Gqeberha

"Port Elizabeth" redirects here. For other uses, see Port Elizabeth (disambiguation).

Gqeberha
  • iBhayi
  • Port Elizabeth
City
City Hall, Market Square
City Hall, Market Square
Gqeberha is located in Eastern Cape
Gqeberha
Gqeberha
Gqeberha is located in South Africa
Gqeberha
Gqeberha
Gqeberha is located in Africa
Gqeberha
Gqeberha
Coordinates: 33°57′29″S 25°36′00″E / 33.95806°S 25.60000°E / -33.95806; 25.60000
Country South Africa
Province Eastern Cape
MunicipalityNelson Mandela Bay
Established1820; 204 years ago (1820)
Government
 • MayorGary van Niekerk[1] (National Alliance)
Area
[2]
 • City
251.03 km2 (96.92 sq mi)
 • Metro
1,959 km2 (756 sq mi)
Population
 (2020)[2][dubious – discuss]
 • City
967,677
 • Rank54th in Africa
5th in South Africa
 • Density3,900/km2 (10,000/sq mi)
 • Metro
[2]
1,152,915
 • Metro density590/km2 (1,500/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
[2]
 • Black African30.6%
 • Coloured27.0%
 • Indian/Asian3.2%
 • White37.8%
 • Other1.4%
First languages (2011)
[2]
 • Afrikaans40.2%
 • English33.2%
 • Xhosa22.2%
 • Other4.3%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
6001
PO box
6000
Area code041
Gqeberha
ZuluiBhayi
XhosaiBhayi
AfrikaansPort Elizabeth
SesothoBaye

Gqeberha (English: /kɛˈbɛərxə/ keb-AIR-khə,[3] Xhosa: [ᶢǃʱɛ̀ɓéːxà]), formerly known as Port Elizabeth and colloquially referred to as P.E.,[a] is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa's second-smallest metropolitan municipality by area.[6] It is the sixth-most populous city in South Africa[7][8][9] and is the cultural, economic and financial hub of the Eastern Cape.[6][10][11]

Gqeberha was founded in 1820 as Port Elizabeth by Sir Rufane Donkin, who was the governor of the Cape at the time. He named it after his wife, Elizabeth, who had died in India. The Donkin Memorial in the CBD of the city bears testament to this. It was established by the government of the Cape Colony when 4,000 British colonists settled in Algoa Bay to strengthen the border region between the Cape Colony and the Xhosa. It is nicknamed "The Friendly City" or "The Windy City".[6][12][13] In 2019, the Eastern Cape Geographical Names Committee recommended that Port Elizabeth be renamed Gqeberha, after the Xhosa and Southern Khoe name for the Baakens River that flows through the city. The city's name change was officially gazetted on 23 February 2021.[14]

Located on the western portion of Algoa Bay along the southeastern coast of South Africa, the city lies 770 km east of Cape Town. It is east of the Garden Route and faces the Indian Ocean. It covers 251 square kilometers of the Nelson Mandela Bay metropolitan area, and is administered by South Africa's sixth-largest metropolitan municipality.[15] The city's warm oceanic climate ranks it among the top cities in the world for pleasant year-round weather.[16][17][18] The city is known for many blue-flag beaches along the city's urban coastline; its popularity as an international and local holiday destination; and its rich and diverse cultural heritage. It is a gateway city for the Eastern Cape's adventure, outdoor and African big five game safari tourism.[19][20][21][22][23]

  1. ^ Bezuidenhout, Candice. "We managed to get work done, says Nelson Mandela Bay mayor after first 33 days in office". News24. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e "wMain Place Port Elizabeth". Census 2011. Archived from the original on 11 April 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  3. ^ "Gqeberha". CollinsDictionary.com. HarperCollins. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  4. ^ "Ibhayi – definition of Ibhayi in A Dictionary of South African English – DSAE". dsae.co.za. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  5. ^ Pettman, Charles (1913). Africanderisms; a glossary of South African colloquial words and phrases and of place and other names. Longmans, Green and Co. p. 51.
  6. ^ a b c "Get to Know South Africa's Friendly City – Port Elizabeth, EC (GL)". www.southafrica.net. Archived from the original on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  7. ^ "Biggest Cities In South Africa". WorldAtlas. 26 March 2019. Archived from the original on 27 April 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  8. ^ "Biggest Cities South Africa". www.geonames.org. Archived from the original on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  9. ^ "Nelson Mandela Bay (Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa) – Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Archived from the original on 14 January 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  10. ^ Dall, Nick (24 January 2019). "Move Over, Cape Town. Port Elizabeth Is on the Rise". OZY. Archived from the original on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  11. ^ "About the Eastern Cape". www.ecdc.co.za. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  12. ^ "10 SA city nicknames, and why they're called that". Traveller. 22 June 2015. Archived from the original on 28 February 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  13. ^ "10 SA city nicknames, and why they're called that". News24. 4 June 2015. Archived from the original on 24 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  14. ^ "It is official, Port Elizabeth has a new name — Gqeberha". TimesLIVE. Archived from the original on 2 April 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  15. ^ "Monthly Bulletin of Statistics, August 2017". Monthly Bulletin of Statistics (Ser. Q). 22 September 2017. doi:10.18356/10124d34-en-fr. ISBN 9789210600170. ISSN 1564-3794.
  16. ^ Whitmore, Thomas. (1996). Pleasant weather ratings : enjoy travel more and save money by planning for the weather. Lexington, Mass.: Consumer Travel Publications. ISBN 0-9645785-7-3. OCLC 36269434.
  17. ^ "The 10 best weather places in the world| Antonio Garzón". www.antoniogarzon.com. 12 May 2014. Archived from the original on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  18. ^ "2014 scientific climate study" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  19. ^ "Port Elizabeth – your gateway to the Garden Route – Afroventures Tours & Safaris". www.afroventures.co.za. 7 June 2018. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  20. ^ "nelson mandela bay tourism Archives". Villa Tuscana by Mantis. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  21. ^ "Port Elizabeth Experience". East Cape Tours & Safaris. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  22. ^ Campbell, Paul. "The Eastern Cape | Big 5 Safari | Port Elizabeth | Addo | Shamwari". Travel Butlers Ltd. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  23. ^ "Experience the Big 5 and more in the Eastern Cape Game Reserves". Visit Eastern Cape. 18 November 2019. Archived from the original on 27 July 2021. Retrieved 14 February 2020.


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