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Eastern Cape
Oos-Kaap
Mpuma-Koloni
Coat of Arms of the Eastern Cape
Location of the Eastern Cape
Capital Bhisho
Largest city Port Elizabeth
Premier Nosimo Balindlela
Area
- Total		 Ranked 2nd
169,580 km²
Population
 - Total (2007)
 - Density		 Ranked 3rd
6,906,200
38/km²
Languages Xhosa (83%)
Afrikaans (9. Bhisho, formerly known as Bisho, is the capital of the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. The following table presents a listing of Premiers of South African provinces. Nosimo Zisiwe Beauty Balindlela (born 28 November 1949) was the Premier of the Provincial Government of the Eastern Cape in South Africa from Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. This is a list of South African provinces by Area. To help compare Orders of magnitude of different geographical regions  Areas between 10000 km² and 100000 km² are listed here In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume This is a list of South African provinces by Population, based on data from the 2001 Census and mid-2007 estimates officially provided by Statistics South Africa has 11 Official languages South Africa also recognises eight non-official languages as " National languages quot Xhosa (ˈkǁʰoːsa ( isiXhosa) is one of the Official languages of South Africa. Afrikaans is an Indo-European language, derived from 17th century Dutch and classified as Low Franconian Germanic, mainly spoken in 6%)
English (3. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States 7%)
Ethnic composition Black (87. The term black people usually refers to a racial group of Humans with dark Skin color, but the term has also been used to categorise a number of diverse 6%)
Coloured (7. In the South African Namibian Zambian Botswanan and Zimbabwean context the term Coloured (also known as Bruinmense 4%)
White (4. White People is the second album by Handsome Boy Modeling School. 7%)
Asian (0. The majority of South Africa's Asian population is Indian in origin many of them descended from indentured workers brought to work on the sugar plantations of the eastern coastal area then known 3%)
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The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. South Africa is currently divided into nine provinces On the eve of the 1994 general election, South Africa's former homelands also known as Bantustans, were reintegrated The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa Its capital is Bhisho. Bhisho, formerly known as Bisho, is the capital of the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, as well as the eastern portion of the Cape Province. The Transkei —which means "the area beyond the Kei River"—is a region situated in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Ciskei was a Bantustan in the south east of South Africa. It consisted of two separate blocks of land covering 2970 square miles (7700 km³ almost entirely The Cape of Good Hope Province (commonly referred to simply as the Cape Province) was a province in the Union of South Africa and subsequently the Republic of Landing place and home of the 1820 settlers. It is partly the traditional home of the Xhosa, and the birthplace of many prominent South Africans, such as Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki, Steve Biko and Charles Coghlan. See also Xhosa language The Xhosa (ǁʰɔsɑ( people are speakers of Bantu languages living in south-east South Africa, and in the last two Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (xolíɬaɬa mandéːla born 18 July 1918 is a former President of South Africa, the first to be elected in fully representative Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki (born 18 June 1942 is a South African politician who served as President of South Africa from 1999 to 24 September 2008 Stephen Bantu Biko December 1946 &ndash 12 September 1977 was a noted anti-[[apartheid] activist in South Africa in the 1960s and early Sir Charles Patrick John Coghlan ( 24 June 1863 - 28 August 1927) was the first Premier of Southern Rhodesia and held office from

Contents

Law and Government

Main article: Politics of Eastern Cape

The current premier of Eastern Cape province is Nosimo Balindlela of the African National Congress. Like the other eight provinces in South Africa Eastern Cape is governed by a parliamentary system with the premier of the province selected from the leadership of the largest party or coalition Nosimo Zisiwe Beauty Balindlela (born 28 November 1949) was the Premier of the Provincial Government of the Eastern Cape in South Africa from The African National Congress (ANC has been South Africa 's governing party supported by its Tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions

Geography

See also List of cities and towns in the Eastern Cape

The Eastern Cape gets progressively wetter from west to east. This is a list of cities and towns in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The west is mostly semi-arid Karoo, except in the far south, which is temperate rainforest in the Tsitsikamma region. The Karoo (a Khoisan word of uncertain etymology) is a semi- Desert region of South Africa. The coast is generally rugged with interspersed beaches. Most of the province is hilly to very mountainous between Graaff-Reinet and Rhodes including the Sneeuberge (Afrikaans: Snow Mountains), Stormberge, Winterberge and Drakensberg (Afrikaans: Dragon Mountains). The Sneeuberge ( Afrikaans: Snow Mountains are located in the far western portions of the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The Drakensberg ( Afrikaans: "Dragon's Mountain" Mountains are the highest mountain range in Southern Africa, rising up to in height The highest point in the province is Ben Macdhui at 3001m. For other places with the same name see Ben Macdhui. Ben Macdhui (also spelled Ben Macdui) is the highest Mountain in The east from East London towards the Kwa-Zulu Natal border is lush grassland with intermittent forest. KwaZulu-Natal (kwɑːˌzuːluː nəˈtɑːl often referred to as " KZN " is a province of South Africa. This region, Transkei, is rolling hills punctuated by deep gorges. The Transkei —which means "the area beyond the Kei River"—is a region situated in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.

Eastern Cape has a shoreline in the south on the South Indian Ocean. The coast is defined as the part of the land adjoining or near the Ocean. The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's Oceanic divisions covering about 20% of the water on the Earth 's surface In the northeast, it borders the following districts of Lesotho:

Domestically, it borders the following provinces:

Climate

Climate is highly varied. |||}The Kingdom of Lesotho is divided into ten Districts each headed by a district administrator Lesotho (lɪˈsuːtuː) officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a Landlocked country and Enclave — entirely surrounded by the Republic of South Mohale's Hoek is a district of Lesotho. It has an area of 3530 km² and a population of approximately 310000 (2004 Quthing is a district of Lesotho. It has an area of 2916 km² and a population of approximately 200000 (2002 Qacha's Nek is a district of Lesotho. It has an area of 2349 km² and a population of approximately 110000 (2004 The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The Northern Cape is a large sparsely populated province of South Africa, created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up History See also Orange Free State Geography The Free State is situated on flat boundless plains in the heart of South Africa KwaZulu-Natal (kwɑːˌzuːluː nəˈtɑːl often referred to as " KZN " is a province of South Africa. The west is dry with scarse rain during winter of summer, with frosty winters and hot summers. The Tsitsikamma to Grahamstown receives more precipitation, which is also relatively evenly distributed and temperatures are mild. Further east, rainfall becomes more plentiful and humidity increases, becoming more subtropical along the coast with summer rainfall. The interior can become very cold in winter, with heavy snowfalls occurring at times in the mountainous regions between Molteno and Rhodes.

Tourism

Aloe Ferox on the R61 route between Cofimvaba and Ngcobo.
Aloe Ferox on the R61 route between Cofimvaba and Ngcobo.

The landscape is extremely diverse. The western interior is largely arid Karoo, while the east is well-watered and green. The Karoo (a Khoisan word of uncertain etymology) is a semi- Desert region of South Africa. The Eastern Cape offers a wide array of attractions, including 800 km of untouched and pristine coastline along with some particularly splendid beaches, and "big-five" viewing in a malaria-free environment. The phrase Big Five game was coined by Big-game hunters and refers to the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot Malaria is a vector -borne Infectious disease caused by Protozoan Parasites It is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions including

The Addo Elephant National Park, situated 73 km from Port Elizabeth, was proclaimed in 1931. Addo Elephant National Park is an Elephant park situated close to Port Elizabeth in South Africa and is recognized as one Its 743 km² offers sanctuary to 170 elephants, the last Cape buffalo and 21 black rhino of the very scarce Kenyan sub-species. The African Buffalo or Cape Buffalo ( Syncerus caffer) is a large African bovid. The Black Rhinoceros ( Diceros bicornis) also colloquially Black Rhino, is a species of Rhinoceros, native to the eastern and central areas of Africa The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the north Somalia to the northeast Tanzania to the south

The province is the location of South Africa's only ski resort, Tiffindell, which is situated near the hamlet of Rhodes in the Southern Drakensberg on the slopes of the highest mountain peak in the Eastern Cape (3001 m). Tiffindell, in Southern Drakensberg South Africa, was established in 1993 to give South Africans an opportunity to Ski near their homes and others to ski Rhodes is a hamlet or small village alongside the trout rich Bell River at the foot of Ben MacDhui (at 3001m the highest mountain in the Cape region in the Drakensberg mountains The Drakensberg ( Afrikaans: "Dragon's Mountain" Mountains are the highest mountain range in Southern Africa, rising up to in height

The National Arts Festival, held in Grahamstown is Africa's largest and most colourful cultural event, offering a choice of the very best of both indigenous and imported talent. Grahamstown is a city in the Eastern Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa and is the seat of the Makana municipality Every year for 11 days the town's population almost doubles, as over 50,000 people flock to the region for a feast of arts, crafts and sheer entertainment.

The Tsitsikamma National Park is an 80 km long coastal strip between Nature's Valley and the mouth of the Storms River. The Tsitsikamma National Park is a coastal reserve on the Garden Route in South Africa. In the park the visitor finds an almost untouched natural landscape. Near the park is the Bloukrans Bridge, which is the world's highest bungee jump.

Jeffreys Bay is an area with some of the country's wildest coastline, which is backed by some of Africa's most spectacular sub-tropical rainforest. Famous for its "supertubes", probably South Africa's longest and most consistently good wave, it's charged with a surf vibe as relaxed as it is friendly, and this tends to soften the effect of the wealthy set who have made this part of the coast their own.

Aliwal North, lying on a splendid agricultural plateau on the southern bank of the Orange River, is one of the country's most popular inland resorts and is famous for its hot springs. Aliwal North is a town in central South Africa on the Orange River, Eastern Cape Province The Orange River ( Afrikaans / Dutch: Oranjerivier) Gariep River, Groote River or Senqu River is the longest river in

The rugged and unspoilt Wild Coast is a place of spectacular scenery, and a graveyard for many vessels.

Economy

The Eastern Cape remains one of the poorest provinces in South Africa. This is largely due to the extreme poverty found in the former homelands, where subsistence agriculture predominates. The two major industrial centres, Port Elizabeth and East London have well-developed economies, based on the automotive industry. General Motors and Volkswagen both have major assembly lines in the Port Elizabeth area, while East London is dominated by the large DaimlerChrysler plant. General Motors Corporation ( GM) ( is a multinational automobile manufacturer founded in 1908 and headquartered in the United States. Daimler AG ( (formerly DaimlerChrysler AG) is a German car corporation (not to be confused with the British car-maker Daimler Motor Company) and The largest construction project in Africa is currently underway at Coega, about 20 km north of Port Elizabeth, where a new harbour is being built. The Coega Industrial Development Zone (IDZ covering 110 km² of land, situated in the Nelson Mandela Municipality, Eastern Cape province of South Africa near It is expected that this development will give the province a major economic boost.

Map showing predominant home languages in the province.
Map showing predominant home languages in the province. South Africa has 11 Official languages South Africa also recognises eight non-official languages as " National languages quot

Formation

The Eastern Cape as a South African Province came into being in 1994 and incorporated areas from the former homelands of the Transkei and Ciskei as well as what was then the Cape Province. The Transkei —which means "the area beyond the Kei River"—is a region situated in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Ciskei was a Bantustan in the south east of South Africa. It consisted of two separate blocks of land covering 2970 square miles (7700 km³ almost entirely This resulted in several anomalies including the fact that the Province has four superior courts (at Grahamstown, Port Elizabeth, Bhisho and Mthatha) and enclaves of Kwa-Zulu Natal in the province. The later anomaly has fallen away with the amendments to municipal and provincial boundaries.

Municipalities

The Eastern Cape Province is divided into 46 municipalities:

External links

Ukhahlamba is one of the 7 districts of Eastern Cape province of South Africa.
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