Durban

Durban eThekwini (Zulu)
City
Clockwise from top: Durban beachfront (Golden Mile), uShaka Marine World, Suncoast Casino and Entertainment World, Moses Mabhida Stadium, Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre, and Durban City Hall
Flag Coat of arms
Durban Show map of KwaZulu-Natal Durban Show map of South Africa Durban Show map of Africa
Coordinates: 29°53′S 31°03′E / 29.883°S 31.050°E / -29.883; 31.050
Country	South Africa
Province	KwaZulu-Natal
Municipality	eThekwini
Established	24 August 1824; 199 years ago (1824-08-24)[1]
Named for	Benjamin D'Urban
Government
• Type	Metropolitan municipality
• Mayor	Mxolisi Kaunda (ANC)
Area [2][3]
• City	225.91 km2 (87.22 sq mi)
• Metro	2,556 km2 (987 sq mi)
Population  (2011)[2]
• City	595,061
• Rank	17th in Africa 3rd in South Africa
• Density	2,600/km2 (6,800/sq mi)
• Metro [3]	4,239,901
• Metro density	1,700/km2 (4,300/sq mi)
Demonym	Durbanite[4]
Racial makeup (2011) [2]
• Black African	51.1%
• Coloured	8.6%
• Indian/Asian	24.0%
• White	15.3%
• Other	0.9%
First languages (2011) [2]
• English	49.8%
• Zulu	33.1%
• Xhosa	5.9%
• Afrikaans	3.6%
• Other	7.6%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)	4001
PO box	4000
Area code	031
GDP	US$ 83.9 billion[5]
GDP per capita	US$ 15,575[5]
Website	www.durban.gov.za

Durban (/ˈdɜːrbən/ DUR-bən; Zulu: eThekwini, from itheku meaning "bay, lagoon")^[a] is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South Africa, on the Natal Bay of the Indian Ocean, Durban is South Africa's busiest port and was formerly named Port Natal. North of the harbour and city centre lies the mouth of the Umgeni River; the flat city centre rises to the hills of the Berea on the west; and to the south, running along the coast, is the Bluff. Durban is the seat of the larger eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, which spans an area of 2,556 km² (987 sq mi) and had a population of 4.2 million in 2022,^[3] making the metropolitan population one of Africa's largest on the Indian Ocean. Within the city limits, Durban's population was 595,061 in 2011.^[2] The city has a humid subtropical climate, with hot, wet summers and mild, dry winters.^[6]

Archaeological evidence from the Drakensberg mountains suggests that the area had been inhabited by hunter-gatherers millennia ago. Later, the Nguni people occupied the region. During Christmas 1497, Vasco da Gama saw the coast and named it Natal, the Portuguese word for Christmas. In 1824, English traders from Cape Colony, led by Francis Farewell and Henry Fynn, established a trading post at Port Natal, and later that year, Shaka, the Zulu king, granted them land around the Bay. In 1835, the settlement was named after Sir Benjamin D'Urban, then governor of Cape Colony, and became a borough in 1854. From 1860 onwards, indentured labourers from British India arrived in Durban, as well as later passenger Indians. Natal colony, which had grown, became a province of the Union of South Africa in 1910, and the town of Durban became, in 1935, a city.^[7]

Durban has a rich, diverse heritage, with large Zulu, Indian, White, and Coloured populations. Historically, it was a popular tourist destination domestically because of its beaches and warm climate,^[8] but in recent years, tourism has declined.^[9][10] Some notable places are the Golden Mile beachfront, Botanic Gardens, the Art Gallery and Natural Science Museum at City Hall, the Tudor-style Playhouse Theatre, uShaka Marine World, and the International Convention Centre. In addition to various architectural styles, ranging from Victorian to contemporary, Art Deco left its stamp on many of Durban's buildings.^[11] As of 2018, the metro contributed 59.9% and 9.6% to the provincial and national gross domestic product, respectively, and the main sectors were finance, community services, manufacturing, trade, transport, and tourism.^[12] Durban was one of the host cities of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, for which the Moses Mabhida Stadium was built,^[13] and is UNESCO's first City of Literature in Africa.^[14]

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