Natal, former province, South Africa: see KwaZulu-Natal.

Natal, city (1991 pop. 606,887), capital of Rio Grande do Norte state, NE Brazil, just above the mouth of the Potengi River. A modern city that has retained its colonial flavor and is beautifully situated among white palm-studded beaches, Natal attracts many tourists. Its port is important in the handling of coastal shipping and in the export of tungsten. There is also some light industry. Natal [Port.,=Nativity] was founded on Christmas Day, 1599. It was occupied by the Dutch from 1633 to 1654 and in 1817 was briefly the seat of a republican government until it was suppressed by imperial authorities. It grew rapidly during World War II, when an airport was built for flights to Africa. Natal has several institutions of higher learning.

KwaZulu-Natal, province (1995 est. pop. 8,713,000), 33,578 sq mi (86,967 sq km), E South Africa, on the Indian Ocean. Formerly Natal province, in the constitution of 1994 it was renamed KwaZulu-Natal.

Land and People

The province has two capitals, Pietermaritzburg and Ulundi; the largest city is Durban. The province is bounded on the north by Mozambique, Swaziland, and Mpumalanga and on the west by Free State, Lesotho, and Eastern Cape; a small portion of Eastern Cape also forms an enclave in S Natal. The province rises from a narrow (except in the north) coastal belt to an inland region fringed in the west by the Drakensberg Range, whose highest point in Natal is c.11,200 ft (3,410 m). The Tugela River flows west to east across the center of the province.

Sugar refining is the main industry. Sheep, cattle, citrus fruits, corn, sorghum, cotton, bananas, and pineapples are also raised. Industries, located mainly in and around Durban, include (besides sugar refineries) textile, clothing, rubber, fertilizer, paper, and food-processing plants, tanneries, and oil refineries. There large aluminum-smelting plants at Richards Bay, on the central coast. The province produces considerable coal (especially coking coal) and timber. It has a good rail network; Durban is one of South Africa's major ports. About 75% of the population is black. During apartheid, a large percentage were forced to live in Bantu homelands (Bantustans), which had a subsistence economy based on cattle raising and corn growing. The main institutions of higher education are the Univ. of Natal (Durban and Pietermaritzburg) and the Univ. of Durban. Natal National Park in the Drakensberg Range includes falls (c.2,800 ft/850 m) of the Tugela River.

History

In the early 19th cent. the area was inhabited primarily by Bantu-speaking Zulu people. In the 1820s and 30s the British acquired much of Natal from the Zulu chiefs Shaka and Dingane. Afrikaner farmers (Boers) arrived (see Trek, Great) in 1837 and, after battles with the Zulu (notably the Boer victory over Dingane at Blood River in 1838), established (1838-39) a republic. In 1843, Britain annexed Natal to Cape Colony, and a Boer exodus followed. In 1856, Natal became a separate colony. Sugarcane cultivation began c.1860, and many Indians (mostly indentured laborers) came to work in the sugar industry. Many Indians remained in Natal after their indenture expired; by 1900 they outnumbered whites. In 1893, Natal was given internal self-government; in 1910 it became a founding province of the Union (now Republic) of South Africa. In the 1980s and early 1990s, KwaZulu-Natal was wracked by conflict between the African National Congress and the Zulu-nationalist Inkatha Freedom Party, under the leadership of Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi; fighting has since diminished.

Former province, southeastern Republic of South Africa. The area was occupied for centuries by Bantu-speaking peoples. It was given the name Natal by Vasco da Gama when he sighted the harbour of Port Natal (now Durban) on Christmas Day (Portuguese Natal) in 1497. The first European settlers arrived in 1824. In 1837 Afrikaners arrived in the interior and, after they defeated the Zulu there, established the Republic of Natal. Annexed by the British in 1843, it was extended by numerous acquisitions. During the South African War, Natal was invaded by Afrikaner forces, which were checked by the British. In 1910 it became a province of the Union of South Africa and in 1961 of the Republic of South Africa. The fragmented, nonindependent black state, or homeland, of KwaZulu was later created within Natal, which was the scene of clashes by rival black factions (see African National Congress; Inkatha Freedom Party). After the South African elections of 1994, the region was united to form the province of KwaZulu/Natal.

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