KwaZulu Natal, South Africa Information - Property, Accommodation and Conference Venues

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The KwaZulu Natal Province of South Africa
KwaZulu Natal is the garden province and home of the Zulu nation.

About KwaZulu Natal, South Africa
The South African province of KwaZulu Natal was formed in 1994. Before 1994 this area was made up of the province of Natal and of various areas that made up the homeland of KwaZulu. Located in the southeast of South Africa, KwaZulu Natal borders three other provinces as well as Mozambique, Swaziland, and Lesotho, along with a long shoreline on the Indian Ocean.

Because of the diverse and complex topography of KwaZulu Natal, the province has a varied climate. In general the coastal areas are tropical with a progressively colder climate towards the inland regions. KwaZulu Natal has three different geographic areas; the lowland region along the Indian Ocean coast, the central region is the Natal Midlands and two mountainous areas, the Drakensberg Mountains in the west and the Lebombo Mountains in the north. The Tugela River flows west to east across the center of KwaZulu Natal and is the region's largest river.

The coastline of KwaZulu Natal is dotted with small holiday towns. Superb beaches of world-class quality are to be found along virtually every part of the KwaZulu Natal coastline. KwaZulu Natal's provincial government sits in the legislative buildings in Pietermaritzburg.

Generally KwaZulu Natal is divided into six regions namely; the Drakensberg region, Midlands and Battlefields regions, Zululand / Maputaland region, North Coast region, Durban Metro and South Coast region.

The KwaZulu Natal town of Durban is a rapidly growing urban area and is one of the busiest ports in Africa. Durban also has a good rail network linking into Southern Africa. The main industry in KwaZulu Natal is Sugar refining. Other important industries in KwaZulu Natal include textile, clothing, chemicals, rubber, fertilizer, paper, vehicle assembly and food-processing plants, tanneries, and oil refineries. There are large aluminium-smelting plants at Richards Bay, on the north coast of Kwazulu Natal and the province produces considerable amounts of coal and timber. Wildlife and tourism is also increasingly important to the economy of KwaZulu Natal.

A Short History of Kwazulu Natal
In the early 19th century the area now known as KwaZulu Natal was inhabited primarily by Bantu-speaking Zulu people which formed part of the Nguni tribe. Shaka was the most famous of their chiefs, known for his innovations in tactics and weaponry. In the 1820s and 30s the British acquired much of the KwaZulu Natal area from the Zulu chiefs Shaka and Dingane. Afrikaner farmers arrived in 1837 and, after battles with the Zulu, established a republic. In 1843, Britain annexed KwaZulu Natal area, then known as Natal, to the Cape Colony, and a Boer exodus followed. During the second half on the 19th century, many British people immigrated to Natal ...read full article