Knysna

Province

Knysna [ nаɪznə ] is a town on the Garden Route in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The city belongs to the municipality of Knysna.

Geography

Knysna is situated on a 20 square kilometer lagoon by a narrow rocky entrance - is connected to the Indian Ocean - the Knysna Heads. In the hinterland of the city of the Outeniqua mountains ascend, thanks to a balanced climate and rainfall distributed throughout the year to show how the whole environment is permanently green vegetation. 2011 Knysna had 51 078 inhabitants.

The climate is mild all year round Knysna. Least rain there in winter. The annual average is 770 mm. The average temperature in January is 26 ° C; in winter (June to August) it drops to about 18 ° C. The Indian Ocean is so warm that you can swim in winter at Knysna.

Attractions

In the surroundings of Knysna lies the Knysna Forest. The forest has been exploited in the past by the forestry part. Today he is particularly protected as a natural heritage of South Africa and is sustainably managed only under very strict conditions. This original forest is the home of elephants of Knysna. These elephants back into the forests. Their exact number is not known. According to recent studies by Gareth Patterson five female elephant and a bull elephant could be detected in the forest area. In addition, there are elephants in the Knysna Elephant Park near the city.

In the local township of Knysna Rastafari community is the largest Rastafarian community in South Africa. The Rastafari live there welcome guests who come to visit as part of a township tour and introduce them to the ways of life of the community. Once a year there is a big festival takes place in August, come to the Rastafarians from far away.

A project of the Rastafarians is the so-called Eco - Trail. The non-local eucalyptus forests in the region are being cut down and replanted with native woods again. The Eco - Trail is a forest trail, which was created as a contribution to the community and as an ecological tourist attraction.

Traffic

Until 1954 there was one in Knysna harbor, which was mainly used for the removal of wood. A narrow-gauge railway line, the Knysna Forest Railway, linking this port 1907-1949 with the wooden mining areas and sawmills.

Since 1928, Knysna is connected to the network of the South African Railways, whereby the port lost its importance. Between the neighboring town of George and Knysna wrong to August 2006, a historic steam train, the Outeniqua Choo Tjoe. This train was the last one of the few scheduled trains running steam trains in the country and was popular because of the spectacular route along the coast near railway enthusiasts and tourists.

Knysna is located on the National Road N2 between George and Plettenberg Bay. To the north, a road leads over the Prince Alfred's Pass to Avontuur.

Events

Annual events include the " Oyster Festival " in July and the Knysnaer Marathon from " head to head " in November.

In the summer of 2010, the city became synonymous with the negative processes within the French team wins ( " fiasco of Knysna " ), which had taken up residence there during the World Cup finals.