Margate, KwaZulu-Natal

Margate

Margate's main beach
Margate

 Margate shown within KwaZulu-Natal

Coordinates: 30°51′00″S 30°22′00″E / 30.85000°S 30.36667°E / -30.85000; 30.36667Coordinates: 30°51′00″S 30°22′00″E / 30.85000°S 30.36667°E / -30.85000; 30.36667
Country South Africa
Province KwaZulu-Natal
District Ugu
Municipality Hibiscus Coast
Established 1908
Area[1]
 • Total 29.21 km2 (11.28 sq mi)
Population (2011)[1]
 • Total 26,785
 • Density 920/km2 (2,400/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)[1]
 • Black African 47.3%
 • Coloured 2.2%
 • Indian/Asian 3.1%
 • White 46.9%
 • Other 0.6%
First languages (2011)[1]
 • English 35.8%
 • Xhosa 22.5%
 • Afrikaans 19.8%
 • Zulu 18.4%
 • Other 3.5%
Postal code (street) 4275
PO box 4275
Area code 039

Margate is a seaside resort town on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, about 20 kilometres southwest of Port Shepstone. The river which flows into the sea at Margate is called "Nkhongweni" (place of entreaty) because the original inhabitants were reputed to be so mean that travellers had to beg for hospitality. In 1908, Henry Richardson, an English surveyor laid out the town and named it Margate after another seaside resort on the northern coast of the county of Kent, in the United Kingdom.

It features attractive Blue Flag Beaches for swimming, snorkelling, and surfing. Many apartment buildings offer accommodation for residents and visitors. Complemented by a cosy shopping street and many restaurants, pubs, and nightclubs, Margate is a spot where many South Africans and foreign visitors spend their vacation.

Margate is busiest during school and public holidays when inland residents travel to the coast. Christmas and Easter are especially busy times, with Margate's main street often clogged with heavy traffic during these times.

Margate hit the world headlines in 1922 (although this date is often disputed and stated as 1924) when an enormous, white, furry creature (dubbed "Trunko" due to it having an elephantine trunk) was washed up on the beach. Unfortunately the "Margate monster" was too decomposed to be identified accurately.

Buildings and infrastructure

Margate is served by Margate Airport.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Main Place Margate". Census 2011.

External links

Margate (KwaZulu-Natal) travel guide from Wikivoyage

See also

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, April 23, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.