Gqeberha (Xhosa:[ᶢǃʱɛ̀ɓéːxà]; English: /kɛˈbɛərxə/keb-AIR-khə[3]), previously named Port Elizabeth, and colloquially referred to as P.E.,[a] is a major seaport 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-smallest metropolitan municipality by area.[6] It is the sixth-most populous city in South Africa[7][8][9] and is the cultural, economic and financial hub of the Eastern Cape.[6][10][11]
Port Elizabeth was founded in 1820 by Sir Rufane Donkin, who was the governor of the Cape at the time. He named it after his late wife, Elizabeth, who had died in India. The Donkin Memorial in the CBD of the city bears testament to this. It was established by the government of the Cape Colony when 4,000 British colonists settled in Algoa Bay to strengthen the border region between the Cape Colony and the Xhosa. It is nicknamed "The Friendly City" or "The Windy City".[6][12][13] 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,[14] although the new name remains poorly used locally as of 2023.[15]
Located on the western portion of Algoa Bay along the southeastern coast of South Africa, the city lies 770km 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, and is administered by South Africa's sixth-largest metropolitan municipality.[16] The city's warm oceanic climate ranks it among the top cities in the world for pleasant year-round weather.[17][18][19] 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.[20][21][22][23][24]
^Bezuidenhout, Candice. "We managed to get work done, says Nelson Mandela Bay mayor after first 33 days in office". News24. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
^ abcde"wMain Place Port Elizabeth". Census 2011. Archived from the original on 11 April 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
^"Gqeberha". Collins English Dictionary. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
^"Ibhayi – definition of Ibhayi in A Dictionary of South African English – DSAE". dsae.co.za. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
^Pettman, Charles (1913). Africanderisms; a glossary of South African colloquial words and phrases and of place and other names. Longmans, Green and Co. p. 51.
^ abc"Get to Know South Africa's Friendly City – Port Elizabeth, EC (GL)". www.southafrica.net. Archived from the original on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
^"Biggest Cities In South Africa". WorldAtlas. 26 March 2019. Archived from the original on 27 April 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
^"Biggest Cities South Africa". www.geonames.org. Archived from the original on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
^"Nelson Mandela Bay (Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa) – Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Archived from the original on 14 January 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
^Dall, Nick (24 January 2019). "Move Over, Cape Town. Port Elizabeth Is on the Rise". OZY. Archived from the original on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
^"About the Eastern Cape". www.ecdc.co.za. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
^"10 SA city nicknames, and why they're called that". Traveller. 22 June 2015. Archived from the original on 28 February 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
^"10 SA city nicknames, and why they're called that". News24. 4 June 2015. Archived from the original on 24 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
^"It is official, Port Elizabeth has a new name — Gqeberha". TimesLIVE. Archived from the original on 2 April 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
^Qoyo, Ntsikelelo (12 February 2022). "The name of Port Elizabeth refuses to die". The Herald (South Africa).
^"Monthly Bulletin of Statistics, August 2017". Monthly Bulletin of Statistics (Ser. Q). 22 September 2017. doi:10.18356/10124d34-en-fr. ISBN 9789210600170. ISSN 1564-3794.
^Whitmore, Thomas. (1996). Pleasant weather ratings : enjoy travel more and save money by planning for the weather. Lexington, Mass.: Consumer Travel Publications. ISBN 0-9645785-7-3. OCLC 36269434.
^"The 10 best weather places in the world| Antonio Garzón". www.antoniogarzon.com. 12 May 2014. Archived from the original on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
^"2014 scientific climate study" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
^"Port Elizabeth – your gateway to the Garden Route – Afroventures Tours & Safaris". www.afroventures.co.za. 7 June 2018. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
^"nelson mandela bay tourism Archives". Villa Tuscana by Mantis. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
^"Port Elizabeth Experience". East Cape Tours & Safaris. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
^Campbell, Paul. "The Eastern Cape | Big 5 Safari | Port Elizabeth | Addo | Shamwari". Travel Butlers Ltd. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
^"Experience the Big 5 and more in the Eastern Cape Game Reserves". Visit Eastern Cape. 18 November 2019. Archived from the original on 27 July 2021. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
Gqeberha (Xhosa: [ᶢǃʱɛ̀ɓéːxà]; English: /kɛˈbɛərxə/ keb-AIR-khə), previously named Port Elizabeth, and colloquially referred to as P.E., is a major seaport...
The 2023 Gqeberha mass shooting or the Gqeberha birthday party shooting was a mass shooting which occurred between 17:15 and 17:30 SAST on 29 January 2023...
Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha. Due to its climate and nineteenth century towns, it is a common location...
campus. This university has its main administration in the coastal city of Gqeberha. Nelson Mandela University was founded through a merger of three institutions...
This is a list of notable people from Gqeberha, in South Africa. Jesse February, chess master Karl Bauermeister - cricketer Johan Botha – cricketer Schalk...
The Baakens River, also known as Gqeberha River (Xhosa: [ᶢǃʱɛ̀ɓéːxà]), is a river that empties at Port Elizabeth's city centre and harbour in Algoa Bay...
shores of Algoa Bay in the Eastern Cape province and comprises the city of Gqeberha, the nearby towns of Uitenhage and Despatch, and the surrounding rural...
[citation needed] Paarl East London Centurion Durban Bloemfontein Cape Town Gqeberha Johannesburg On 10 April 2024, Cricket South Africa confirmed the eight...
was renamed Gqeberha. Kariega is situated on the banks of the Swartkops River, approximately 30 kilometres (18.6 miles) north-west of Gqeberha. Kariega,...
Port Elizabeth railway station is a railway station, located in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. In 1873, Prime Minister John Molteno of the Cape Colony commenced...
Shamwari Game Reserve is located 75 km outside Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, South Africa. An essential focus is the management, development and rehabilitation...
Airport (IATA: PLZ, ICAO: FAPE) is an airport serving Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha), a city in the Eastern Cape province in South Africa. It was formerly...
includes seven local municipalities. The seat is the city of Gqeberha, although Gqeberha is not itself in the district (it is in the Nelson Mandela Bay...
more than 100,000 inhabitants in the area: Cape Town, Pretoria, Brussels, Gqeberha, Amsterdam, Düsseldorf*, Rotterdam, The Hague, Antwerp, Duisburg*, Utrecht...
Retrieved 3 April 2022. "Mokoka breaks world 50km record with 2:40:13 in Gqeberha". World Athletics. 6 March 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022. "Albertson runs...
National Park is a diverse wildlife conservation park situated close to Gqeberha in South Africa and is one of the country's 20 national parks. It currently...
Venue City Capacity Eastern Cape June 6, 2009 Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium Gqeberha 46,000 Free State 1995 Free State Stadium Bloemfontein 40,911 Gauteng 1999...
competed in the inaugural season of SA20 tournament. The team is based in Gqeberha, South Africa, and was formed in 2022. The team's home-ground is the St...
Retrieved 16 September 2019. "Mokoka breaks world 50km record with 2:40:13 in Gqeberha". World Athletics. 6 March 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022. "Gidey smashes...
of the country. Cape Town (eKapa in Xhosa), East London (eMonti), and Gqeberha (e-Bhayi). As of 2003,[update] the majority of Xhosa speakers, approximately...