Port Shepstone

Port Shepstone

Port Shepstone Lighthouse
Port Shepstone
Port Shepstone
Port Shepstone

 Port Shepstone shown within KwaZulu-Natal

Coordinates: 30°45′00″S 30°27′00″E / 30.75000°S 30.45000°E / -30.75000; 30.45000Coordinates: 30°45′00″S 30°27′00″E / 30.75000°S 30.45000°E / -30.75000; 30.45000
Country South Africa
Province KwaZulu-Natal
District Ugu
Municipality Hibiscus Coast
Established 1867
Area[1]
 • Total 38.02 km2 (14.68 sq mi)
Population (2011)[1]
 • Total 35,633
 • Density 940/km2 (2,400/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[1]
 • Black African 39.7%
 • Coloured 6.3%
 • Indian/Asian 32.1%
 • White 21.3%
 • Other 0.5%
First languages (2011)[1]
 • English 55.3%
 • Zulu 21.4%
 • Xhosa 10.5%
 • Afrikaans 9.3%
 • Other 3.5%
Postal code (street) 4240
PO box 4240
Area code 039

Port Shepstone is situated on the mouth of the largest river on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, the Mzimkulu River (the great home of all rivers). 120 kilometres (75 mi) south of Durban, it is the administrative, educational and commercial centre for southern Natal.

History

Port Shepstone was founded in 1867 when marble was discovered nearby and is named after Sir Theophilus Shepstone of the Natal government of the 1880s. William Bazley built a harbour and the first coaster entered the harbour on the May 8, 1880. In 1882 a party of 246 Norwegian immigrants settled here and played a large part in the development of the area. After the opening of the railway to Durban in 1901 the harbour fell in disuse and eventually the river silted up again making it impossible to use. The 27,000 candela lighthouse still stands at the mouth of the Mzimkulu River.

Industries and agriculture

Its industries include a sugar mill, a lime works and a marble quarry. Timber, wattle bark and sub-tropical fruit are produced in the district.

Transport

Port Shepstone railway station opened in 1917, serving as both the southern terminus of the Cape gauge line from & to Durban, as well as the southern coastal terminus of the narrow gauge Alfred County Railway to Harding.

After the standard gauge Transnet passenger services shut down in 1986, the ACR continued operations until 2005, when the famous Banana Express ceased operation.[2]

Education

The first school was opened in 1883 but by 1950 the school became too small. The Port Shepstone School split into two, the Port Shepstone Primary School and the Port Shepstone High School. There is also the Port Shepstone Secondary School

Twin towns – Sister cities

Port Shepstone is twinned with:

Climate

Climate data for Port Shepstone
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 26
(79)		 26
(79)		 25
(77)		 24
(75)		 23
(73)		 21
(70)		 21
(70)		 21
(70)		 21
(70)		 22
(72)		 23
(73)		 25
(77)		 23
(73)
Daily mean °C (°F) 23
(73)		 23
(73)		 23
(73)		 21
(70)		 19
(66)		 17
(63)		 16
(61)		 17
(63)		 18
(64)		 19
(66)		 20
(68)		 22
(72)		 19
(66)
Average low °C (°F) 20
(68)		 20
(68)		 20
(68)		 17
(63)		 15
(59)		 12
(54)		 12
(54)		 13
(55)		 15
(59)		 16
(61)		 18
(64)		 19
(66)		 16
(61)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 121
(4.76)		 126
(4.96)		 148
(5.83)		 82
(3.23)		 60
(2.36)		 31
(1.22)		 38
(1.5)		 49
(1.93)		 87
(3.43)		 114
(4.49)		 123
(4.84)		 127
(5)		 1,106
(43.54)
Source: Weatherbase [4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Main Place Port Shepstone". Census 2011.
  2. ↑ "KNOCKING LINES OFF THE MAP". railwaysafrica.com. 2009-02-27. Retrieved 2009-07-10.
  3. ↑ Lindquist, Ted. "Internationella frågor och vänorter". Oskarshamn Municipality (in Swedish). Retrieved 2013-07-25.
  4. ↑ "Climate Statistics for Port Shepstone, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa". Retrieved May 8, 2012.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/4/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.