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Pietermaritzburg
uMgungundlovu (Zulu) | |
---|---|
Nickname(s): | |
Coordinates: 29°37′S 30°23′E / 29.617°S 30.383°E | |
Country | South Africa |
Province | KwaZulu-Natal |
District | uMgungundlovu |
Municipality | Msunduzi |
Established | 1839[2] |
Government | |
• Mayor | Mzimkhulu Thebolla[3] (2019) (ANC) |
Area | |
• Total | 126.15 km2 (48.71 sq mi) |
Elevation | 596 m (1,955 ft) |
Population (2023)[4] | |
• Total | 839,327 |
• Density | 6,700/km2 (17,000/sq mi) |
Racial makeup (2011) | |
• Black African | 70.0% |
• White | 14.2% |
• Indian/Asian | 8.4% |
• Coloured | 6.9% |
• Other | 0.3% |
First languages (2011) | |
• Zulu | 57.0% |
• English | 28.9% |
• Afrikaans | 4.2% |
• Xhosa | 3.5% |
• Other | 6.3% |
Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
Postal code (street) | 3201 |
PO box | 3200 |
Area code | 033 |
Vehicle registration | NP |
Website | www |
Pietermaritzburg (/ˌpiːtərˈmærɪtsbɜːrɡ/; Zulu: uMgungundlovu)[5] is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa after Durban. It was named in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. The town was named in Zulu after King Dingane's royal homestead uMgungundlovu. Pietermaritzburg is popularly called Maritzburg in Afrikaans and is often informally abbreviated to PMB. It is a regionally important industrial hub, producing aluminium, timber and dairy products, as well as the main economic hub of uMgungundlovu District Municipality. The public sector is a major employer in the city due to local, district and provincial government offices located here.
The city has many schools and tertiary education institutions, including a campus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal.[6][7] It had a population of 228,549 in 1991;[8] the current population is estimated at over 600,000 residents (including neighbouring townships) and has one of the largest populations of Indian South Africans in South Africa.
Pietermaritzburg is an emerging metropolitan area.