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Durban (Zulu: eThekwini) is
a major centre of tourism due to the
warm subtropical climate and beaches. With a
population of over 3 million it is the second most
populous city in South Africa after Johannesburg.
 Durban's
Golden Mile stretches from the uShaka marine world
in the south, to the Suncoast Casino and
Entertainment World in the north. The long stretches
of golden sands provide many locations for sun
worshippers to lounge, play beach games, surf, or
enjoy eating out in the many restaurants.
Seawater temperatures along the coast compare
more favourably with those of the Mediterranean in
summer (24°C), and in winter they seldom fall below
19°C.
A popular city for ruby union enthusiast, Durban
is home to the Natal Sharks and the Sharks at Kings
Park Stadium.
Durban
International Airport services both domestic and
international flights, serving as a major gateway to
KwaZulu-Natal and the Drakensberg.
The Port of Durban is one of the few natural
harbours between Port Elizabeth and Maputo. It is
the busiest port in South Africa, the ninth busiest
port in the world, and the busiest container port in
the Southern Hemisphere.
Shosholoza Meyl, the passenger rail service of
Spoornet, operates two long-distance passenger rail
services from Durban: a daily service to and from
Johannesburg via Pietermaritzburg, and a weekly
service to and from Cape Town via
Kimberley and
Bloemfontein.
 The N2 national road links Durban to Cape Town
via with Ermelo, East London and
Port Elizabeth,
runs through the entire city from north to south,
and is known locally as the "Outer Ring Road". The
N3, which links Durban with Johannesburg is probably
the busiest national road in South Africa.
Lekker Links
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Metered taxis cannot be hailed in the
street, but must be called and ordered to a
specific location. The minibus (combi) taxis
are the standard form of transport for the
majority of the population who cannot afford
private cars. Often filled over their legal
passenger allowance, and operator turf wars
over lucrative taxi routes occur, not
uncommon, as a tourist you may prefer
alternative forms of travel in the city.
Durban is famous for its iconic Zulu
Rickshaw pullers navigating throughout the
city. These colourful characters are famous
for their giant, vibrant hats and costumes.
Although they have been a mode of
transportation since the early 1900's, they
mostly cater to tourists.
The modern city of Durban dates from
1824, when a party of 25 men under British
Lieutenant F.G. Farewell arrived from the
Cape Colony and established a settlement on
the northern shore of the Bay of Natal, near
today's Farewell Square. Accompanying
Farewell was an adventurer named Henry Fynn
who was able to befriend
King Shaka Zulu by
helping him recover from a stab wound he had
suffered in battle. In gratitude
Shaka granted Fynn a "25-mile strip of coast a hundred
miles in depth." During a meeting of 35
white residents in Fynn's territory on June
23, 1835, it was decided to build a capital
town and name it "d'Urban" after Sir
Benjamin d'Urban, then governor of the Cape
Colony.
Voortrekkers established the Republic of
Natalia in 1838 just north of Durban, and
established a capital at Pietermaritzburg.
Fierce conflict with the Zulu population led
to the evacuation of Durban, and eventually,
under military pressure, the
Afrikaners
accepted British annexation in 1844. A
British governor was appointed to the region
and many settlers emigrated from Europe and
the Cape Colony. The British established a
sugar cane industry in the 1860s. White farm
owners found it difficult to attract Zulu
labourers to work on their plantations, so
the British brought thousands of indentured
labourers from India. As a result of the
importation of Indian labourers, Durban
became, and remains to this day, the largest
Asian community in South Africa.
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