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The Zulu are an African ethnic group of about 5 million people who live mainly in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. This makes them the most numerous ethnic group in the country. Their language derives from Bantu. Under their king, Shaka, they expanded their kingdom in the early 1800s, from a minor clan of 1500 people to a great nation between the Tugela River and the Pongola River , through conquest and assimilation. They were partly responsible for the MfecaneMfecane ( isiZulu), also known as the Difaqane or Lifaqane ( Sesotho), is an African expression used about chaos and disturbances. It probably means something like "the Crushing", and originates from the events leading to the rise to power of chief Shaka. - the catastrophic forced migration of many clans around ZululandZululand was the Zulu-dominated area of what is now northern KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Zululand stretches from the Tugela River in the South to Pongola River in the north. In 1816 Shaka acceded to the Zulu throne. Within a year he had conquere. Famous for their conflicts with Boer settlers and the BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a state in Western Europe, usually known simply as the United Kingdom the UK Britain or less accurately as Great Britain . The UK was formed by a series of Acts of Union which united the formerly army in the 1800sEvents and Trends Beginning of the Napoleonic Wars ( 1803 1815). Semaphore is adopted by navies. United Kingdom founded in 1801 World Leaders Emperor Napoleon I ( France) Emperor Francis II ( Holy Roman Empire) Pope Pius VII Emperor Alexander I ( Russia) (eg. the Anglo-Zulu WarThe Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between Britain and the Zulus, and signalled the end of the Zulus as an independent nation. It had complex beginnings, some bad decisions, bloody battles that caused the British to engage earlier than they intended, b in 1879Events January January 11 Anglo-Zulu War begins January 22 Zulu troops massacre British troops at the Battle of Isandlwana. At Rorke's Drift, outnumbered British soldiers drive the attackers away after hours of fighting. February February 12 At New York C where Zulus defeated British troops at Isandlwana on January 22.)

The modern Zulu population is fairly evenly divided into urban and rural groups:

Rural Zulu people live in villages, often without electricity and running water, in houses constructed from a mixture of mud brick and more modern, but cheap, materials. The Zulu aristocracy still tends to play a major role in the leadership of rural Zulu people. Local amaKhosi (literally lords, though "chiefs" is a more common translation) tend to hold a certain amount of sway over the people in their area. Some rural Zulu people make a living selling basketry and beadwork to tourists and city dwellers. Some are also subsistence farmers, although a more prominent trend is for one member of a family to get a job in a nearby city, from the income of which they support the rest of the family.

Poorer urban Zulu people live in Townships, which came about as a result of apartheid. However, a large number of Zulu people are now members of the middle class, living in suburban houses, and having fairly common middle class first world jobs. A number of Zulu people are prominent business men and women, and a number are parliamentarians.

The singing styles of the Zulu people and their Nguni heritage are worthy of special mention. As in much of Africa, music is highly considered, enabling the communication of emotions and situations which could not be made by talking. Zulu music incorporates rhythm, melody and harmony — the latter is usually dominant and known as " isigubudu " (which can be translated as converging horns on a beast, with tips touching the animal, a spiralling inward that reflects inner feelings).

Zulu music has also been carried worldwide, often by white musicians using Zulu backing singers, or performing songs by Zulu composers. Examples of the former are Paul Simon and South African Johnny Klegg . Examples of the latter are the song " Wimoweh" and several tunes on the first album by Bow Wow Wow. In the case of both " Wimoweh" and Bow Wow Wow, the original Zulu musicians went unidentified and uncompensated by the white musicians.

Their language is isiZulu.

In the Zulu language, Zulu means "heaven" or "sky".