Walvis Bay is a city in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies. The town has 85,000 inhabitants and owns 29 square kilometres (11 sq mi) of land. The bay has been a haven for sea vessels because of its natural deepwater harbour, protected by the Pelican Point sand spit. The town is situated just north of the Tropic of Capricorn in the Kuiseb River delta and lies at the end of the TransNamib Railway to Windhoek, and on the B2 road. Being the only natural harbour of any size along the country’s coast and rich in plankton and marine life, these waters also drew large numbers of whales, attracting whalers and fishing vessels. The Dutch referred to it as Walvisch Baye and the English as Whale Bay.