KwaZulu-Natal

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.

The beautiful Drakensberg in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa
The beautiful Drakensberg in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa

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.

KZN Map
By TUBS – This vector image includes elements that have been taken or adapted from this file:, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17455590

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

Posts About the KwaZulu-Natal Province