| iSimangaliso Wetland Park | |
|---|---|
 Greater St. Lucia Wetlands | |
 Location inSouth Africa | |
| Location | KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa |
| Nearest city | Durban, South Africa |
| Coordinates | 27°39′S32°34′E / 27.650°S 32.567°E /-27.650; 32.567 |
| Area | 3,280 km2 (1,270 sq mi) |
| Established | 1895 |
| Governing body | iSimangaliso Authority |
 Interactive map of ISimangaliso Wetland Park | |
| Criteria | Natural: (vii), (ix), (x) |
| Reference | 914 |
| Inscription | 1999 (23rdSession) |
| Area | 239,566 ha (924.97 sq mi) |
| Website | http://www.isimangaliso.com/ |
| Official name | St. Lucia System |
| Designated | 2 October 1986 |
| Reference no. | 345[1] |
iSimangaliso Wetland Park is situated on the east coast ofKwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, about 235 km (146 mi) north ofDurban by road. It is South Africa's third-largest protected area, spanning 280 km (170 mi) of coastline, from theMozambican border in the north to Mapelane south of theLake St. Luciaestuary, and made up of around 3,280 km2 (1,270 sq mi) of naturalecosystems, managed by the iSimangaliso Authority.
The park was previously known as theGreater St. Lucia Wetland Park, but was renamed on 1 November 2007. The wordisimangaliso means "a miracle" or "something wondrous" inZulu. The name came as a result ofShaka's subject having been sent to the land of theTsonga. When he came back he described the beauty that he saw as a miracle.
The park includes:
The park is part of atransfrontier marine park, thePonta do Ouro-Kosi Bay Transfrontier Conservation Area, straddling South Africa,Mozambique, andEswatini.[2] The marine conservation area is included in theGreater Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area.[3][4][5][6]
Until 1895, the bay had been a home of theTsonga people and their Tsonga fish kraal. This is the original and the natural home of theTsonga people who lived here for more than 1000 years.[7] Records from earlyPortuguese sailors correctly point out this area as well as areas further south to be occupied by the Tsonga people[citation needed]. The area was also known as Tembeland or Thongaland but the name fell into disuse around the early 1900s. The area was ruled by a Tsonga branch of the Vahlanganu (Tembe). The Swiss missionary, ReverendHenri-Alexandre Junod (known as HA Junod), conducted a scientific and ethnographic study of the Tsonga people during the early 1890s and produced a detailed map, showing the occupation of the bay by the Tsonga Tembe people.[8] Junod showed in his map that the area was known as Tembeland and that the Tembe capital city was located in the St Lucia bay, and that by 1906, the Tsonga people occupied the land from St Lucia toValdezia in the Spelenkon district of theTransvaal province, known today asLimpopo Province. St Lucia bay andMaputo Bay are one land and they belong to the Tsonga people, Tsonga villages were built from St Lucia bay untilMaputo and they were not separated by any natural division. Around St Lucia, the ruling chief was the Tembe Royal Family, while around Maputo, the ruling class was the Maputo royal family, who are all of the Vahlanganu branch of the Tsonga people. In and around Maputo and St Lucia bay (Tembeland), the language spoken isRonga, which according to the Swiss Missionary, Rev HA Junod, is not an independent language but a dialect ofXitsonga due to its similarity to it.[citation needed]
St. Lucia was first named in 1554Rio dos Medos do Ouro (alternativelyRio dos Médãos do Ouro —River of the Gold Dunes)[9][10] by the survivors of thePortuguese shipSaint Benedict. At this stage, only theTugela River mouth was known as St. Lucia. Later, in 1575, the Tugela River was named Tugela. On 13 December 1575, the day of the feast ofSaint Lucy, Manuel Peresterello renamed the mouth area to Santa Lucia.
In December 1999, the park was declared aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site at an unveiling ceremony, whereNelson Mandela was the guest of honour. In 2025, the area under the heritage designation was expanded to include theMaputo National Park in neighbouring Mozambique.[11]
The park was proclaimed a world heritage site because of the richbiodiversity, uniqueecosystems and natural beauty occurring in a relatively small area. The reason for the great diversity infauna andflora is the great variety of different ecosystems on the park, ranging fromcoral reefs and sandy beaches tosubtropicaldune forests,savannas, andwetlands. Animals occurring on the park includeelephant,leopard,black andsouthern white rhino,Cape buffalo, and in the ocean,whales,dolphins, andmarine turtles including theleatherback andloggerhead turtles.
The park is also home to 1,200crocodiles and 800hippopotami.
In December 2013, after 44 years of absence,African lions were reintroduced to iSimangaliso.[12]
There are large outcrops of underwater reefs which are home to brightly coloured fish and corals. Some of the most spectacular coral diversity in the world is located inSodwana Bay, andoctopus andsquid species are common.Whale sharks are occasionally seen.[citation needed]
Twenty-four species ofbivalve molluscs are recorded in St. Lucia Lake, which constitutes a considerable portion of the park.[13]
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For official site names, see each article or theList of World Heritage Sites in South Africa. | ||
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