Ulundi

Ulundi
Ulundi

 Ulundi shown within South Africa

Coordinates: 28°19′S 31°25′E / 28.317°S 31.417°ECoordinates: 28°19′S 31°25′E / 28.317°S 31.417°E
Country South Africa
Province KwaZulu-Natal
District Zululand
Municipality Ulundi
Established 1873
Area[1]
  Total 16.62 km2 (6.42 sq mi)
Population (2011)[1]
  Total 19,840
  Density 1,200/km2 (3,100/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%
PO box 3838
Area code 035

Ulundi is a town in the Zululand District Municipality. At one time the capital of Zululand[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 an airport, a five-star hotel, and some museums amongst its sights. In the 2001 Census, the population of the town was recorded as 18,420.[3]

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
Average high °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
(77)
25.7
(78.3)
26.3
(79.3)
27.6
(81.7)
25.61
(78.08)
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
(61)
16.1
(61)
17.2
(63)
18.8
(65.8)
19.9
(67.8)
20.9
(69.6)
22.1
(71.8)
19.8
(67.66)
Average low °C (°F) 17.6
(63.7)
17.9
(64.2)
16.9
(62.4)
14.8
(58.6)
12.2
(54)
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)
14.04
(57.29)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 123
(4.84)
109
(4.29)
90
(3.54)
49
(1.93)
28
(1.1)
18
(0.71)
18
(0.71)
30
(1.18)
56
(2.2)
98
(3.86)
110
(4.33)
115
(4.53)
844
(33.22)
Source: Climate-Data.org (altitude: 535m)[4]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "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. 4.0 4.1 "Climate: Ulundi - Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved 2013-12-10.

External links