Zulu is located in South Africa in province of KwaZulu-Natal, which is between the Indian Ocean, Drakensberg mountain range, the Umzimkhulu River, and Mozambique and Swaziland in the north.

KwaZulu-Natal is both urban and rural. The Zulu people in rural areas live in households that contain nuclear family members or in a three-generation household structure. These are often circular or rectangular houses built of mud or concrete blocks and roofed with grass or iron sheets.

Urban Zulu people live mainly in townships that were built in 1950-60s by the government to enforce racial segregation. The government built four-roomed houses that were rented out to people. In KwaZulu-Natal those houses were occupied mainly by Zulu people. The Zulu are still the main inhabitants of KwaZulu-Natal townships, but the houses are now privately owned.

Before the mid-nineteenth century the Zulu depended entirely on their gardens and raising livestock. Their crop was corn, while cattle, goats, and poultry were the most important livestock. Today they eat spinach, pumpkins, beans, potatoes, and other vegetables. Although they like meat, many people cannot afford to buy it. Corn, wheat flour, and rice are the main food source.

The Zulu people's cosmology is characterized by God in various forms: uMvelingqangi (a male god responsible for all life), uNomkhubulwano (a female god who provides food security, particularly through good harvests), and a god for the control of weather, particularly thunder. The Zulu religion usually takes place in the home. When doing special ceremonies and animal sacrifices, the head of the house hold is in charge.

There are numerous ceremonies that relate to an individual's stage in life that are linked to ancestors. After a baby is named, it is then introduced to the ancestors in a ceremony called imbeleko. A girl's first menstruation is celebrated through a ceremony called umhlonyane. Slaughtering a goat is required when doing both of these ceremonies. When girls are declared adults and ready for marriage a ceremony called umemulo takes place, which involves slaughtering a cow. Marriage is celebrated through a wedding ceremony (umshado or umgcagco). Death is a ceremonial occasion accompanied by appropriate rites of passage. A year after a household member has died they are supposed to link the deceased with their dead relatives and elevate them to "ancestorhood."