The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa, with Bisho as its capital. The Eastern Cape Province was formed in 1994, when the bantustans of Transkei and Ciskei were merged with the eastern portion of the old Cape Province. A small exclave of the Eastern Cape Province, with Umzimkulu as its main town, is completely surrounded by the neighbouring province of KwaZulu-Natal.
The Eastern Cape is the traditional home of the Xhosa nation, it is therefore not surprising that the people of the Eastern Cape speak Xhosa (83%), Afrikaans (9.6%), and English (3.7%). The Eastern Cape also the birthplace of many prominent South Africans, including presidents Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki.
The Eastern Cape covers an area of 169,580 kmē, around 14% of the whole of South Africa, and has a population of 6 436 761, around 14% of the total population, according to the 2001 census.
Aliwal North, East London, Port Elizabeth, Umtata and Grahamstown are some of the other important towns in this South African province.
Eastern Cape Economy
The Eastern cape produces 8.4% of South Africa's total gross domestic product, but remains one of the poorest provinces in South Africa, due to the extreme poverty found in the former bantustans, where subsistence agriculture predominates.
The two major industrial centres, Port Elizabeth and East London have well-developed economies, based on the automotive industry. East London is home to the large Daimler-Chrysler plant, while General Motors and Volkswagen have major assembly lines in the Port Elizabeth area. Coega a new harbour just about 20 km north of Port Elizabeth, is currently the largest construction project in Africa. It is expected that this development will give the province a major economic boost.
Many residents of the Eastern Cape have embraced Tourism as a means to sustainably exploit the natural beauty and pleasant climate of the Eastern Cape region for their livelihoods.
Geography And Climate
The Eastern Cape landscape is extremely diverse. The western interior is largely arid Karoo, while the east is well-watered and green. The area includes flat scrubland, rolling grassland, mountainous areas, and coastal forests.
Eastern Cape Tourism
The Eastern Cape offers a wide variety of attractions, including 800 km of untouched and pristine coastline along with some of the world's best beaches, and "big-five" game viewing in a malaria-free environment.
The Addo Elephant National Park, situated only 73 km from Port Elizabeth, was proclaimed in 1931. It covers an area of 743 kmē and offers sanctuary to elephants, black rhino and the last of the Cape buffalo.
The Tsitsikamma National Park includes an 80 km long strip of beautiful coastal vegitation and untouched beaches between Nature's Valley and the Storms River mouth. The Tsitsikamma National Park offers the visitor a nearly untouched natural landscape. For those tourists with a taste for the extreme, the nearby Bloukrans Bridge offers an adrenaline rush in the form of the world's highest bungee jump. The jump gives you an unusual perspective of the plunging ravine and dark forest stream the Bloukrans Bridge negates.
The Jeffreys Bay area includes some of South Africa's wildest coastline, as well as some awe-inspiring sub-tropical rainforest. Jeffreys Bay is famous for its "super-tubes", some of the longest and most consistent surfing waves in South Africa. Jeffreys Bay and its inhabitants exude a relaxed, friendly and welcoming atmosphere.
The rugged Wild Coast is a spectacularly scenic place, and many shipwrecks provide divers and hikers that extra bit of interest and intrigue.
Grahamstown has become famous for the annual National Arts Festival, reportedly Africa's largest and most colourful cultural event. Every year, over 50 000 people flock to the Eastern Cape to be entertained at the National Arts Festival, which lasts 11 days and offers attendees a choice of the very best of both indigenous and imported talent.
Tiffindell, South Africa's only ski resort, is located in the Southern Drakensberg, on the slopes of the highest mountain peak in the Eastern Cape, in the northwest corner of the Eastern Cape.
Aliwal North, on the southern bank of the Orange River, is one of the country's most popular inland resorts and is famous for its hot springs. The Aliwal North area is a splendid agricultural plateau.
Eastern Cape Municipalities
The Eastern Cape Province is divided into 46 municipalities:
- Aberdeen Plain Municipality
- Alfred Nzo Municipality
- Amahlathi Municipality
- Amatole Municipality
- Baviaans Municipality
- Blue Crane Route Municipality
- Buffalo City Municipality (East London, Mdantsane and King William's Town)
- Cacadu Municipality
- Camdeboo Municipality
- Chris Hani Municipality
- Elundini Municipality
- Emalahleni Municipality
- Engcobo Municipality
- Gariep Municipality
- Great Kei Municipality
- Ikwezi Municipality
- Inkwanca Municipality
- Intsika Yethu Municipality
- Inxuba Yethemba Municipality
- King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality
- Kouga Municipality
- Kou-Kamma Municipality
- Lukanji Municipality
- Makana Municipality
- Maletswai Municipality
- Mbhashe Municipality
- Mbizana Municipality
- Mhlontlo Municipality
- Mnquma Municipality
- Ndlambe Municipality
- Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality (Port Elizabeth, Uitenhage & Despatch)
- Ngqushwa Municipality
- Nkonkobe Municipality
- Ntabankulu Municipality
- Nxuba Municipality
- Nyandeni Municipality
- O.R. Tambo Municipality
- Port St. Johns Municipality
- Quakeni Municipality
- Sakhisizwe Municipality
- Senqu Municipality
- Sunday's River Valley Municipality
- Tsolwana Municipality
- Ukhahlamba Municipality
- Umzimkhulu Municipality
- Umzimvubu Municipality
