"Richard's Bay - South Af ..." a Richards Bay Travel Page by MikeAtSea

The town was named after a British Naval commander Rear Admiral Richards who landed troops on the beaches of Zululand during the Anglo Zulu War.
Richard’s Bay took a dramatic development since 1976 with massive industry and a large port being developed to serve the coal and mining industry of Northern KwaZulu Natal as well as further inland as far as Mpumalanga. The change from a small fishing village to a vibrant town right in the middle of Zululand is quiet remarkable. Today Richard’s Bay is home to the largest coal terminal on earth loading more then 65 million tons of coal every year. With more then 1700 ships handled in this port every year or a handling volume of more then 80 million tons, more then half of all sea borne cargo is handled by the port of Richard’s Bay.
Another important aspect of the industry is the aluminium as well as paper industry which employs thousands of people in the surrounding areas of the city.
Richard’s Bay is surrounded by the region of Zululand with a number of Zulu traditional villages that are located towards the interior of the province.
Just north of the city it is game territory. Hluhluwe / Umfolozi the oldest game reserve is just over an hours drive to the North, other of the spectacular game reserves include the St. Lucia Wetlands Reserve, Phinda Private Game Reserve, Mkuze and Cape Vidal.