22 Facts About Durban

1.

Durban, nicknamed Durbs, is the third most populous city in South Africa after Johannesburg and Cape Town and the largest city in KwaZulu-Natal.

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2.

Durban was one of the host cities of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

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3.

Durban was formerly named Port Natal due to its position as the chief seaport of South Africa, and its location on the Natal Bay of the Indian Ocean.

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4.

Durban is located on the east coast of South Africa, looking out upon the Indian Ocean.

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5.

Durban has a natural harbour, Durban Harbour, which is the busiest port in South Africa and is the 4th-busiest in the Southern Hemisphere.

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6.

Durban has a humid subtropical climate, with hot, humid summers and warm, quite dry winters, which are snow and frost-free.

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7.

Durban is ethnically diverse, with a cultural richness of mixed beliefs and traditions.

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8.

The influence of Indians in Durban has been significant, bringing with them a variety of cuisine, culture and religion.

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9.

Durban has the highest number of dollar millionaires added per year of any South African city, with the number having increased 200 percent between 2000 and 2014.

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10.

Durban has a number of informal and semi-formal street vendors.

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11.

Durban has been named the greenest city in the world by Husqvarna Urban Green Space Index.

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12.

Durban was initially successful in its bid to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games, but needed to withdraw in March 2017 from the role of hosts when the government withdrew its subsidy due to financial constraints.

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13.

Durban is home to the Cell C Sharks, who compete in the domestic Currie Cup competition as well as in the international United Rugby Championship competition.

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14.

Durban is host to the KwaZulu-Natal cricket team, who play as the Dolphins when competing in the Sunfoil Series.

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15.

Durban was one of the host cities of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and A1GP held a race on a street circuit in Durban from 2006 to 2008.

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16.

The Port of Durban, formerly known as the Port of Natal, is one of the few natural harbours between Port Elizabeth and Maputo, and is located at the beginning of a particular weather phenomenon which can cause extremely violent seas.

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17.

Durban will be building a brand new R200 million cruise terminal that will be operational in October 2019, the Durban Cruise Terminal.

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18.

Durban featured the first operating steam railway in South Africa when the Natal Railway Company started operating a line between the Point and the city of Durban in 1860.

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19.

Durban has a system of freeway and dual arterial metropolitan routes, which connect the sprawling suburbs that lie to the north, west and south of the city.

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20.

Durban was previously served by the Durban trolleybus system, which first ran in 1935.

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21.

Durban has two kinds of taxis: metered taxis and minibus taxis.

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22.

Durban is one of the main drug trafficking routes for drugs exiting and entering sub-Saharan Africa.

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