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| Eastern Cape Province | |
| Capital | Bhisho |
|---|---|
| Residents | 6.436.761 (2001), 6.562.053 (2011), 6.996.976 (2016), 6.734.001 (2020) |
| surface | 168,966 km² |
| website | www.ecprov.gov.za |
| Tourist info web | www.ectourism.co.za |
no tourist info on Wikidata:  | |
| location | |
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The province Eastern Cape is on the east coast of South Africa, between the provinces Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. It is known for its wild nature and rugged landscapes.
Regions
- Sunshine Coast - coastal region between East London in the north and the metropolitan area Nelson Mandela Bay.
- Wild Coast - Original coastal landscape between East London in the south and the province KwaZulu-Natal in the North.
- Karoo Heartland - Part of the semi-desert Karoo, goes over to the provinces Western Cape and Northern Cape
- Kouga region - Surfer's paradise Jeffreys Bay and St Francis on the coast, Baviaanskloof and pure nature inland.
- Frontier Country - The region, once fiercely contested between the British, Boers and Xhosa, offers a mixture of historical forts, monuments and nature parks. Grahamstown is the cultural center of the region.
- Amathole Mountain Region - All around Bhisho, the capital of the region, is found by rugged mountains, flat grasslands and dense forests.
- Eastern Cape Midlands - Rural, partly mountainous hinterland in the north, which is connected to the Free State and Lesotho borders.
places
- 1 Port Elizabeth
- Largest and most important city in the province - 2 East London
- 3 Graaff-Reinet - fourth oldest city in the country with many beautiful old buildings
- 4 Bisho - Capital of the province
- 5 Grahamstown
- 6 Mthatha - Center of the former Transkei
- 7 Port St Johns
Other goals
- Jeffreys Bay - Surfer's paradise
- Port Alfred
- St Francis
- Cintsa
- Aliwal North - City on the Orange River, known for its thermal springs
- Hogsback - on the trail of J.J.R. Tolkien
National parks
- 1 Addo Elephant National Park. Famous for its elephants, the park is now also home to lions. Alternative to Kruger National Park for everyone who doesn't want to go further east.
- 2 Mountain Zebra National Park (Mountain Zebra National Park). Smaller than the Addo, but also quieter and quite cozy. Home of the extremely rare Mountain Zebra, of which there are still around 300 specimens.
- 3 Tsitsikamma National Park. One of the most famous parks in South Africa, near Plettenberg Bay. Unique coastal landscape, sometimes whales are spotted and you can hike beautifully. The multi-day hiking trail is recommended for particularly sporty people Otter Trail (Reservation necessary several months in advance).
- Cambdeboo National Park
background
The Eastern Cape province, which is also often in the German-speaking area Eastern Cape is called and officially on Xhosa Mpuma colonies is one of the poorest regions in the country. During apartheid a large part of the province was organized in the two homelands of Ciskei and Transkei. These were partially independent of South Africa and self-administered. The vast majority of the population is black and the infrastructure is relatively poor. Leading figures of the South African anti-apartheid movement come from the Eastern Cape, including Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki and Steve Biko.
language
Over 80% of the population speak Xhosa as their mother tongue. About 10% speak Afrikaans as the so-called "first language" and the rest mostly English. In addition, most whites and many blacks (especially young) speak English more or less well. In the large metropolitan areas, English is very easy to get along with, and easy communication in English should also be possible in rural areas.
getting there
By plane
The airport of Port Elizabeth is the fourth largest airport in the country and offers good connections to other cities in the country. The airport is a bit smaller East London.
By car
The main artery of transport in the Eastern Cape is the national road N2 from Cape Town coming through the province and continuing to Durban and Eswatini leads. It touches almost all the important cities in the province. Other trunk roads are the N6running from East London to Bloemfontein leads and the N10which runs inland from Port Elizabeth.
The roads are generally in good condition, but there is construction going on in some places, which can cause traffic jams of up to 30 minutes. It is also possible that you will be checked by the veterinary office at roadblocks, as there have been problems with swine fever lately.
mobility
Tourist Attractions
activities
kitchen
nightlife
security
climate
literature
Web links
- http://www.ecprov.gov.za (en) - Official website of the Eastern Cape
