Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal

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Richards Bay is South Africa's largest harbour (28°48′S 32°06′E). It is situated on a 30 square kilometre lagoon of the Mhlatuze River, (forceful), on the northern coast of KwaZulu-Natal.

It began as a makeshift harbour that was set up by Commodore of the Cape, Sir Frederick Richards during the Boer War of 1879. In 1935 the Richards Bay Game Sanctuary was created to protect the ecology around the lagoon and later by 1943 it expanded into the Richards Bay Park. The town was laid-out on the shores of the lagoon in 1954 and proclaimed a town in 1969. In 1976 Richards Bay harbour was converted into a deep water harbour with railway and an oil/gas pipeline linking the port to Johannesburg. Two aluminium smelters and a fertilizer plant have been erected at the harbour. Iron ore, rutile (titanium oxide) and zircon are mined from the sand dunes close to the lagoon by Richards Bay Minerals Richards Bay Minerals. Local exports include coal, aluminium, titanium and other heavy minerals, granite, ferrochrome, paper pulp, woodchips and phosphoric acid.

Climate Table

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Highest recorded temperature (°C)	41	39	39	37	35	35	31	37	40	42	43	42	43
Average daily maximum temperature (°C)	29	29	29	27	25	23	23	24	25	25	27	29	26
Average daily minimum temperature (°C)	21	21	20	18	15	12	12	14	16	17	19	20	17
Lowest recorded temperature (°C)	11	13	14	8	7	6	4	5	6	10	11	13	4
Average monthly precipitation (mm)	172	167	107	109	109	57	60	65	77	105	114	86	1228
Average number of rain days (>= 1 mm)	12	12	10	8	7	6	6	7	9	12	13	11	113
Source: South African Weather Service