KwaZulu-Natal

KZN iKwaZulu-Natali
Province
KwaZulu-Natal
Coat of arms
Mottoes:  Masisukume sakhe ("Let us rise and build")
Location of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa
Country	South Africa
Province	27 April 1994
Capital	Pietermaritzburg
Largest city	Durban
Districts	List eThekwini Ugu Umgungundlovu Uthukela Umzinyathi Amajuba Zululand Umkhanyakude King Cetshwayo iLembe Harry Gwala
Government
• Type	Parliamentary system
• Premier	Nomusa Dube-Ncube (ANC)
• Legislature	KwaZulu-Natal Legislature
Area [1]: 9
• 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  (2022)[3]
• Total	12,417,210 [2]
• Rank	2nd in South Africa
• Density	132/km2 (340/sq mi)
• Rank	2nd in South Africa
Population groups [4]
• Black	84.8%
• Indian or Asian	9.3%
• White	4.1%
• Coloured	1.5%
• Other	0.3%
Languages [1]: 25
• Zulu	77.8%
• English	13.2%
• Xhosa	3.4%
• Afrikaans	1.6%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
ISO 3166 code	ZA-KZN
HDI (2019)	0.706[5] high · 5th of 9
GDP	US$64.7 billion[6]
Website	www.kznonline.gov.za

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.

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.