Port Nolloth

Province

Port Nolloth is a port town in the municipality Richtersveld, Namakwa District, Northern Cape Province in South Africa. In 2011 the town had 6,092 inhabitants.

History

Port Nolloths history began around 1854/55, as a commander Nolloth built a transshipment port for the removal of won at Springbok and Okiep in the hinterland copper ore in this bay. Initially, the already partially processed ores with bullock carts from the mines was transported to the port, from 1876 on a narrow gauge railway line. This railway line was built in 1928 and again in 1943 set as unprofitable.

Geography

In the north and south of the city, there are sandy stretches of coastline. The coming of the Antarctic Benguela ensures that the water temperatures rarely exceed 16 ° C. This hardly takes place evaporation. Although the city is located by the sea, but in a arid area with only 45 mm of precipitation per year. Just the regular fog, the night coming in from the sea, make February to July for regular moisture. About 80 kilometers to the north lie the mouth of the Orange River and with it the border with Namibia.

Economy

Allowed in Port Nolloth stationed diamond search boats - with a license from De Beers - scour the seabed for diamonds. These were transported across millions of years of former rivers from inland to the Atlantic. With large suction hoses the submarine sand deposits former riverbeds are aspirated and transported through giant water pumps on the boats. There they are screened and filtered.

Since the harbor of Port Nolloth is very shallow, only vessels with shallow draft could create. Today determine small fishing boats - mainly lobsters are caught - and Diamonds Search boats for.

Beach tourism there is not because of low water temperatures and the frequent Seenebels in Port Nolloth.