Witsand
| Witsand | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Coordinates | 34 ° 23 '44 " S , 20 ° 50' 18" E | ||
| Basic data | |||
| Country | South Africa | ||
| District | Garden Route | ||
| ISO 3166-2 | ZA | ||
| local community | Hessequa | ||
| surface | 2.7 km² | ||
| Residents | 321 (2011) | ||
| density | 118.5 Ew. / km² | ||
Witsand , formerly Port Beaufort , is a small port in South Africa in the municipality of Hessequa , Garden Route District , Western Cape Province . It is located about 36 kilometers by road southeast of Albertinia and extends only on the north bank of the estuary from the Breede River on the Indian Ocean . In 2011 Witsand had 321 inhabitants in 175 households.
description
The historical name Port Beaufort is derived from Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort, the father of Charles Henry Somerset . Witsand has four hamlets: Breedezicht Estate , Oysterbeds , Port Beaufort and Witsand .
The place is located on the north bank of the Breede River and its estuary opening to the ocean. There is a large sandbank in the mouth area. The landscape surrounding the place forms part of the coastal plains of the Cape and is characterized by sand dunes . In these areas there is a specific vegetation of the coastal sand soils of the Duineveld . Individual areas show traces of the effects of brackish water . The Breede River also forms an administrative border between two district communities. The settlements of Kontiki and Infanta on the south side in the area of its confluence belong to the local community Swellendam and thus to the Overberg district .
To the west of the town and near the bank of the Breede River is a small, photovoltaic- powered seawater desalination plant that produces 100 cubic meters of drinking water per day using reverse osmosis and supplies around 3000 people in the area.
Attractions
In Witsand, tourist offers are an important source of income for the residents. The sea zone delimiting the place belongs to St. Sebastian Bay , a bay on the Indian Ocean. Whales can be seen in the sea off Witsand . Many of these animals calve here every year, which has given the place and the bay the name The Whale Nursery of South Africa (German: "The whale kindergarten of South Africa"). The diverse bird life offers ample opportunities for observation. In the village there is a church built in 1859, which is reminiscent of the Barry family, with whom the shipping and maritime trade of European settlers began at this point .
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The place can be reached by land via the approximately 35 kilometers long regional road R322, which branches off the national road N2 west of Heidelberg . From the direction of Swellendam , the regional road R324 with a length of 49 kilometers leads to Fort Beaufort / Witsand, which also branches off the N2 between Buffeljagsrivier and Bontbokskloof .
In Malgas , about 35 kilometers upstream, there is a hand-operated pontoon ferry that travelers can use to cross the Breede River.
Web links
- Hessequa Local Municipality: Witsand . on www. greatbrakriver.co.za (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c according to OSM.
- ↑ 2011 census . accessed on May 31, 2020.
- ^ Peter Edmund Raper : Dictionary of Southern African Place Names . Lowry Publishers, Johannesburg 1987 (2nd ed.), P. 268.
- ↑ Traugott Molter: Water balance and irrigation agriculture in the Cape . Franz Steiner Verlag , Wiesbaden 1966, p. 19.
- ↑ Hessequa Local Municipality: Witsand Solar Desalination Plant . at www.hessequa.gov.za (English).
- ↑ Osmosun: Witsand Solar Desalination South-Africa . at www.osmosunwater (English).
- ^ Hessequa Local Municipality: Witsand . on www. explorersgardenroute.co.za (English).