Newcastle, South Africa

Newcastle is the third largest city in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, and the province's industrial centre, sitting at the foothills of the northern Drakensberg mountains at an elevation of about 1,194 meters. It was established in 1864 on the Ncandu River, the fourth settlement founded in Natal after Durban, Weenen and Pietermaritzburg, and takes its name from the fifth Duke of Newcastle, a British colonial secretary, rather than from the English city. The discovery of coal and the railway's arrival in 1890 brought a new era of prosperity and ambitious building projects; the city recorded a population of 507,710 in the 2022 census. Today Newcastle hosts four industrial areas including the ArcelorMittal steelworks, chemical manufacturing and extensive textile production, and serves as a commercial gateway to the Zulu Kingdom from the Free State and Mpumalanga.