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Isandlwana

Coordinates: 28°21′7″S 30°39′6″E / 28.35194°S 30.65167°E / -28.35194; 30.65167
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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

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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.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed]

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

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References

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  1. ^ Google Earth
  2. ^ John Wells: the symbol ɮ. John Wells's phonetic blog, 19. September 2012.
  3. ^ Encyclopædia Britannica (1950), v.12, 703.
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