South Africa will host the FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) World Cup from 11 June 2010 to 11 July 2010. One of the cities that will be hosting the games is Durban – at its Moses Mabhida Stadium. The stadium will host Nigeria vs. Korea (on 22 June), Germany vs. Australia (13 June), Netherlands vs. Japan (19 June), Portugal vs. Brazil (25 June), Spain vs. Switzerland (16 June), the “round of 16” match between the winner of Group E and the runner-up of Group H (28 June), and one semi-final (7 July).

When the Portuguese explorer, Vasco da Gama, first landed in present-day Durban on Christmas Day 1497, he thought it was a lagoon at the mouth of a river. He named the harbour Rio de Natal (Christmas River), though this was later changed to Port Natal. Little did he know that this little “lagoon” would grow many times over to become the busiest port in Africa and, with about 4 million inhabitants, the third-largest city in South Africa.

Probably the biggest tourist attraction in Durban is the “Golden Mile”. This is the strip of golden sands that is Durban’s beachfront, stretching from South Beach to the Suncoast Casino and Entertainment World. The Golden Mile affords you the opportunity to enjoy Durban’s refreshing sunshine and the warm soothing waters of the Indian Ocean. The beachfront also has a number of trendy restaurants, nightclubs and tourist hotels.

Located on the South Beach is the uShaka Marine World, another one of Durban’s crowd-pullers. This theme park houses the fifth-largest aquarium in the world and highest waterslide in Africa. The aquarium’s 32 tanks (17,500 cubic metres of water) are inhabited by all types of sea creatures: from small sea horses to sharks and dolphins. The aquarium is built to look like an old shipwreck.

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Another of Durban’s gems is the Umgeni River Bird Park, home to over 4,500 birds of 400 different species, including 17 endangered species. In addition to the birds, the park has wonderful flora and some amazing waterfalls.

You can take some time away from the beaches, the aquariums and the birds to visit the Gateway Theatre of Shopping – the largest shopping mall in the southern hemisphere. It has, among other things, 18 movie theatres, a playhouse, a skate park, a science theme park, a gym, the highest fountain in Africa and the highest indoor climbing rock in the world.

Durban is certainly South Africa’s Miami. A city bustling with activity 24/7, you will not be bored between breaks in the football matches.Short summary (not included in the word count) Durban – the third-largest city in South Africa – is one of the South African cities that will host the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It has the fifth-largest aquarium in the world, the highest waterslide in Africa, and the largest shopping mall in the southern hemisphere. This article describes several of the must-see tourist destinations in Durban and its environs. South Africa will host the World Cup – the world’s premier sporting event – from 11 June 2010 to 11 July 2010. This article serves as a guide to one of the must-see tourist destinations in the country: the Kruger National Park. Kruger is the largest game reserve in South Africa, with beautiful flora and fauna and several archaeological sites.

Regarded as one of the greatest sporting spectacles on earth the FIFA World Cup conjures up images of dazzling displays of human skill and stunning strikes at goal. Players such as Germany’s Jürgen Klinsmann, Argentina’s Maradona and Italy’s Paolo Rossi have all scored astounding goals at the tournament and their prowess at hitting the back-of-the-net has ensured them legendary status in World Cup footballing folklore.