Ulundi

Ulundi oLundi
Ulundi Show map of KwaZulu-Natal Ulundi Show map of South Africa
Coordinates: 28°19′S 31°25′E
Country	South Africa
Province	KwaZulu-Natal
District	Zululand
Municipality	Ulundi
Area [1]
• Total	16.62 km^2 (6.42 sq mi)
Elevation	540 m (1,770 ft)
Population  (2024)[1]
• Total	30,828
• Density	1,900/km^2 (4,800/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [1]
• Black African	98.9%
• Coloured	0.3%
• Indian/Asian	0.2%
• White	0.2%
• Other	0.4%
First languages (2011) [1]
• Zulu	93.4%
• English	2.6%
• S. Ndebele	1.1%
• Other	2.9%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
PO box	3838
Area code	035

Ulundi, also known as Mahlabathini, is a town in the Zululand District Municipality. At one time the capital of the Zulu Kingdom[2] in South Africa and later the capital of the Bantustan of KwaZulu, Ulundi now lies in KwaZulu-Natal Province (of which, from 1994 to 2004, it alternated with Pietermaritzburg as the provincial capital). The town now includes Ulundi Airport, a three-star hotel, and some museums amongst its sights. In the 2024 Census, the population of the town was recorded as 30,828.[3]

History

When Cetshwayo became king of the Zulus on 1 September 1873, he created, as was customary, a new capital for the nation, naming it "Ulundi" ("The high place"). On 4 July 1879, in the Battle of Ulundi (the final battle of the Anglo-Zulu War), the British Army captured the royal kraal and razed it to the ground.

Nearby is Ondini, where King Mpande, Cetshwayo's father, had his kraal. A large Zulu hut now is on the site.

Climate

Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as humid subtropical (Cfa).[4] It is rainier in the warmer months.

Climate data for Ulundi
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	28.2 (82.8)	28.3 (82.9)	27.3 (81.1)	25.9 (78.6)	24.3 (75.7)	22.4 (72.3)	22.5 (72.5)	23.8 (74.8)	25.0 (77.0)	25.7 (78.3)	26.3 (79.3)	27.6 (81.7)	25.6 (78.1)
Daily mean °C (°F)	22.9 (73.2)	23.1 (73.6)	22.1 (71.8)	20.3 (68.5)	18.2 (64.8)	16.0 (60.8)	16.1 (61.0)	17.2 (63.0)	18.8 (65.8)	19.9 (67.8)	20.9 (69.6)	22.1 (71.8)	19.8 (67.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	17.6 (63.7)	17.9 (64.2)	16.9 (62.4)	14.8 (58.6)	12.2 (54.0)	9.7 (49.5)	9.7 (49.5)	10.7 (51.3)	12.6 (54.7)	14.1 (57.4)	15.6 (60.1)	16.7 (62.1)	14.0 (57.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	123 (4.8)	109 (4.3)	90 (3.5)	49 (1.9)	28 (1.1)	18 (0.7)	18 (0.7)	30 (1.2)	56 (2.2)	98 (3.9)	110 (4.3)	115 (4.5)	844 (33.1)
Source: Climate-Data.org (altitude: 535m)[4]

References

1. "Main Place Ulundi". Census 2011.
2. Lyde, Lionel William (1907). "South Africa". A Geography of Africa. Adam and Charles Black. p. 97.
3. "Main Place 'Ulundi Part 1'". Census 2001. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
4. "Climate: Ulundi – Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved 10 December 2013.

External links

• Battles around Ulundi
• Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Ulundi" . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.