Colony of Natal facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Colony of Natal
1843–1910
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: God Save the Queen
Status	British colony
Capital	Pietermaritzburg
Common languages	Afrikaans, English, Zulu
Religion	Anglican, Dutch Reformed, Hindu, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic
Government	Constitutional monarchy
Queen
Special Commissioner
• 1843	Henry Cloete
Historical era	Scramble for Africa
• Established	4 May 1843
• Annexed Zululand	1897
• Disestablished	1910
• Natal Province est.	31 May 1910
Area
1904	91,610 km2 (35,370 sq mi)
Population
• 1904	1108754
Preceded by Succeeded by Natalia Republic Zulu Kingdom Union of South Africa
Today part of	South Africa

The Colony of Natal was a British colony in south-eastern Africa. It was proclaimed a British colony on 4 May 1843 after the British government had annexed the Boer Republic of Natalia, and on 31 May 1910 combined with three other colonies to form the Union of South Africa, as one of its provinces. It is now the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. The Indians who were brought to this country from India called it 'Netaal Tapu' (island of Netal).

It was originally only about half the size of the present province, with the north-eastern boundaries being formed by the Tugela and Buffalo rivers beyond which lay the independent Kingdom of Zululand (KwaZulu in Zulu). The present province was also enlarged by the addition of Griqualand East to the south.

Detail of a painting depicting the Battle of Rorke's Drift during the Anglo-Zulu War 11 January – 4 July 1879

Fierce conflict with the Zulu population led to the evacuation of Durban, and eventually the Boers accepted British annexation in 1844 under military pressure. A British governor was appointed to the region and many settlers emigrated from Europe and the Cape Colony. The British established a sugar cane industry in the 1860s. Farm owners had a difficult time attracting Zulu labourers to work on their plantations, so the British brought thousands of indentured labourers from India. As a result of the importation of Indian labourers, Durban became the home to the largest concentration of Indians outside of India.

Growth of the colony

The colony's early population growth was driven by settlement from the United Kingdom between 1849 and 1851, with approximately 4500 emigrants between 1848 and 1851. From the time of the coming of the first considerable body of British settlers dates the development of trade and agriculture in the colony, followed somewhat later by the exploitation of the mineral resources of the country.

Sugar and Indian Labourers

As early as 1893, when Mahatma Gandhi arrived in Durban, Indians made up almost half of the non-African population, and by 1904 Indians outnumbered whites in Natal. In 1894, Gandhi helped to establish the Natal Indian Congress to fight discrimination against Indians.

Images for kids

• 

  War theater in northern Natal

See also

In Spanish: Colonia de Natal para niños