The iSimangaliso Wetland Park is one of the jewels of South Africa 's coastline, with a unique mosaic of ecosystems - swamps, lakes, beaches, coral reefs, wetlands, woodlands, coastal forests and grasslands - supporting an astounding diversity of animal, bird and marine life.
Formerly known as the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park, the Park was renamed on 1 November 2007 to better reflect its unique African identity - and to avoid confusion with the Caribbean island country St Lucia .
Located on the north-eastern coast of KwaZulu-Natal , stretching from Kozi Bay in the north to Cape St Lucia in the south (280 kilometres of coastline), the iSimangaliso Wetland Park was the first site in South Africa to be inscribed on the World Heritage List by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) |
iSimangaliso is the only place on the globe where the world’s oldest land mammal, the rhinoceros (above left) and the world’s biggest terrestrial animal, the elephant (above right) share an ecosystem with the world’s oldest fish, the coelacanth (below left) and the world’s biggest marine animal, the right whale (below right). |
