Durban Facts

Introduction

Like most cities, Durban has developed around the geographic features of the area. Durban is bordered in the south by the Bluff, a range of green clad hills separating the sea from Durban Bay, and stretches northwards beyond the Umgeni River to the highlands of Durban North. Inland lies Berea, a ridge of hills encircling the flat, central part of the city. The coasts to the north and south of Durban enjoy beautiful beaches and warm water. Surfing is one of the main activities on the many beaches, though angling and boating activities are also very popular.

As a coastal city, Durban is constantly affected by the warm sea current flowing down its shoreline. The Agulhas Current travels...

...'s fertile soil in 1824, a year after George Farewell fortuitously happened upon its harbor. It was only after the fledgling settlement was formally annexed in 1844, however, that the dense coastal vegetation was gradually consumed by buildings with broad verandas and civilized with English traditions such as morning papers, afternoon tea, and weekend horse racing.

Sugar was this region's "white gold," yielding fortunes for the so-called sugar barons. The most famous was Sir Marshall Campbell; today his home, housing the Campbell Collection, is one of Durban's star attractions, and one can still travel along the tacky beachfront in the two-wheeled "rickshaws" he introduced to the city in 1893....