Saldanha (), also known as Saldanha Bay, is a town of 21,636 people, located north of
Cape Town
Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...
on the northern shore of
Saldanha Bay
Saldanha Bay () is a natural harbour on the south-western coast of South Africa. The town that developed on the northern shore of the bay, also called Saldanha, Western Cape, Saldanha, was incorporated with five other towns into the Saldanha Bay ...
, in the
Western Cape
The Western Cape ( ; , ) is a provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the List of South African provinces by area, fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , an ...
province of
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
. Its situation as a natural sheltered harbour has led to development as a port for the export of
iron ore
Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...
from
Sishen in the
Northern Cape
The Northern Cape ( ; ; ) is the largest and most sparsely populated Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley, South Africa, Kimberley. It includes ...
, which is transported on the
Sishen–Saldanha railway line. The port is one of the largest exporting ports of ore in the whole of Africa, and it is able to handle ships as large as 200 000 tons deadweight.
History
'Agoada de Saldanha' was the early Portuguese name for
Table Bay
Table Bay (Afrikaans: ''Tafelbaai'') is a natural bay on the Atlantic Ocean overlooked by Cape Town and is at the northern end of the Cape Peninsula, which stretches south to the Cape of Good Hope. It was named because it is dominated by the fl ...
, but later given to the present location by
Joris van Spilbergen
Joris van Spilbergen (1 November 1568 in Antwerp – 13 January 1620 in Bergen op Zoom) was a Dutch naval officer.
His first major expedition was in 1596, when he sailed to Africa.
He then left for Asia on 5 May 1601, from Veere, a seapor ...
, meaning 'watering place of Saldanha'.
Bartolomeu Dias
Bartolomeu Dias ( – 29 May 1500) was a Portuguese mariner and explorer. In 1488, he became the first European navigator to round the Cape Agulhas, southern tip of Africa and to demonstrate that the most effective southward route for ships lies ...
was the first recorded European to set eyes on what is now Saldanha.
Saldanha Bay is ultimately named after
António de Saldanha
António de Saldanha was a Castilian- Portuguese 16th-century captain. He was the first European to set anchor in what is now called Table Bay, South Africa, and made the first recorded ascent of Table Mountain.Mary Gunn, L. e. Codd, L. E. W. C ...
, captain of a vessel in
Albuquerque's fleet which visited South Africa in 1503.
Port
The port has handling facilities for both bulk iron ore and crude oil.
Ore vessels up to 21.5 metre
draft
Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to:
Watercraft dimensions
* Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel
* Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail
* Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...
are handled, as well as
large crude oil carriers up to 20.5 metre draft.
Demographics (2011)
Census 2011 — Main Place "Saldanha"
* Area:
* Population: 28,142:
* Households: 7,654:
References
{{Authority control
Port cities and towns in South Africa
Populated places in the Saldanha Bay Local Municipality
West Coast of South Africa