KwaZulu-Natal, or KZN, is the Garden Province of South Africa. Pietermaritzburg is the province’s capital city, and Durban is the largest city in the province. In terms of population, it is the province with the second-most residents. Only the Gauteng province has more residents.
KZN is in the country’s southeast and has a shoreline along the Indian Ocean. The province borders the Free State province, Mpumalanga province and the Eastern Cape Province. It also borders three countries, namely, Mozambique, Lesotho and Eswatini.
Read more about South Africa’s 9 provinces.
The province has three distinct geographic areas:
- the lowland area next to the Indian Ocean coast
- the central Natal Midlands area and
- the mountainous region with the Drakensberg mountains and the Lebombo Mountains.
The largest river in KZN is the Tugela River.
Towns and Cities in KwaZulu-Natal
The two largest cities in the KwaZulu-Natal Province are Pietermaritzburg and Durban. These are the main towns in KwaZulu-Natal:
- Amanzimtoti
- Colenso
- Drakensberg
- Dundee
- Empangeni
- Eshowe
- Estcourt
- Hibberdene
- Hluhluwe
- Howick
- Kosi Bay
- Ladysmith
- Louwsburg
- Margate
- Ramsgate
- Mtubatuba
- Mtunzini
- Mtwalume
- Newcastle
- Bergville
- Rugged Glen
- Port Edward
- Port Shepstone
- Richards Bay
- St Lucia
- Tongaat & Umdloti
- Ulundi
- Umhlanga
- Uvongo
- Vryheid