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Eastern Cape is one
of nine provinces in South Africa. It was formed
after the first free elections in 1994 from the Transkei and Ciskei
Bantustans and the eastern
part of the former Cape Province. This is the land
of rolling hills, endless sweeps of rocky coves and
sandy beaches, towering mountain ranges and verdant
forests.
It is the
traditional home of the
amaXhosa, and the birthplace
of many prominent South Africans including Nelson
Mandela, Oliver Tambo and Thabo Mbeki.
The Eastern Cape is located on the south eastern
seaboard of South Africa and is the second largest
province. With an area of 170,600km² it represents
14% of South Africa's land mass.
The population of the Eastern Cape is nearly
seven million, representing 16.4% of the total South
African population. The language spoken by most is
isiXhosa,
followed by Afrikaans and English.
The capital, Bhisho, is 60km inland from
East
London. The ports of
East London and
Port Elizabeth
are centres of the two largest industrial regions of
the province.
The Eastern Cape climate varies from
mild temperate conditions (14-23°C) along
the coastal areas to slightly more extreme
conditions (5-35°C) among the inland areas,
with the inland mountain areas experiencing
winter (June to August) snows and summer
(December to February) rainfalls.
The Eastern Cape offers a
wide range of attractions, including 800km of
untouched coastline and major
National Parks.
The
Addo Elephant National Park,
70km
north of Port Elizabeth, offers fantastic "big-five" viewing in a malaria-free environment.
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The
Tsitsikamma National Park is an 80km
coastal strip between Nature's Valley and the mouth
of the Storms River.
The
Camdedo National Park includes the Valley of
Desolation with its fantastic examples of
dolerite pillars.
The 11-day
National Arts Festival in
Grahamstown in June/July is the largest
arts festival in Africa. Some of the leading
talent in South Africa and internationally
arrives here each year for a celebration of
culture and artistic expression.
 The coastline in mainly rugged interspersed
with pristine beaches. The western interior is mostly semi-arid
Karoo, with temperate
rainforest in the south-west
Tsitsikamma region.
The central and north-east parts of the
province are much greener, with hills or mountains. Sneeuberge, Stormberge, Winterberge
and Drakensberg are located between
Graaff-Reinet and Rhodes. The
highest point in the province is Ben Macdhui at
3001m.
The eastern parts of the province from East London up to the
KwaZulu-Natal border, is lush grassland,
deep gorges and forest. This is the former
Transkei.
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