. p. A12. Retrieved 14 June 2011.
- ↑ Dugger, Celia W. (19 July 2009). "South Africa Is Seen to Lag in H.I.V. Fight". New York Times. Retrieved 10 July 2009.
- ↑ Bell C, Devarajan S, Gersbach H (2003). "The long-run economic costs of AIDS: theory and an application to South Africa" (PDF). World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 3152. Retrieved 28 April 2008.
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