Zululand
Zululand takes its name from the Zulu people. The name belonged to an early chief and translates as ‘heaven’. The largest cultural group in South Africa, the Zulu belong to the northern Nguni group of Bantu-speaking people inhabiting southeastern Africa. A fiercely independent and proud nation, the Zulu are popularly known for their beehive-shaped homesteads, iklwa (a short spear often called an assegaai), crafts and fear-inspiring dances. Zululand covers the area from the mouth of the Thukela River northwards to the border with Mozambique and to the north of the Phongolo River. The western boundary more or less follows the course of the Mzinyati or Buffalo River from its confluence with the Thukela River to its source in the Drakensberg.
In January 1879, British troops invaded Zululand after the Zulu King Cetshwayo refused to meet the terms of a British ultimatum. After the war, Zululand was divided into six districts, and was formally declared a British possession on 19 May 1887. The territory was incorporated into Natal ten years later. In terms of South Africa’s policy of creating bantustans, KwaZulu became self-governing in 1977, but unlike Transkei, Ciskei and Bophuthatswana it did not opt for ‘independence.
Source http://www.southafrica.org.za/tour-sa-heart-of-zululand.html
