Port Elizabeth at a glance
Port Elizabeth, officially renamed Gqeberha (Xhosa) and colloquially often referred to as PE, is a major seaport city and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality,
South Africa's second-largest metropolitan district by area size It is the sixth-most-populous city in South Africa and is the cultural, economic and financial centre of the Eastern Cape
The city was founded as "Port Elizabeth" in 1820 by the government of the Cape Colony when 4,000 British colonists settled Algoa Bay to strengthen the border region between the Cape Colony and the Xhosa. It is nicknamed "The Friendly City" or "The Windy City".[11] In 2019, the Eastern Cape Geographical Names Committee recommended that Port Elizabeth be renamed Gqeberha, after the Xhosa and Southern Khoe name for the Baakens River that flows through the city. The city's name change was officially gazetted on 23 February 2021.
Located on the western portion of Algoa Bay along the southeastern coast of South Africa, the city lies 770 km east of Cape Town. It is east of the Garden Route and faces the Indian Ocean. It covers 251 square kilometers of the Nelson Mandela Bay metropolitan area, South Africa's sixth-largest metropolitan municipality.The city's warm oceanic climate ranks it among the top cities in the world for pleasant year-round weather.The city is known for many blue-flag beaches along the city's urban coastline; its popularity as an international and local holiday destination; and its rich and diverse cultural heritage. It is a gateway city for the Eastern Cape's adventure, outdoor and African big five game safari tourism.
In 1820, the rising seaport of Algoa Bay was named "Port Elizabeth" in memory of Elizabeth Frances née Markham, the late wife of Rufane Shaw Donkin, acting Governor of the Cape Colony. Colonists also called the settlement "The Bay". The settlement is also known as "iBhayi" or "eBhayi", a Xhosa adaptation of the Afrikaans name "die Baai" meaning "the bay", by Xhosa speakers.
In 2019, the Eastern Cape Geographical Names Committee (ECGNC) announced that the city of Port Elizabeth would likely have its name changed to Gqeberha, a Xhosa word used to refer to the Baakens River, which flows through the city. On 23 February 2021, the city was officially renamed Gqeberha.
Hunters and gatherers ancestral to the San first settled the area around what is now called Algoa Bay at least 10,000 years ago. Around 2,000 years ago, they were gradually assimilated by agriculturalist populations ancestral to the Xhosa people
Port Elizabeth was also one of the five cities that hosted the 2013 Afcon event. Same stadium of 2010 World Cup hosted eight games: five matches of Group B included Ghana, DR Congo; Mali, Niger; Ghana, Mali; DR. Congo, Niger; Ghana, Niger; one match of Group A Cape Verde, Angola. Quarterfinal Ghana, Cape Verde, then Third Place playoff Ghana, Mali. The Africa Cup of Nations took place between 19 January and 10 February 2013. Nigeria were eventual champions
| Climate data for Port Elizabeth (1961−1990, extremes 1936-1990) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 39.0 (102.2) |
40.0 (104.0) |
40.7 (105.3) |
39.0 (102.2) |
35.4 (95.7) |
32.4 (90.3) |
33.1 (91.6) |
36.8 (98.2) |
39.7 (103.5) |
39.8 (103.6) |
40.2 (104.4) |
36.0 (96.8) |
40.7 (105.3) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 25.4 (77.7) |
25.4 (77.7) |
24.6 (76.3) |
23.0 (73.4) |
21.7 (71.1) |
20.3 (68.5) |
19.7 (67.5) |
19.6 (67.3) |
20.0 (68.0) |
20.8 (69.4) |
22.3 (72.1) |
24.3 (75.7) |
22.3 (72.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 21.3 (70.3) |
21.2 (70.2) |
20.3 (68.5) |
18.2 (64.8) |
16.1 (61.0) |
14.3 (57.7) |
13.9 (57.0) |
14.3 (57.7) |
15.4 (59.7) |
16.7 (62.1) |
18.2 (64.8) |
20.1 (68.2) |
17.5 (63.5) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 17.9 (64.2) |
17.9 (64.2) |
16.9 (62.4) |
14.3 (57.7) |
11.5 (52.7) |
9.2 (48.6) |
8.8 (47.8) |
9.8 (49.6) |
11.4 (52.5) |
13.1 (55.6) |
14.6 (58.3) |
16.4 (61.5) |
13.5 (56.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 7.4 (45.3) |
7.9 (46.2) |
7.0 (44.6) |
4.4 (39.9) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
1.5 (34.7) |
3.0 (37.4) |
5.6 (42.1) |
6.5 (43.7) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 36 (1.4) |
40 (1.6) |
54 (2.1) |
58 (2.3) |
59 (2.3) |
62 (2.4) |
47 (1.9) |
64 (2.5) |
62 (2.4) |
59 (2.3) |
49 (1.9) |
34 (1.3) |
624 (24.6) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 5 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 70 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 77 | 80 | 81 | 80 | 76 | 73 | 74 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 78 | 77 | 77 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 265.9 | 222.9 | 228.7 | 220.6 | 221.7 | 207.5 | 227.8 | 232.0 | 213.0 | 236.3 | 250.1 | 278.9 | 2,805.4 |
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