The province of KwaZulu-Natal borders Mozambique, Swaziland, and Lesotho. KwaZulu means "Place of the Zulu". The province is home to the Zulu monarchy, and the majority population and language of the province is Zulu. Vasco da Gama of Portugal saw the coast of Natal on Christmas Day 1497. Natal is the Portuguese word for Christmas which gave rise to the European name for the region.