Built on a huge natural lagoon in Africa's biggest and busiest harbor, Durban has a year-round warm, subtropical climate, soft, sandy beaches and is South Africa's most popular domestic holiday resort.

The draw was kind to sun-seeking fans from Germany, Australia, Spain, Netherlands, Portugal and Brazil, who all have games in the east coast city at its spectacular 70,000-seat Moses Mabhida football stadium just outside the center.

Though hot and very humid in the summer, temperatures are around 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit) in the winter, when the World Cup is being held June 11-July 11, and rarely dip below 16 degrees C (62 degrees F) at night.

What began as a small trading post settled by the British in 1824, Durban spread along the coast and now has a population of 3.5 million. Most of those are Zulu, although 15 percent have origins in India, their families having crossed the Indian Ocean several generations ago.

Like Johannesburg and Cape Town, Durban has a crime problem but it is mainly concentrated in the townships, well away from the tourist areas.

“It's easy to police the city,” said Dr. Zweli Mikhize, premier of the province of KwaZulu-Natal. “The whole area is much more highly policed than before. I wouldn't worry about that, not at all. The football World Cup has done wonders for us. There's huge investments in infrastructure, facilities and prevention of crime.” A new international airport, the King Shaka, is being built to allow direct flights from abroad rather than via Johannesburg. Also known as La Mercy, after the name of the nearest town 35 kilometers (22 miles) north of the city, it should be completed by May, a month before the World Cup kicks off, and will replace the existing Durban Airport, which will be closed.

While the main tourist hotels overlook the beaches and the ocean, the cruise liners and yachts moor around the corner in the Bay of Natal. The city's business and entertainment centers are in between.

The main sports arenas, Kingsmead cricket ground, Kings Park rugby stadium and Moses Mabhida, are situated a short drive away.

The football stadium has a unique feature - a Y-shaped arch which visitors can climb either by going up the 560 steps or using the cable car. The top of the arch gives the best view possible of the city and the ocean.

The city has four Premier League clubs, Amazulu, Golden Arrows, Thanda Royal Zulu and Maritzburg United, and is the home of Super 14 rugby union team Sharks. The Sharks play at the Kings Park, which is next to the spectacular new football ground.

Durban has had a long football history and the biggest match it has hosted was when South Africa played a full strength England national team in 2002. Durban was also the venue for South Africa's first post-apartheid game when the national team played Cameroon, winning 1-0 at Kings Park.

The city also hosted group, quarterfinal and semifinal matches during the 1996 African Cup of Nations.

The new three-tiered stadium will be part of a Kings Park sporting precinct, which will also include athletics, rugby, golf and swimming.