Saldanha, South Africa

Last updated
Saldanha
Saldanha strand.jpg
Fishermen's Cottages, Saldanha. 1918. Oval shaped cottages, built by George Goode Busch. 02.JPG
Saldanha Bay.jpg
Mariena ontwikkeling.jpg
Saldana - panoramio.jpg
Clockwise from Top: Saldanha beach, Saldanha at night, indigenous vegetation, view over the town, traditional fishermans cottages
South Africa Western Cape location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Saldanha
South Africa adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Saldanha
Coordinates: 32°59′52″S17°56′44″E / 32.99778°S 17.94556°E / -32.99778; 17.94556
Country South Africa
Province Western Cape
District West Coast
Municipality Saldanha Bay
Area
[1]
  Total17.36 km2 (6.70 sq mi)
Population
 (2011) [1]
  Total28,142
  Density1,600/km2 (4,200/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
[1]
   Black African 29.9%
   Coloured 65%
   Indian/Asian 1.4%
   White 13.5%
  Other0.9%
First languages (2011)
[1]
   Afrikaans 70.3%
   Xhosa 19.6%
   English 7.0%
  Other3.1%
Time zone UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
7395
PO box
7395
Area code 022

Saldanha (Afrikaans: [sal'dana] ), also known as Saldanha Bay, is a town of 21,636 people, located 110 kilometres (70 mi) north of Cape Town on the northern shore of Saldanha Bay, in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Its situation as a natural sheltered harbour has led to development as a port for the export of iron ore from Sishen in the Northern Cape, which is transported on the Sishen–Saldanha railway line. The port is one of the largest exporting ports of ore in the whole of Africa, and it is able to handle ships as large as 200 000 tons deadweight. [2]

Contents

History

St. Helena, this island belongs to ye English east India Company whose ships usually touch here for a recruit of fresh water and provisions - ; The bay of Agao de Saldanha, this bay is 70 miles north (5961367644).jpg
Historic map of Saldanha by the East India Company (bottom).

'Agoada de Saldanha' was the early Portuguese name for Table Bay, but later given to the present location by Joris van Spilbergen, meaning 'watering place of Saldanha'. [3]

Bartolomeu Dias was the first recorded European to set eyes on what is now Saldanha. [4]

Saldanha Bay is ultimately named after António de Saldanha, captain of a vessel in Albuquerque's fleet which visited South Africa in 1503.

Port

The port has handling facilities for both bulk iron ore and crude oil. [5] Ore vessels up to 21.5 metre draft are handled, as well as large crude oil carriers up to 20.5 metre draft. [5]

Demographics (2011) [6]

GenderPopulationPercentage
Male 14,26450.69
Female 13,87849.31
Total28,142100
RacePopulationPercentage
Black 8,40429.9
White 3,81113.5
Coloured 15,28654.3
Asian 3911.4
Other2500.9
Total28,142100
First languagePopulationPercentage
Afrikaans 18,52470.3
Xhosa 5,17619.6
English 1,0597.0
Southern Sotho 1,8350.78
Tswana 1700.65
Other 1,3601.67
Total28,142100

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Coast District Municipality</span> District municipality in Western Cape, South Africa

The West Coast District Municipality is a district municipality located in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Its municipality code is DC1. Moorreesburg is the seat of the district. As of 2011, it had a total population of 391,766.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saldanha Bay</span> Natural harbour on the south-western coast of South Africa

Saldanha Bay is a natural harbour on the south-western coast of South Africa. The town that developed on the northern shore of the bay, also called Saldanha, was incorporated with five other towns into the Saldanha Bay Local Municipality in 2000. The current population of the municipality is estimated at 72,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chennai Port</span> Container port in India

Chennai Port, formerly known as Madras Port, is the second largest container port of India, behind Mumbai's Jawaharlal Nehru Port also known as Nhava Sheva. The port is the largest one in the Bay of Bengal. It is the third-oldest port among the 12 major ports of India with official port operations beginning in 1881, although maritime trade started much earlier in 1639 on the undeveloped shore. It is an artificial and all-weather port with wet docks. Once a major travel port, it became a major container port in the post-Independence era. An established port of trade of British India since the 1600s, the port remains a primary reason for the economic growth of Tamil Nadu, especially for the manufacturing boom in South India, and has contributed greatly to the development of the city of Chennai. It is due to the existence of the port that the city of Chennai eventually became known as the Gateway of South India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Nolloth</span> Place in Northern Cape, South Africa

Port Nolloth is a town and small domestic seaport in the Namaqualand region on the northwestern coast of South Africa, 144 kilometres (89 mi) northwest of Springbok. It is the seat of the Richtersveld Local Municipality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transnet Freight Rail</span> Railway operator in South Africa

Transnet Freight Rail is a South African rail transport company, formerly known as Spoornet. It was part of the South African Railways and Harbours Administration, a state-controlled organisation that employed hundreds of thousands of people for decades from the first half of the 20th century and was widely referred to by the initials SAR&H. Customer complaints about serious problems with Transnet Freight Rail's service were reported in 2010. Its head office is in Inyanda House in Parktown, Johannesburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hondeklip Bay</span> Place in Northern Cape, South Africa

Hondeklip Bay is a coastal village in the Namakwa district of the Northern Cape province of South Africa. It lies about 95 km south west of the district capital Springbok.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sishen–Saldanha railway line</span> Railway line in South Africa

The Sishen–Saldanha railway line, also known as the Ore Export Line (OREX), is an 861-kilometre-long (535 mi) heavy-haul railway line in South Africa. It connects iron ore mines near Sishen in the Northern Cape with the port at Saldanha Bay in the Western Cape. It is used primarily to transport iron ore (60 million tonnes per year) and does not carry passenger traffic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African Class 15E</span>

The Transnet Freight Rail Class 15E of 2010 is a South African electric locomotive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African Class 9E, Series 1</span> Locomotive class

The South African Railways Class 9E, Series 1 of 1978 is an electric locomotive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African Class 9E, Series 2</span> Class of 6 South African electric locomotives

The South African Railways Class 9E, Series 2 of 1982 is an electric locomotive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African Class 34-000</span> Class of 125 South African diesel-electric locomotives

The South African Railways Class 34-000 of 1971 is a diesel-electric locomotive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African Class 34-400</span>

The South African Railways Class 34-400 of 1973 is a diesel-electric locomotive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African Class 34-500</span> Class of locomotives

The South African Railways Class 34-500 of 1974 is a diesel-electric locomotive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African Class 34-900</span>

The South African Railways Class 34–900 of 1980 is a diesel-electric locomotive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African Class 43-000</span> Diesel-electric locomotive

The Transnet Freight Rail Class 43-000 of 2011 is a South African diesel-electric locomotive.

Dingleton is a town in Northern Cape, South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mundra Port</span> Container port in India

Mundra Port is India's first private port, largest container port and largest commercial port, located on the northern shores of the Gulf of Kutch near Mundra, Kutch district, Gujarat. Formerly operated by Mundra Port and Special Economic Zone Limited (MPSEZ) owned by Adani Group, it was later expanded into Adani Ports & SEZ Limited (APSEZ) managing several ports. In FY 2020–21, Mundra Port handled 144.4 million tonnes of cargo. The port currently handles over 155 MT, which constitutes nearly 11 per cent of India’s maritime cargo. The port also handles nearly 33 per cent of India’s container traffic.

The Sishen mine is a large iron mine located in central South Africa in Kathu, Northern Cape. Sishen represents one of the largest iron ore reserves in South Africa and in the world having estimated reserves of 2.43 billion tonnes of ore grading 58.6% iron metal.

The MT Castillo de Bellver oil spill began on 6 August 1983, when the Spanish tanker caught on fire off Saldanha Bay, approximately 70 miles northwest of Cape Town, South Africa. It was carrying 250,000 tonnes of light crude oil, and was traveling through an environmentally sensitive area known for its seabird rookeries and important commercial fishing grounds. The burning vessel was abandoned and broke apart after drifting offshore. Three crew were lost. The stern capsized and sunk and the bow was sunk using explosives. A total of 145,000-170,000 tonnes of oil entered the sea. Onshore impacts were considered negligible as the slick traveled seaward. The only visible impact was the oiling of 1,500 gannets that were on a nearby island.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Main Place Saldanha". Census 2011.
  2. "Saldanha" (PDF). Saldanha Bay Local Municipality. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
  3. Raper, P.E. (1989). Dictionary of Southern African Place Names.
  4. "Agoada de Saldanha". South Africa History Online. Retrieved 2024-06-08.
  5. 1 2 "Port of Saldanha Bay, South Africa". findaport.com.
  6. , Census 2011 — Main Place "Saldanha"