Estcourt
| Estcourt | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Coordinates | 29 ° 0 ′ S , 29 ° 52 ′ E | ||
| Basic data | |||
| Country | South Africa | ||
| KwaZulu-Natal | |||
| District | Uthukela | ||
| ISO 3166-2 | ZA-KZN | ||
| local community | Inkosi Langalibalele | ||
| height | 1196 m | ||
| Residents | 22,071 (2011) | ||
| founding | 1847 | ||
 Estcourt train station
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Estcourt is a city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal . It is located in the Inkosi Langalibalele community in the Uthukela district . Estcourt had 22,071 inhabitants in 2011. The city was built as a fort to guard a ford over the Bushman River .
geography
Estcourt is located at the confluence of the Bushman and Little Bushman rivers . The main railway line from Durban to Johannesburg passes the city. The distance to Durban is approximately 160 kilometers. It is 25 kilometers north to the railroad crossing over the Tugela . The N3 runs past the city. The city is located at an altitude of 1,196 meters above sea level in the middle of the hilly landscape that characterizes the Midlands . The Drakensberg are about 40 kilometers west of Estcourt.
The average rainfall in Estcourt is 589 millimeters. Most of the precipitation falls in summer (November to March). The lowest amount of precipitation occurs in June with 1 millimeter. Most of the precipitation falls in January (107 millimeters). The average maximum temperature in Estcourt varies from 18.7 ° C in June to 26.4 ° C in January. The coldest month is June. Here the average minimum nighttime temperatures are 1.7 ° C.
history
The earliest known inhabitants of the Estcourt region were the San , a people of hunters and gatherers. They were driven out by Bantu peoples who were shepherds. The Zulu , a tribe that developed an identity as a separate people in the early 18th century, played an important role in this . The San withdrew into the foothills of the Drakensberg. In the early 19th century, the Zulu king Shaka built his empire ( Mfecane ). Therefore the land seemed almost uninhabited when the first white settlers arrived in the Estcourt region.
The Estcourt Fort was built to secure the ford and the transport of goods and cattle. It was first used in 1847. A trading post, a forge and an inn were built around the fort. In 1863 the place was named Estcourt, in honor of the British Member of Parliament Thomas Estcourt, who financially supported the immigration of settlers to the area.
Personalities
- John Caister Bennett (1914–1990), civil servant and amateur astronomer, born in Estcourt
- Darrel Charles Herbert Plowes (1925–2016), botanist, born in Estcourt
Web links
- Official website of the municipality with information about Estcourt
Individual evidence
- ↑ 2011 census , accessed November 16, 2013
- ↑ a b Estcourt - South Africa ( English ) Archived from the original on April 23, 2013. Retrieved on March 23, 2010.
- ↑ Estcourt, South Africa Page ( English ) Falling Rain Genomics, Inc. . Retrieved March 23, 2010.
- ↑ Estcourt climate ( English ) SA Explorer . Retrieved March 23, 2010.
- ↑ TV Bulpin: Natal and the Zulu Country , TV Bulpin Publications Ltd, Cape Town 1966th