Bluff or The Bluff is a residential suburb of Durban

Durban

Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...

, eThekwini

Ethekwini

eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality is a metropolitan municipality created in 2000 that includes the city of Durban, South Africa and surrounding towns. eThekwini is one of the 11 districts of KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. The majority of its 3,090,126 people speak Zulu...

 metropolitan municipality

Metropolitan municipality (South Africa)

In South Africa, a metropolitan municipality or Category A municipality is a municipality which executes all the functions of local government for a city or conurbation...

, KwaZulu-Natal

KwaZulu-Natal

KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu....

 Province, South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

. One of five such suburbs in the South Durban Basin, the community is situated on a promontory that is one of the main enclosing elements of Durban Harbour from the Indian Ocean

Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...

, and it forms the southern quayside of the Port of Durban

Port of Durban

The Port of Durban in Durban, South Africa, is the largest container terminal in the Southern Hemisphere, according to the AAPA World Port Rankings 2009. In 2010, the port handled 2,511,368 TEU....

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History

The promonotory on which Bluff is situated is Durban's most prominent natural landmark. Accordingly, it probably served as an important visual reference for navigational approaches to Durban Harbour.

Since the mid-Nineteenth Century, the region has been purposed for navigational and military uses. This use has provided protection for much of the area's native vegetation. Today, the area is considered important in the ecological management of Durban and environs.

The traditional Zulu

Zulu language

Zulu is the language of the Zulu people with about 10 million speakers, the vast majority of whom live in South Africa. Zulu is the most widely spoken home language in South Africa as well as being understood by over 50% of the population...

name for Bluff is isibubulungu, meaning a long, round-shaped ridge. It also means "white man’s bluff", which may be a reference to habitation by shipwreck survivors.

The Bluff promonotory is a remnant of an extensive coastal dune system that formed along the shoreline of KwaZulu-Natal between two and five million years ago.

Features

Bluff is a popular holiday destination, with extensive accommodations and plentiful seaside recreation. The area is known for its abundant sea life, including dolphins, and in the winter months, whales.

There are two main beaches: Brighton Beach and Anstey's surf beach. There is golf course and a wetlands area with a large population of various bird species.

External links

• eThekwini Online Accessed March 9, 2010
• KwaZulu-Natal Tourism Authority Accessed March 9, 2010
• KwaZulu-Natal search engine Accessed March 9, 2010