Situated in South Africa's eastern province of Kwazulu-Natal, Durban is the country's third largest city and its chief port on the Indian Ocean. The city was established on the site of Port Natal, a port charted by British traders in 1824. It was renamed Durban in 1835 after Sir Benjamin D'Urban, the governor of the British Cape Colony at the time. Until the late 19th century, the harbour was only accessible to small craft, but when a protective sea wall and pier were built to form a deep channel entrance, larger sea-going vessels could enter. Today, the city's harbour is sometimes called Port Natal. Most of the imports destined for the gold-producing and heavily industrialized region of the Witwatersrand pass through Durban harbour, as do exports of grain, coal, and sugar from the hinterland.