Eastern+Cape

The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. It was formed in 1994 from the Transkei and Ciskei parts of Xhosa territory and the eastern portion of the Cape Province. The capital is Bhisho, but the two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. The Xhosa people live mainly in the central and eastern portions of the province. Slightly over three-fourths of the population speaks Xhosa. Since the region was the homelands of the tribe, it is one of the poorest provinces because the people were poor due to agricultural failures.

The Eastern Cape is also the birthplace of many politicians including Nelson Mandela. Four supreme courts are located within the province. The first premier, or chief officer, of the province was Raymond Mhlaba of the ANC (African National Congress). Noxolo Kiviet is the current premier. Agriculture is an important industry in the Eastern Cape. Fruits, coffee, sheep, dairy products, tea, cattle, pineapple, maize, olive, squid, and timber are all grown or raised there. The ports are also important for importing and exporting goods. The cities Port Elizabeth and East London are very dependent upon the automotive industry, as well as finance, real estate, trade, eco-tourism, hotels, and restaurants.

The further east you travel within the province, the wetter the climate gets. Most of the area is hilly or mountainous with highly varied climate. The east has lush rolling hills with densely forested areas. Tropical rainforests are also located along the eastern border. The west is drier with a more extreme difference between winter and summer months. The coast is generally rocky and jagged with beaches sprinkled in at various points. Popular tourist activities include viewing South Africa’s “big five,” surfing, and skiing in the country’s only ski resort. The ski mountain is Ben Macdhui of the Drakensberg Mountains, the highest peak within the province. The National Arts Festival is Africa’s largest cultural event and it brings about 50,000 people to the province each year.