Saldanha Bay

Saldanha Bay is a natural harbour on the south-western coast of South Africa, north west of Cape Town. The town that developed around the bay, also called "Saldanha", was was incorporated with five other towns into the Saldanha Bay Local Municipality in 2000. The current population of the municipality is estimated at 72,000.

Saldanha Bay's location makes it a paradise for the watersport enthusiast, and its local economy being strongly dependent on fishing, mussels, seafood processing, the steel industry and the harbour. Furthermore its sheltered harbour plays an important part in the Sishen-Saldanha iron-ore project at which Saldanha Steel takes center stage. With strong historic military links Saldanha is also host to a Naval training base and the South African Military Academy. The SAS Saldanha Nature Reserve offers a display of wildflowers during late winter and spring while Southern Right Whales also visit the waters in and around the nature reserve. The area has a Mediterranean climate but the annual rainfall is quite low; it verges on the desert region of Namaqualand.

Saldanha Bay is named after Antonio de Saldanha, captain of a vessel in Albuquerque's fleet which visited South Africa in 1503. The name was first given to Table Bay, where Saldanha's ship cast anchor. On Table Bay being given its present name in 1601, the older appellation was transferred to the bay now called after Saldanha. In 1781 a British squadron under Commodore George Johnstone seized six Dutch East Indiamen, which, fearing an attack on Cape Town, had taken refuge in Saldanha Bay. This was the only achievement, so far as South Africa was concerned, of the expedition despatched to seize Cape Town during the war of 1781-1783.

See also

*Battle of Saldanha Bay (1796)
*Saldanha man

External links

* [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/SF/1/Saldanha.html FallingRain Map - elevation = 1m (Red dots are railways)]
* [http://academic.sun.ac.za/mil/mil_history/saldanha.htm A brief military history of the Saldanha Bay area] by Lt Col Ian van der Waag.