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Location |
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Port Nolloth is a town and domestic seaport in the Namaqualand region on the northwestern coast of South Africa, 89 miles northwest of Springbok. |
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History |
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The bay upon which the port sits was known by the indigenous Namaqua people as Aukwatowa ("Where the water took away the old man"). Its location was marked by Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias on his epic voyage around the Cape of Good Hope in 1487. It was the last landfall he sighted before a wild storm blew his ship off course and out to sea for thirteen days.
The land surrounding the bay remained virtually uninhabited until James Alexander's discovery in 1852 of copper at Okiep, a hundred miles inland from the bay. The Cape Colony administration immediately commenced a survey of the coastline to locate a suitable harbour from which to ship the copper ore. Aukwatowa bay was surveyed in 1854 and selected for a future port based largely on its sheltered aspect from offshore winds. After 1976 large-scale shipping at Port Nolloth was reduced to a single tanker, the Oranjemund, which visited the port fortnightly to exchange supplies for fish and diamonds. 61 metres long but with a draft of only 4.4 metres, the Oranjemund was well-suited or the navigational dififculties of the bay. However, the gradual reduction in diamond discoveries made the long voyage from Cape Town uneconomic, and the Oranjemund was withdrawn from service in 2006. Port activity now consists of minor fishing vessels and recreational boating. Silting of the harbour floor has further reduced the draft, and only the smallest vessels can access the quay.
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Climate |
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Port Nolloth receives about 50 mm of rain per year and because it receives most of its rainfall during winter it has a Mediterranean climate. It receives the lowest rainfall of 0mm in January and the highest of 10mm in May. The average midday temperatures for Port Nolloth range from 20°C in July to 27.1°C in January. The region is the coldest during July when the mercury drops to 8°C on average during the night. |
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