Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape
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| Port Elizabeth Ibhayi Xhosa |
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| Nickname: "The Friendly City" | |
| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Eastern Cape |
| Municipality | Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality |
| Founded | 1820 |
| Government | |
| - Executive Mayor | Nondumiso Maphazi |
| - Municipal Manager | Graham Richards |
| Population (2001) | |
| - City | 1,005,776 |
| Time zone | SAST (UTC+2) |
| Area code(s) | 041 |
| Website: http://www.mandelametro.gov.za/ | |
Port Elizabeth (English: Port Elizabeth; Xhosa: Ibhayi) is a city in South Africa, situated in the Eastern Cape Province, at . The city, often shortened to "PE", and nicknamed "The Friendly City" or "The Windy City", is located on Algoa Bay, and is one of the major seaports in South Africa.
Port Elizabeth was founded as a town in 1820 to house British settlers as a way of strengthening the border region between the Cape Colony and the warlike Xhosa tribe. It now has a population of 1 million and forms part of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality. The city is in a friendship partnership with the Swedish City of Gothenburg and is a sister city to the American cities of Jacksonville, Florida and Palm Desert, California.
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[edit] History
The area around what is now called Algoa Bay was first settled by indigenous tribes countless centuries ago. It is said that the San and Khoisan people were amongst the first inhabitants, and the Xhosa tribe came later. However, little is known as no written records are believed to exist from this time.
The first Europeans to have visited the area were Bartolomeu Dias, who landed on St Croix Island in Algoa Bay in 1488[1], and Vasco da Gama who noted the nearby Bird Island in 1497. For centuries, the area was simply marked on navigation charts as "a landing place with fresh water". [2]
The area was part of the Cape Colony, which had a turbulent history between its founding by the Dutch East India Company in 1652 and the formation of the Union of South Africa in 1910.
In 1799, during the first British occupation of the Colony during the Napoleonic Wars, a stone Fort was built, named Fort Frederick. This fort, built to protect against a possible landing of French Troops, overlooked the site of what later became Port Elizabeth and is now a monument.[2]
In 1820 a party of 4000 British settlers arrived by sea. At this time the seaport town was founded by Sir Rufane Donkin, the Acting Governor of the Cape Colony, who named it after his late wife, Elizabeth. The town expanded, building a diverse community comprising European, Cape Malay and other immigrants, and particularly rapidly so after 1873 when the railway to Kimberley was built [3]. The British built a concentration camp here during the Second Boer War to house Boer women and children.
The effects of the apartheid regime were not lost on Port Elizabeth. Forced relocation of the non-white population under the Group Areas Act began in 1962, causing various townships to be built. The whole of the South End district, being a prime real estate location, was forcibly depopulated and flattened in 1965; relocations continued until 1975.[2]
Since the free elections of 1994, Port Elizabeth has faced the same problems as the rest of South Africa, including HIV/AIDS and a surge in violent, often drug-related, crime. However, thanks to the booming tourism and real estate industries, development continues apace both in the city and nearby, for example in the new Industrial Development Zone at Coega.
In 2001, the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality (NMMM) was formed as an administrative area covering Port Elizabeth, the neighbouring towns of Uitenhage and Despatch and the surrounding agricultural areas. This metropolitan area - also known as the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality - has a population of 1.5 million.
[edit] Trade and Industry
Home of South Africa's motor vehicle industry, Port Elizabeth and Uitenhage host General Motors, Volkswagen, Ford, Continental Tyres and many more automotive companies. Most other industries in the NMMM are geared towards the motor vehicle industry, providing parts such as wiring harnesses, catalytic converters and tires to the vehicle manufacturers. Port Elizabeth is also the closest city to the new Coega Industrial Development Zone.
[edit] Transport
Port Elizabeth Airport (IATA airport code PLZ, ICAO airport code FAPE) serves the city, but is not an international airport. International visitors to the city, one of South Africa's major tourist venues, must fly to either Johannesburg or Cape Town and then take a domestic flight to PE. In preparation for the World cup 2010 the runway is being extended with a view to accommodating international flights.
Progress Aerodrome, a smaller facility, is mostly used by civilians and student pilots as a training and recreational facility.
Construction of a second seaport is underway. The newer international harbour, Coega, will support an increase in the size of the city's industries and the addition of new industries.
PE lies on the N2 road which runs from Cape Town to Durban roughly following the coast. It also lies on the country’s railway network.
[edit] Geography and climate
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highest recorded temperature (°C) | 39 | 38 | 41 | 39 | 35 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 39 | 39 | 36 | 36 | 41 | |
| Average daily maximum temperature (°C) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 22 | |
| Average daily minimum temperature (°C) | 18 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 14 | |
| Lowest recorded temperature (°C) | 10 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 2 | -1 | -1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 9 | -1 | |
| Average monthly precipitation (mm) | 36 | 40 | 54 | 58 | 59 | 62 | 47 | 64 | 62 | 59 | 49 | 34 | 624 | |
| Average number of rain days (>= 1 mm) | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 112 | |
| Source: South African Weather Service | ||||||||||||||
[edit] Sport
The city has a wealth of fine sporting facilities, catering for association football (soccer), rugby union, cricket, hockey and many other sports. Its coastal location also makes it a base for many watersports.
PE is the location of the St George’s Park cricket ground, which holds test cricket matches. Its official name is now Sahara Oval St George's.
The controversial Southern Spears rugby franchise is headquartered in Port Elizabeth.
[edit] World Cup 2010
Port Elizabeth has planned the 50,000-seat Port Elizabeth Stadium for the 2010 FIFA World Cup which will be hosted in South Africa. The local training venues are to be:
- Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University stadium (formerly University of Port Elizabeth)
- EPRFU Stadium
- Adcock Stadium
- Dan Qeqe Stadium
- Zwide Stadium
- Wolfson Stadium
[edit] Attractions and Tourism
The Donkin Reserve was created in honour of Sir Rufane Donkin's wife, Elizabeth, after whom the city is named. It is a park on a hill overlooking the central district of the city and the waterfront and contains a lighthouse and a small stone pyramid. The latter bears a touching inscription which reads "To the memory of one of the most perfect of human beings who has given her name to the Town below.". The Lighthouse was built in 1861 and is now used as the city’s tourist information office.
Fort Frederick was built from stone in 1799 by British troops to protect against a possible landing of French Troops. The fort is named after Frederick, the Duke of York. It was originally armed with two eight pound guns and has a guardhouse and powder magazine.
The Horse Memorial was erected to honour the many horses and mules which died during the Second Boer War between 1899 and 1902.
Many of these wonderful attractions can be seen whilst taking a 5 km stroll along the Donkin Heritage Trail which makes its way through the city centre.
The city also boasts many more modern attractions, as well as markets selling items from tourist souvenirs to food and local craftwork.
The city is due to undergo a facelift, with the current harbour, surrounding waterfront and historic city centre being upgraded before the 2010 Football World Cup in a way expected to make them a rival for the popular Cape Town waterfront. The city is one of the venues for World Cup games, and many more visitors are expected to come to the city. To this end, there are calls for Port Elizabeth Airport to be upgraded to an international airport, to ease the journey time and effort both for World Cup teams and spectators, and also more generally for tourists.
A comprehensive guide to the sites and attractions throughout the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality and a database of accommodation in Port Elizabeth are maintained by the Nelson Mandela Bay official tourism website [1].
[edit] Government
Port Elizabeth forms part of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality. Port Elizabeth is a seat of the High Court of South Africa, as well as a Magistrates Office. As a result of the presence of a High Court, several other related organs of state such as a Masters Office and a Director of Public Prosecutions are present in the city. A few other Government (mostly provincial) departments maintain branches or other offices in Port Elizabeth.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census of 2001, there are 1,005,776 people and 260,798 households residing in Port Elizabeth. The racial makeup of the city is Black African 58.90%, Coloured 23.48%, Indian/Asian 1.12%, and White 16.51%.
15.3% of all households are made up of individuals. The average household size is 3.86.
In the city the population is spread out with 26.2% under the age of 15, 20.2% from 15 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 16.5% from 45 to 64, and 5.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 26 years. For every 100 females there are 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 87.3 males.
In the city 29.7% of residents speak Afrikaans at home, 12.1% speak English, 0.1% speak Ndebele, 57.3% speak Xhosa, 0.1% speak Zulu, 0.1% speak Northern Sotho, 0.3% speak Sotho, 0.0% speak Tswana, 0.0% speak Swati, 0.0% speak Venda, and 0.0% speak Tsonga. 0.2% of the population speaks a non-official language at home.
89.4% of residents are Christian, 6.1% have no religion, 1.5% are Muslim, 0.4% are Jewish, and 0.3% are Hindu. 2.3% have other or undetermined beliefs.
6.7% of residents aged 20 and over have received no schooling, 13.0% have had some primary school, 7.5% have completed only primary school, 39.6% have had some high school education, 24.4% have finished only high school, and 8.7% have an education higher than the high school level. Overall, 33.1% of residents have completed high school.
52.0% of housing units have a telephone and/or cell-phone in the dwelling, 44.9% have access to a phone nearby, and 3.2% have access that is not nearby or no access. 79.5% of households have a flush or chemical toilet. 86.1% have refuse removed by the municipality at least once a week and 3.1% have no rubbish disposal. 46.7% have running water inside their dwelling, 79.7% have running water on their property, and 98.7% have access to running water. 65.0% of households use electricity for cooking, 59.5% for heating, and 75.0% for lighting. 73.1% of households have a radio, 67.8% have a television, 11.8% own a computer, 61.8% have a refrigerator, and 31.7% have a cell-phone.
28.2% of the population aged 15–65 is unemployed. Of the unemployed persons, 78.5% are Black African, 18.7% are Coloured, 0.4% are Indian/Asian, and 2.4% are White. 37.2% of Black Africans are unemployed, 23.5% of Coloureds, 9.8% of Indians/Asians, and 4.0% of Whites.
The median annual income of working adults aged 15–65 is R 21 837 ($3,282). Males have a median annual income of R 25 056 ($3,766) versus R 18 241 ($2,743) for females. The median annual income by race is R 12 808 ($1,925) for Black Africans, R 20 182 ($3,033) for Coloureds, R 44 065 ($6,623) for Indians/Asians, and R 56 909 ($8,554) for Whites. The annual income distribution in Port Elizabeth is:
- No income 2.2%
- R 12 – R 4,800 ($2 - $721) 8.3%
- R 4,812 – R 9,600 ($723 - $1,443) 13.8%
- R 9,612 – R 19,200 ($1,445 – $2,886) 22.8%
- R 19,212 – R 38,400 ($2,888 - $5,772) 21.2%
- R 38,412 – R 76,800 ($5,774 - $11,543) 17.7%
- R 76,812 – R 153,600 ($11,545 - $23,087) 9.5%
- R 153,612 – R 307,200 ($23,089 - $46,174) 3.1%
- R 307,212 – R 614,400 ($46,176 - $92,348) 0.8%
- R 614,412 or more ($92,350+) 0.6%
Source: Statistics South Africa Census 2001
[edit] Notes
- ^ 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica article. Love To Know.
- ^ a b c Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism - Historical information. Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism.
- ^ Info Please article. Info Please.
[edit] External links
- Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality
- Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality (Port Elizabeth) on South African Cities Network
- Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism - Accommodation and Attractions list from the official local tourism body
- Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
- Port Elizabeth on MeetSOUTHAFRICA.COM - Photos of Port Elizabeth and tourism information
- MyPE - Web-based community for the Port Elizabeth area
- Port Elizabeth article in the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Sunday Times article on creation of Nelson Mandela Metropole
- Scuba Diving in Port Elizabeth - information and photos on DivingObsession.com
- portelizabeth.co.za - News, views, photo galleries and street finder for Port Elizabeth
- Nelson Mandela Bay - Logistical help for people who wish to move back to Port Elizabeth. Port Elizabeth News Blog, PE Events Calendar, Real Estate, Property Listings, Schools in Port Elizabeth, Golf Courses and more…
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- Mapping from Multimap or GlobalGuide or Google Maps
- Aerial image from TerraServer
- Satellite image from WikiMapia
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