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Conference Venues South Africa brings you information on iSimangaliso Wetland Park situated in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa including information on Facilities and Recreation, Climate, Founding, History Suburbs, Town Planning and Geography

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Information on iSimangaliso Wetland Park, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

conference centres iSimangaliso Wetland Park

About iSimangaliso Wetland Park, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

iSimangaliso Wetland Park is situated on the east coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa about 275 kilometres north of Durban. It is South Africa's third-largest protected area, spanning 280 km of coastline, from the Mozambican border in the north to Mapelane south of the St Lucia estuary, and made up of around 3,280 km² of pristine natural ecosystems, managed by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife.

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The park includes the:

    St Lucia Game Reserve,
    False Bay Park,
    Kosi Bay,
    Lake Etrza Nature Reserve,
    Lake Sibhayi,
    St Lucia Marine Reserve,
    St. Lucia Marine Sanctuary,
    Sodwana Bay National Park,
    Mapelane Nature Reserve,
    Maputaland Marine Reserve,
    Cape Vidal,
    Ozabeni,
    Mfabeni,
    Tewate Wilderness Area and
    Mkuze Game Reserve.

The park was previously known as the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park, but was renamed effective from 1 November 2007. The word 'isimangaliso' is Zulu for 'a marvel'.

 

History of iSimangaliso Wetland Park

In the northern part of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park you will find Kosi Bay. It has an interesting history and even today it is unique.

St. Lucia was first named in 1554 as "Rio de la Medaos do Oura" ("River of the Dows of Gold") by the survivors of the Portuguese ship Saint Benedict. At this stage, only the Tugela River mouth was known as St. Lucia. Later, in 1575, the Tugela River was named Tugela. On 13 December 1575, the day of the feast of Saint Lucy, Manuel Peresterello renamed the mouth area to Santa Lucia.

In 1822, St. Lucia was proclaimed by the British as a township.
In 1895, St. Lucia Game Reserve, 30 km north of the town was proclaimed.
In 1971, St. Lucia Lake and the turtle beaches and coral reefs of Maputaland have been listed by the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention).
In December 1999, the park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

iSimangaliso Wetland Park Facts

The iSimangaliso Wetlands Park was declared a world heritage site in 1999 at an unveiling ceremony where Nelson Mandela was guest of honor. The park was proclaimed a world heritage site because of the huge biodiversity occurring in a relatively small area. The reason for the huge diversity in fauna and flora is the great variety in different ecosystems on the park, ranging from coral reefs and sandy beaches to subtropical dune forests, savannas and wetlands. Animals occuring on the park include elephants, leopard, black and white rhino, buffalo, and in the ocean, whales, dolphins, and marine turtles including the leatherback and loggerhead turtle. The park is also home to 1,200 Nile Crocodiles and 800 Hippopotami.

There are large outcroppings of underwater reefs which are home to brightly coloured fish and corals. Some of the most spectacular coral diversity in the world is located in Sodwana Bay. The reefs are inhabited by colour-changing octopi and squid ready to ambush unsuspecting prey. Occasionally gigantic whale sharks can be seen gliding through the water; mouth agape to scoop up tiny plankton

Towns and Suburbs of the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa

Kwazulu-Natal
Amanzimtoti , Assagay, Ballito , Bayala, Beachfront, Bergville , Berea , Bishopstowe , Blythedale , Botha's Hill , Cowies Hill , Curry's Post , Dargle , Drakensberg, Durban City , Empangeni , Estcourt , Eston , Geluksburg , Gillits , Glenwood , Hillcrest , Hilton , Hluhluwe , Howick , Illovo , Inchanga , iSamangaliso Wetlands ,Isandlwana , Ixopo , Kloof , Kokstad , La Lucia , Lake Jozini , Lidgetton , Marina Beach , Melmoth , Mkuze , Mooi River , Morningside , Mount Edgecombe , Mtunzini , Musgrave , Newcastle , Nottingham Road , Oribi Gorge , Oslo Beach , Paulpietersburg , Pennington , Pietermaritzburg , Pinetown , Pongola , Pongolapoort , Port Edward , Port Shepstone , Richards Bay , Rosetta , Salt Rock , Scottburgh , Southbroom , Spioenkop . St Lucia , St Lucia Wetlands , Sydenham, Ulundi , Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg Park , Umhlanga Rocks , Umzumbe, Underberg , Vryheid , Wartburg , Westville , Winterton , Zimbali , Zinkwazi Beach

 

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