NATAL, na'tal, Africa, an original province of the Union of South Africa, formerly a separate colony on the southeast coast, bordering on the Indian Ocean and bounded by Portuguese East Africa, the Trans vaal and Orange River colonies, Basutoland and Cape Colony. Including Zululand, annexed in 1897, it has an estimated area of 35,019 square miles. In January 1903 the former Transvaal districts of Vryheid, Utrecht and part of Wak kerstroom were transferred to Natal.
Topography. The chief natural boundary on the land side is formed by the Drakensberg Mountains, separating it from the Orange River Colony and Basutoland. The Tugela River separates Natal proper from the Zulu country; on the southwest the Umzimkulu and Umtam vurna partly separate it from Cape Colony. The 400 miles of coast-line contains the mouths of numerous streams, hut is destitute of creeks and bays, having only one sheltered anchorage at Port Natal (on which stands the seaport Durban), a fine circular bay completely land locked, capacious enough to contain whole fleets and deep enough within to float the largest ves sels. The surface is finely diversified, rising by successive terraces from the shore toward the lofty mountains on its western frontiers. The chief summits are Champagne Castle, 10,357 feet; Mont aux Sources, about 10,000 feet, and Giant's Castle, 9,657 fedt. From the main chain numerous transverse branches proceed nearly at right angles and form a series of minor water sheds, separating the different streams. The mountains descend very gradually on the west and may be regarded as the abutments of a very elevated table-land, but they present pre cipitous fronts to the east and are so broken by chasms and ravines that they were at one time regarded as impassable.
Hydrography. Natal has a great advan tage over most of the districts of South Africa in its abundance of perennial streams, though these are all too shallow to be navigable, while many flow through precipitous ravines and rocky gorges. The most important rivers are the Tugela, which has a course of about 150 miles, its tributary, the Buffalo or Ulnzinyati, being also a considerable stream; the Umvoti, Umgeni and Umkomanzi, farther to the south and the Umzimkulu, which partly separates Natal from Cape Colony.
Geology and Mineral Resources. The prevailing stratified rocks are sandstone and slate, often thrown into confusion and pierced by igneous rocks, particularly basalt, greenstone and porphyry, which assume the form both of continuous ridges and isolated hills and often cover extensive areas. The mineral productions are principally coal, iron-stone, limestone and marble. Coal is worked and is used on the railways and the iron-stone is also being util ized. About 3,000,000 tons is the normal annual output of coal and of gold about 2,000 ounces. There are rich gold-fields in Zululand.
Climate. The climate on the whole is ex tremely salubrious. On the coast the range of temperature is from to giving an average in summer of and in winter of about 55° ; in the interior, at the town of Pieter maritzburg, the mean temperature of July, the coldest month, is of February, the hottest, and of the whole year, 67°. During the rainy season (October to March) thunder show ers are of almost daily occurrence. Long droughts are almost unknown.
Vegetation. Under such a climate, and with a soil of considerable fertility, vegetation is cibviously vigorous. Timber-trees everywhere exist in sufficient numbers for the wants of the colony and on the western frontiers as well as elsewhere form considerable forests, for the most part unencumbered by the underwood which prevails in Cape Colony.
Fauna. The wild animals include the leopard, hyena, tiger-cat, antelopes, jackal, ant bear and porcupine. The hippopotamus has still his haunts in several of the rivers and there are numbers of small crocodiles; while snakes, some of them venomous, are also plentiful. The birds comprise the vulture, several varieties of eagle and the secretary-bird, etc.