View over the town of Knysna with the famous, Knysna Heads, in the backround

Knysna (pronounced NIZE-nuh or NACE-nah, probably from a Hottentot word meaning "ferns")^[1] is a town in the Western Cape Province of South Africa and is part of the Garden Route. It lies 34 degrees south of the equator, and is 72 kilometres east from the town of George on the N2 highway. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2688x1806, 914 KB) Andres de Wet - taken by myself I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2688x1806, 914 KB) Andres de Wet - taken by myself I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Capital Cape Town Largest city Cape Town Premier Ebrahim Rasool Area - Total Ranked 4th 129,370 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 5th 4,524,335 35/km² Languages Afrikaans (55. ... The Garden Route is a popular and scenic stretch of the southern coast of South Africa. ... The Equator is an imaginary circle drawn around a planet (or other astronomical object) at a distance halfway between the poles. ... km redirects here. ... George is the administrative capital of the Western Cape Province, South Africa. ... N2 is the main coastal highway of South Africa linking the extreme east of KwaZulu-Natal Province to Western Cape. ...

The town is primarily built on the northern shore of a large warm-water estuary, fed by the Knysna River. The estuary opens to the ocean after passing between two large headlands. These are popularly known as the "Knysna Heads," and have become infamous due to the loss of boats and fishermen passing through their treacherous and unpredictable waters. Near them are geological formations, known locally as "The Map Stones." To the north of Knysna, Afro-Montane or temperate rainforest covers the hilly terrain for 20 km until changing to fynbos or macchia high up in the Outeniqua Mountains. Estuaries and coastal waters are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth, providing ecological, economic, cultural, and aesthetic benefits. ... A fisherman in central Chile A Long Island fisherman cleans his nets A fisherman (in recent years sometimes called a fisher to be non-gender specific), is a person who engages in the activity of fishing. ... Interstate road cut through limestone and shale strata in eastern Tennessee In geology and related fields, a stratum (plural: strata) is a layer of rock or soil with internally consistent characteristics that distinguishes it from contiguous layers. ... Fynbos (Afrikaans for fine bush) is the natural vegetation occurring in a small belt of South Africa, mainly in the South-western Cape. ... Maquis (French) or macchia (Italian; plural macchie) is a shrubland biota in Mediterranean countries, typically consisting of densely-growing evergreen shrubs such as sage, juniper and myrtle. ...

The early development of Knysna as a port was driven by the timber industry, where persons such as George Rex played a significant role. Being a difficult port to enter, a harbour pilot was employed to assist large vessels. One of the better-known pilots was John Benn, originally a shipwright from Mossel Bay, appointed as pilot in 1868 and whose name is borne by a luxury double-deck pleasure cruiser currently operating as a tourist attraction on the Knysna lagoon. The port was officially closed in 1954. left|Signal flag H(Hotel) - Pilot on Board Boarding is tricky, as both vessels are moving and cannot afford to slow down. ... Shipbuilding is the construction of ships. ... Mossel Bay, South Africa (spelt Mosselbaai in Afrikaans) lies along the Indian Ocean, east of the Cape of Good Hope and west of Humansdorp. ...

The town, and its surrounding areas, became the site of a massive search after young University of Cape Town student, Rosalind Ballingall, went missing on 12 August, 1969. It is believed she had lost her way in the deep, dense Knysna forests. Over the many following years, rumours surfaced about her background: her involvement with cults and hippies however most proved to be insubstantial. No clues to aid in her search or to uncover her whereabouts were discovered. She was never found and was officially declared dead in 1986. The University of Cape Town is a major tertiary education institution in Cape Town, South Africa, located on the Rhodes Estate on the slopes of Devils Peak. ... Hippies (singular hippie or sometimes hippy) were members of the 1960s counterculture movement who adopted a communal or nomadic lifestyle, renounced corporate nationalism and the Vietnam War, embraced aspects of Buddhism, Hinduism, and/or Native American religious culture, and were otherwise at odds with traditional middle class Western values. ...

The town is a popular destination for both tourists and senior citizens entering retirement, especially among the British and former expatriates due to the year-round warm climate. Recently the town has also become a preferred destination among golfers, as the town boasts many world class golf courses. Knysna too is a favourite haunt of artists, restaurateurs and hippies. Tourists at Oahu island, Hawaii Tourism is the act of travel for predominantly recreational or leisure purposes, and also refers to the provision of services in support of this act. ... A woman at over 90 years. ... Retirement is the status of a worker who has stopped working. ...

Knysna's other claims to fame are as the end point of the Outeniqua Choo Tjoe steam railway, and as home to the fabled Knysna forest elephant. The Outeniqua Choo Tjoe is the last remaining continually-operated passenger steam train in Africa, still running six days of the week. ... Binomial name Loxodonta cyclotis Matschie, 1900 Until recently, it was thought that the so-called Forest Elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) was simply a subspecies of the African Savannah Elephant (Loxodonta africana). ...

See also

• Knysna Municipality, Western Cape

Knysna Local Municipality is a municipality part of Eden District Municipality located in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. ...

External links

• Welcome to Knysna
• Knysna Travel Tourism Information
• Knysna Tourism Information
• Garden Route & Klein Karoo Tourism Information

Coordinates: 34°02′S 23°02′E Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...

References

1. ^ Volume 6 Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa (Nasionale Opvoedkundige Uitgewery 1972)