- Formerly:
- Port Natal
Durban
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Where is Durban located?
Durban is the largest city in KwaZulu-Natal province and the chief seaport of South Africa. It is located on Natal Bay of the Indian Ocean. Durban sprawls along the coast and is overlooked to the south by the Bluff, hills separating the landlocked bay from the sea. It stretches across the Umgeni River to the heights of Durban North. Since 2000, Durban has been administered by the eThekwini municipality.
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What is Durban known for?
Durban, the largest city in KwaZulu-Natal province, is South Africa's chief seaport, located on Natal Bay of the Indian Ocean. Founded in 1835, it was named for Sir Benjamin DāUrban. Durban is known for being a major commercial port serving the Witwatersrand industrial region and a point of entry for raw materials, capital goods, and industrial equipment. Minerals, coal, sugar, and grain are exported, and oil is refined and piped to Johannesburg. Tourism is also important, with beaches, nature reserves and game. Durban has a larger Indian population than white, with one of the largest concentrations of Indians in South Africa.
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What is the climate like in Durban?
Durban has a warm climate because of the warm southward-flowing Mozambique and Agulhas currents. The average annual temperature in Durban is 69 Ā°F (21 Ā°C). Summers are warm to hot, with daytime temperatures generally from 70 to 90 Ā°F (21 to 32 Ā°C). Winters are warm on the eastern and southeastern coasts. South Africa is generally semiarid with variable precipitation, but the KwaZulu-Natal coast, where Durban is located, receives more than 40 inches (1,000 mm) annually.
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Which cultures and languages are common in Durban?
Durban is a melting pot of cultures and languages. The city and surrounding area have a large Indian population, and KwaZulu-Natal province is home to most of South Africa's Asian population.
The most widely spoken language is Zulu, but many people also speak related Bantu languages. Durban also has a strong European influence and a white population that speaks English and Afrikaans. Additionally, more than half of the provinceās Asian population are Hindus, and about one-seventh are Muslims.
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Why is Durban an important port city?
Durban is an important port city because its harbor is one of the worldās major commercial ports. It serves the Witwatersrand industrial region as a major container port and entry point for raw materials, capital goods, and industrial equipment. The port exports minerals, coal, sugar, and grain, and it refines oil that is piped to Johannesburg. All South African ports are operated by subsidiaries of Transnet.
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What attractions or events make Durban a popular tourist destination?
Durban is a popular tourist destination thanks to its warm, sunny winters that make its beaches a major attraction. The city provides an esplanade and oceanarium, as well as proximity to game and nature reserves.
Durban is home to several parks, including the Botanic Gardens with its orchid house, Jameson Park, and Snake Park. Cultural and sporting events are held in Moses Mabhida Stadium. The African Art Centre in Durban exhibits work by local artists.
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Durban, largest city of KwaZulu-Natal province and chief seaport of South Africa, located on Natal Bay of the Indian Ocean. European settlement began with a band of Cape Colony traders led by Francis G. Farewell, who charted the port in 1824 and named the site Port Natal. Land was ceded to the group by Shaka, the Zulu king (whose right to take that action is disputed), and the Old Fort (now a museum) was built. Durban was founded in 1835 on the site of Port Natal and was named for Sir Benjamin DāUrban, the governor of the Cape Colony. In the late 1830s and early ā40s the Boers clashed with the British over control of Durban. It became a borough (town) in 1854 and was created a city in 1935.
Sprawling along the coast, Durban is overlooked to the south by the Bluff (hills separating the landlocked bay from the sea) and stretches across the Umgeni River to the heights of Durban North. Its civic and business centre is on flat land, rising gently to the slopes of the white residential district of the Berea, a ridge of hills encircling the harbour and beach. Durbanās numerous parks include the Botanic Gardens with its orchid house, Jameson Park and its rose gardens, and Snake Park with its collection of poisonous reptiles. The city is home to the University of KwaZulu-Natal, formed in 2004 through the merger of the University of Durban-Westville (founded 1961), originally for Indian students (although non-Indians were admitted from 1979), and the University of Natal (founded 1910). There are several museums and black and Indian markets. Cultural and sporting events are held in Moses Mabhida Stadium, part of the larger Kingās Park Sporting Precinct, a commercial, retail, and leisure district.
Development of Durbanās harbour, one of the worldās major commercial ports, began in 1855. Serving the Witwatersrand industrial region, it is a major container port and point of entry for bulk raw materials, capital goods, and industrial equipment. Minerals, coal, sugar, and grain are exported, and oil is refined and piped to Johannesburg. After World War I Durban changed from a prim Victorian town to a modern metropolis with skyscrapers and multistoried buildings. It is the headquarters of South Africaās sugar industry and a centre of highly diversified manufacturing activity. Tourism is important and is based on the cityās proximity to KwaZulu-Natalās game and nature reserves and on the beaches and their facilities, such as an esplanade and an oceanarium.
Durban (with adjacent Pinetown) has a larger Indian population than white; the area contains one of the largest concentrations of Indians in South Africa. Ntuzuma, Umlazi, and Embumbulu districts to the immediate west were developed as black (mostly Zulu) commuter suburbs. Many blacks were moved from Durban to these areas in the late 1970s under apartheid policies. Durban has been administered by the eThekwini municipality since 2000. Pop. (2001) city, 536,644; municipality, 3,090,127; (2007 est.) municipality, 3,468,086.