Umkomaas

Province

Umkomaas is a coastal city in the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. 2011, it had 2,716 inhabitants. The town was founded after 1819 a harbor at the mouth of the navigable Mkomazi was built. About this harbor sugar was exported. As Durban's harbor was dredged and therefore exempt from the sand and the railroad acted as additional transportation option, the port was no longer needed - similar to the Port of Port Shepstone.

Its name from the city of the many whales that their boys brought in the shallow waters of the estuary to the world. The Zulubezeichnung for the River uMkhomazi ( "place of whale cows " ) comes from. The village was formerly called South Barrow and the suburb Ilfracombe North Barrow was called.

The city lies 48 kilometers south of the center of Durban at an elevation of 36 meters above sea level. It is accessible by train and via the N2 National Road and the old coastal road R102 ( Old Main Road).

Climate

The average rainfall in Umkomaas is 805 millimeters per year. Most precipitation falls in the summer (October to March). The lowest amount of rainfall there are 16 millimeters in June. Most precipitation falls in January (111 mm). The average high temperature in Umkomaas varies from 22 ° C in July to 27.1 ° C in February. The coldest month is July. Here are the minimum average night at 9.5 ° C.

Industry

In the late 1950s built Italian entrepreneur on the big Saiccor factory for industrial cellulose production. The plant is located near the city, but further inland, and is right on the river. As a result, the company was founded many Italians emigrated - mainly from the region of Udine - to South Africa. Umkomaas is one of the cities with the most Italians (relative to population ) in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Saiccor plant is controversial for some time. It was bought in the 1990s from the paper giant Sappi. Although the company continues to provide thousands of jobs and its workers provides a livelihood, concerns have been raised due to the occurrence of asthma and other health problems in the children of the nearby school.

In addition, large amounts of waste water into the sea and the late 1990s, large extensions of the drainage system have been made, although Saiccor claimed for a long time, the wastewater is mostly harmless. A well-known act of protest was carried out in the 1990s, when a man appeared uninvited to a corporate party and the leaders challenged to drink a glass of the wastewater.

Today is Saiccor the world's largest manufacturer of chemical cellulose and provides a little more than 1,000 direct jobs ready. The mass of wood fibers produced here is mostly processed into acetate and cellophane.

Other industries in the area are quarrying and furniture manufacturing. The infrastructure was built by and for Saiccor. There is also a railway line along the coast, which is operated by Transnet Freight Rail. Here occasionally drives the steam locomotive Banana Express.

In addition, there are large plantations of non-native pine here, mainly for Saiccor. In agriculture, sugar cane is grown mostly.

Mkomazi River

The Umkomaas or Mkomazi River is the largest river in the South Coast a defining feature of the landscape. Occasionally held on the river raft race, canoeing competitions and other sporting events. During the dry season in the winter, the river silted up, but after heavy rains large amount of brown deposits are again swept into the Indian Ocean.

Tourism and Diving

Other tourist attractions include among others the Umkomaas Golf Course, considered one of the best golf courses in KwaZulu- Natal and home golf course by Tim Clark, and the Empisini Nature Reserve with a waterfall and various hiking trails through the wooded area. In the near Umkomaas lies the settlement Clansthal where the environmentalist Tony Pooley lived in the 1980s and 90s. The Swedish tennis player Mats Wilander came regularly to the area.

The coral reef Aliwal Shoal, which lies five kilometers from the coast, very good opportunities for diving, is known for the Umkomaas. In the shallow waters around the reef you will find sand tiger sharks, cod and many other species. Diving tourism has grown substantially in the last ten years. There are also two shipwrecks that Nebo and the Produce that were there long before the current rise in popularity.

Schools and suburbs

In Umkomaas there including a primary school, which was founded in 1913.

At the suburbs of the city include Widenham, named because of the large overgrown by shrubs and sand dune Sand City ( German "Sand City " ), and the settlement plan Saiccor Village, which was built in the 1950s and 60s for the workers of Saiccor. Beaches there are in Widenham and on the north bank of the Mkomazi near Ilfracombe. There is also the starting point for many boat and diving trips to the Aliwal Shoal.

This area with Widenham, Saiccor Village and Ilfracombe has about 4500 inhabitants.

The neighboring towns include Roseneath, Clansthal, Magabeni, Craigieburn and Umgababa.

Fauna

The official symbol of animal is the whale Umkomaas. Pictures of whales are everywhere in the city, ranging from murals up to the uniform of the resident school. From June to October humpback whales can be spotted in the vicinity of the Aliwal Shoal. Sand tiger and bull sharks were sighted at the river mouth, in particular as a result of the cyclone Demoina in 1984 and the storms in September 1987.

In the area there are many snakes, most of which are harmless, for example, White-lipped Snakes ( Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia ) and the African House Snake ( Lamprophis fuliginosus ). There are fewer monkeys than in Scottburgh, but very many birds, such as sociable and friendly Hagedasche. Even small wild cats, such as broom and civet cats were sighted, but very rare. Crocodiles, there are eight kilometers south around Freeland Park and the lower Amahlongwa River, but not in Umkomaas itself in Empisini Nature Reserve live very many duiker and bushbuck also be seen there.

A large natural event that takes place almost every year, is called the Sardine Run, a sardine migration of the Wild Coast and other southern waters in the warmer areas of KwaZulu -Natal. Mostly this migration takes place in July. The sardines attract many seabirds, sharks and other predators to an extent that may otherwise be rarely observed. Jeff Corwin has made for Animal Planet shots of Sardine Run.

Others

Umkomaas is one of the coastal towns that were affected in March 2007 of severe storms and giant waves. Beach promenades and the building complex The Whaler were damaged.

During World War II a Kittyhawk crashed near Umkomaas. It is believed that the aircraft sank on the south bank of the Mkomazi between the city and the location of Saiccor in quicksand. In the 1980s, a group of Umkomaas tried to recover the wreck, but since the exact location is still unknown, all attempts were unsuccessful. Therefore, there is still much speculation about the exact position at which the aircraft is located.