Gqeberha

Gqeberha iBhayi Port Elizabeth
City
City Hall, Market Square
Gqeberha Show map of Eastern Cape Gqeberha Show map of South Africa Gqeberha Show map of Africa
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
Municipality	Nelson Mandela Bay
Established	1820; 204 years ago (1820)
Government
• Mayor	Gary 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
• Rank	54th in Africa 5th in South Africa
• Density	3,900/km2 (10,000/sq mi)
• Metro [2]	1,152,915
• Metro density	590/km2 (1,500/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [2]
• Black African	30.6%
• Coloured	27.0%
• Indian/Asian	3.2%
• White	37.8%
• Other	1.4%
First languages (2011) [2]
• Afrikaans	40.2%
• English	33.2%
• Xhosa	22.2%
• Other	4.3%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)	6001
PO box	6000
Area code	041

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]}

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