Known as the Kingdom of the Zulu, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) is a melting pot of African, European and Indian cultures. This province boasts two World Heritage Sites – the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park and the Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park. KZN is flanked by the warm waters of the Indian Ocean lending to a subtropical coastline, with sweeping savannah in the east and the magnificent Drakensberg mountain range in the west. KZN has one of the greatest harbours on the African continent – Durban, which divides the North and South Coasts.
         
KwaZulu-Natal forms South Africa’s east coast, stretching from Port Edward in the south, to the Mozambique boundary in the north. From its early days, the province has been the scene of many fierce battles - being the bone of contention between the Zulus and the Voortrekkers; the British Empire and Boer settlers (Anglo-Boer War); the Zulus and the British Empire. KwaZulu-Natal has the largest population in the country with some nine million people living on 92 100 km2 of land. 

KwaZulu-Natal has a tropical climate with generous rainfall in the summer months resulting in very hot and humid conditions along the coastline, which become milder as one moves inland. Durban enjoys an average temperature of around 27 degrees C (81 degrees F) during the month of January, and a daily maximum of roughly 22 degrees C during July.