What is the population of Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal?

Richards Bay has a population of approximately 57,387 according to the latest available open data.

Where is Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal located?

Richards Bay is located in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, at approximate coordinates -28.7708°, 32.0578°.

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Richards Bay

KwaZulu-Natalcity

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Richards Bay

Total population

57,387

Founded

1879

Elevation9 m

Coordinates-28.77°, 32.06°

Demographic figures from Statistics South Africa. Overview below cites Wikipedia and may reference a different year.

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City facts

Founded

1879

Elevation

9 m

Facts from Wikidata (CC0).

Overview

Richards Bay is a city in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is situated on a 30-square-kilometre lagoon of the Mhlatuze River, which makes it one of the country's largest harbours. Richards Bay also has the deepest natural harbour on the African continent.

History & geography

History

The town began as a makeshift harbour that was set up by Commodore of the Cape, Sir Markus Eugene Brown, during the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. In 1902, Cathcart Methven, the harbour engineer for the Natal Government, in his Zululand Port Survey recognized the potential of Richards Bay as a new harbour for the eastern shore. In 1935 the Richards Bay Game Sanctuary was created to protect the ecology around the lagoon and by 1943 it expanded into Richards Bay Park. The town was laid out on the shores of the lagoon in 1954 and proclaimed a town in 1969. In 1965, the South African Government under Minister of Transport Ben Schoeman decided to build a deep water harbour at Richards Bay. Construction work began in 1972 and lasted four years. In January 1976, there was a forced removal of local inhabitants of the Mthiyane Zulu clan. On 1 April 1976, the new deep water harbour was opened with a railway and an oil/gas pipeline linking the port to Johannesburg. The new residential area for Richards Bay was developed north of the harbour. Meerensee, started in 1970, was the first suburb. It was followed by Arboretum in 1975, and Veldenvlei in 1980. All three suburbs catered exclusively for whites by the existing laws of Apartheid. A township for blacks was developed at Esikhaweni, fifteen kilometres south of Richards Bay. Residential areas for Indians and coloureds (Brackenham and Aquadene) were opened after 1985 west of Veldenvlei. The three suburbs of Richards Bay (excluding the black township of Esikhaweni) had a combined population of about 20,000 in 1990.

Geography

Richards Bay is in a transitional zone between a humid subtropical climate, which characterizes the inland areas, and a tropical savanna climate along the seashore. There are warm wet summers and mild moist to dry frost-free winters. The town has an average annual rainfall of 1228 millimetres (48.3 in). The average annual temperature is 21.5 °C (71 °F), with daytime maxima peaking from January to March at 29 °C (84 °F), and the minimum is 21 °C (70 °F), dropping to daytime highs from June to August of 23 °C (73 °F) and a minimum of 12 °C (53 °F). Sunrise is at 4:45 AM and sunset at 7:00 PM in summer. In winter sunrise is at 6:20 AM and sunset at 5:00 PM. Richards Bay is a popular kitesurfing destination thanks to consistent winds blowing from the North East. The Richards Bay area is generally very flat and is situated on a coastal plain. The terrain rises slightly towards the west. The suburbs are all no more than a few metres (around 140m, or 459.3 ft) above sea level. The area is abundant in coastal dune forests, most notably along the coastal dune belt and in the suburb of Meerensee.

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