Editing Natal (province)

{{Short description|Province of South Africa, 1910 to 1994}}
{{Infobox former subdivision
| native_name            = {{native name|af|Natalprovinsie}}
| conventional_long_name = Province of Natal
| common_name            = Natal
| subdivision            = Province
| nation                 = South Africa
| p1                     = Colony of Natal
| flag_p1                = Flag of the Natal Colony (1875–1910).svg
| s1                     = KwaZulu-Natal
| flag_s1                = Flag of the KwaZulu-Natal Province.png
| image_flag             = 
| image_coat             = Coat of arms of Natal 1907-1997.svg
| symbol_type            = 
| motto                  = 
| anthem                 = 
| image_map              = Locator map of Natal Province as of 1 March 1994.svg
| image_map_caption      = Natal as it was by 1994
| capital                = Pietermaritzburg
| coordinates            = {{Coord|29|S|30|E|type:adm1st_region:ZA|display=title}}
| government_type        = [[Natal Provincial Council]]
| title_leader           = 
| leader1                = 
| year_leader1           = 
| title_deputy           = 
| deputy1                = 
| year_deputy1           = 
| era                    = 
| date_start             = 31 May
| year_start             = 1910
| event_end              = 
| date_end               = 27 April
| year_end               = 1994
| stat_year1             = 1991
| stat_area1             = 
| stat_pop1              = 2,430,753<ref name=RSAdist/>
| demonym                = Natalian
}}

The '''Province of Natal''' ({{Langx|af|Natalprovinsie}}), commonly called '''Natal''', was a [[province of South Africa]] from May 1910 until May 1994. Its capital was [[Pietermaritzburg]]. During this period rural areas inhabited by the black African population of Natal were organised into the [[bantustan]] of [[KwaZulu]], which was progressively separated from the province, becoming partially autonomous in 1981. Of the white population, the majority were [[English language|English]]-speaking people of British descent, causing Natal to become the only province to vote "No" to the creation of a [[republic]] in the [[South African republic referendum, 1960|referendum of 1960]], due to very strong [[monarchist]], pro-[[British Commonwealth]], and anti-[[secessionist]] sentiment.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ingalls |first=Leonard |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1961/05/11/archives/resentment-grows-in-natal.html |title=Resentment Grows in Natal |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=11 May 1961 |access-date=2012-07-25}}</ref> In the latter part of the 1980s, Natal was in a state of violence between the [[Inkatha Freedom Party]] and the [[African National Congress]], with violence subsiding soon after the [[South African general election, 1994|first non-racial election]] in 1994.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wren |first=Christopher S. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/19/world/de-klerk-lifts-emergency-rule-in-natal-province.html |title=De Klerk Lifts Emergency Rule in Natal Province |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=19 October 1990 |access-date=2012-07-25}}</ref><ref name="Rupert">Taylor, Rupert. "Justice denied: political violence in Kwazulu‐Natal after 1994." African Affairs 101, no. 405 (2002): 473-508.</ref>

In 1994, the [[KwaZulu]] [[bantustan]] was reincorporated into the territory of Natal and the province was redesignated as [[KwaZulu-Natal]].

==Districts in 1991==
[[File:NatalProvinceDistricts.png|thumb|300px]]
Districts of the province and population at the time of the 1991 census.<ref name=RSAdist>{{cite web|title=Census > 1991 > RSA > Variable Description > Person file > District code|url=http://interactive.statssa.gov.za:8282/webview/|publisher=Statistics South Africa - Nesstar WebView|access-date=18 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160619202856/http://interactive.statssa.gov.za:8282/webview/|archive-date=19 June 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!District
!Population
|-
|[[Mount Currie District|Mount Currie]] (main town [[Kokstad]])
| 41,564
|-
|[[Alfred District|Alfred]] (main town [[Harding, KwaZulu-Natal|Harding]])
| 8,794
|-
|[[Port Shepstone]]
| 67,239
|-
|[[Umzinto]]
| 46,919
|-
|[[Ixopo]]
| 22,626
|-
|[[Polela]]
| 4,364
|-
|[[Underberg, KwaZulu-Natal|Underberg]]
| 9,584
|-
|[[Impendle]]
| 2,815
|-
|[[Richmond, KwaZulu-Natal|Richmond]]
| 23,476
|-
|[[Camperdown, KwaZulu-Natal|Camperdown]]
| 36,315
|-
|[[Pietermaritzburg]]
| 228,549
|-
|[[Lions River]]
| 43,060
|-
|[[New Hanover, KwaZulu-Natal|New Hanover]]
| 38,207
|-
|[[Mooirivier]]
| 25,061
|-
|[[Estcourt]]
| 49,493
|-
|[[Weenen]]
| 12,485
|-
|[[Bergville]]
| 22,552
|-
|[[Umvoti, KwaZulu-Natal|Umvoti]] (main town [[Greytown, KwaZulu-Natal|Greytown]])
| 41,160
|-
|[[Kranskop]]
| 7,565
|-
|[[Durban]]
| 473,826
|-
|[[Inanda, KwaZulu-Natal|Inanda]] (main town [[Verulam, KwaZulu-Natal|Verulam]])
| 299,379
|-
|[[Pinetown]]
| 184,216
|-
|[[Chatsworth, Durban|Chatsworth]]
| 179,957
|-
|[[Kliprivier, Uthukela|Kliprivier]]
| 64,782
|-
|[[Glencoe, KwaZulu-Natal|Glencoe]]
| 17,265
|-
|[[Dundee, KwaZulu-Natal|Dundee]]
| 31,613
|-
|[[Dannhauser]]
| 14,154
|-
|[[Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal|Newcastle]]
| 53,584
|-
|[[Utrecht, KwaZulu-Natal|Utrecht]]
| 27,798
|-
|[[Paulpietersburg]]
| 21,072
|-
|[[Vryheid]]
| 85,518
|-
|[[Ngotshe]]
| 26,382
|-
|[[Lower Tugela]] (main town [[Stanger]])
| 96,702
|-
|[[Mtunzini]]
| 18,455
|-
|[[Eshowe]]
| 13,355
|-
|[[Mtonjaneni]] (main town [[Melmoth, KwaZulu-Natal|Melmoth]])
| 10,577
|-
|[[Babanango]]
| 3,069
|-
|[[Lower Umfolozi]] (main town [[Empangeni]])
| 56,082
|-
|[[Hlabisa]]
| 18,211
|-
|[[Ubombo]] (main town [[Jozini]])
| 2,929
|-
|}

==Administrators==
{{main|List of administrators of former South African provinces#Natal Province}}

==See also==
* [[Coat of arms of Natal]]
* [[Mtetwa Empire]] (c. 1750–1817)
* [[Zulu Kingdom|Zululand]] (1816–1897)
* [[Natalia Republic]] (1839–1843)
* [[Colony of Natal]] (1843–1910)
* [[KwaZulu-Natal]] (1994–)

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Natal | volume= 19 |last1= Hillier |first1= Alfred Peter |author1-link= Alfred Peter Hillier |last2= Cana |first2= Frank Richardson |author2-link= |pages = 252&ndash;265 |short= 1}}
* {{cite EB1922 |wstitle= Natal |volume=31 | pages = 1058&ndash;1059 |first=Frank Richardson |last=Cana |short=1}}

{{SA1910Provinces}}
{{Territories of the British Empire}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1910 establishments in South Africa]]
[[Category:1994 disestablishments in South Africa]]
[[Category:Former provinces of South Africa]]
[[Category:History of KwaZulu-Natal]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1910]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in 1994]]