Zulu

Africaagro-pastoralists

Map
expand_more Description

The Zulu are located primarily in the northeast section of KwaZulu/Natal province, formerly called Zululand, in the Republic of South Africa. In the early nineteenth century king Shaka organized the Zulu into a powerful conquest state. Political organization was hierarchical with the king at the top who designated authority to chiefs of districts, and from them to homestead heads. The Zulu speak isiZulu, a language classified under what is known as the Nguni family of languages in South Africa. Traditionally the economy was based on horticulture and pastoralism, but by the twenty-first century agriculture has declined in importance with small-scale trading and the development of a money economy dominating.

Identifier
Region
  • Africa
Subregion
  • Southern Africa
Subsistence Type
  • agro-pastoralists
Samples
Countries
  • Lesotho
  • South Africa
  • Swaziland
External Links