Ulundi, also known as Mahlabathini, is a town in the Zululand District Municipality. At one time the capital of the Zulu Kingdom^[2] in South Africa and later the capital of the Bantustan of KwaZulu, Ulundi now lies in KwaZulu-Natal Province (of which, from 1994 to 2004, it alternated with Pietermaritzburg as the provincial capital). The town now includes Ulundi Airport, a three-star hotel, and some museums amongst its sights. In the 2001 Census, the population of the town was recorded as 18,420.^[3]

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Ulundi oLundi
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Coordinates: 28°19′S 31°25′E
Country	South Africa
Province	KwaZulu-Natal
District	Zululand
Municipality	Ulundi
Area [1]
• Total	16.62 km2 (6.42 sq mi)
Elevation	540 m (1,770 ft)
Population  (2011)[1]
• Total	19,840
• Density	1,200/km2 (3,100/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [1]
• Black African	98.9%
• Coloured	0.3%
• Indian/Asian	0.2%
• White	0.2%
• Other	0.4%
First languages (2011) [1]
• Zulu	93.4%
• English	2.6%
• S. Ndebele	1.1%
• Other	2.9%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
PO box	3838
Area code	035

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When Cetshwayo became king of the Zulus on 1 September 1873, he created, as was customary, a new capital for the nation, naming it "Ulundi" ("The high place"). On 4 July 1879, in the Battle of Ulundi (the final battle of the Anglo-Zulu War), the British Army captured the royal kraal and razed it to the ground.

Nearby is Ondini, where King Mpande, Cetshwayo's father, had his kraal. A large Zulu hut now is on the site.

Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as humid subtropical (Cfa).^[4] It is rainier in the warmer months.