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South Africa
Durban
THE CITY OF DURBAN
The Port of Durban lies in the South African province of Kwazoeloe-Natal and is the third largest city in South Africa. It is also the busiest port of the country.
In 1497 the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama landed in the area which is now Durban and called the place “Rio de Natal” (Christmas River). Later, the name was changed to Porto Natal (Christmas Harbour). The British arrived here in 1823 and turned Port Natal into a permanent settlement. In 1835 the name was changed again and became Durban, in honour of the then governor, Sir Benjamin D’Urban.
Cape Town
THE CITY OF CAPE TOWN
Cape Town or “Kaapstad” is the oldest city in South Africa. Its cultural heritage covers a period of more than 300 years. For thousands of years, Cape Town was inhabited by the Strandlooper , an ancestor of Kalahari Bushmen. In 1652, Jan van Riebeeck established a trading post there on behalf of the VOC (Dutch East Indies Company). The first European settlers were mainly Dutch and German, with some French Huguenots who had to flee from their home country. The first settlers soon explored the inland and founded the cities of Stellenbosch and Paarl in today's Cape Winelands. The Voortrekkers (Pioneers of European descent) started from here to explore and settle the rest of South Africa's inland.