Isandlwana
Isandlwana with a Scottish cairn marking a grave from the Battle of Isandlwana
Highest point
Elevation1,284 m (4,213 ft)[1]
ListingList of mountains in South Africa
Coordinates28°21′7″S 30°39′6″E / 28.35194°S 30.65167°E / -28.35194; 30.65167
Geography
Isandlwana is located in KwaZulu-Natal
Isandlwana
Isandlwana
Location in KwaZulu-Natal
LocationKwaZulu-Natal
Parent rangeDrakensberg foothill
Climbing
First ascentUnknown
Easiest routeFrom Dundee

Isandlwana (Zulu pronunciation: [ísanˈdɮwáːna])[2] (older spelling Isandhlwana, also sometimes seen as Isandula) is an isolated hill in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. It is located 169 kilometres (105 mi) north by northwest of Durban.[3] The name is said to mean abomasum, the second stomach of the cow, because it reminded the Zulus of its shape.

History

This mountain has historical significance. On 22 January 1879, Isandlwana was the site of the Battle of Isandlwana, where approximately 22,000 Zulu warriors defeated a contingent of approximately 1,750 British and African troops in one of the first engagements of the Anglo-Zulu War.[4] The Zulu force was primarily under the command of Ntshingwayo kaMahole Khoza. The battle was one of the worst defeats suffered by the British Army during the Victorian era.[5]

Isandlwana hill rises 16 kilometres (10 mi) Northeast of Rorke's Drift, a ford on the Buffalo River, a tributary of the Tugela River.

See also

References


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