Province Profile: Eastern Cape
Category Province Profiles
The Eastern Cape stretches from Plettenberg Bay in the west, along the spectacular Wild Coast with its rugged, rocky cliffs and dense green bush, to the Kwazulu-Natal border in the north-west. The Indian Ocean is warm and temperate.
The major cities of the Eastern Cape are Port Elizabeth, situated on Algoa Bay, and East London. The capital city is Bisho with Grahamstown and Uitenhage also being important towns.
Grahamstown is home to Rhodes University and some excellent private schools for boys and girls. Uitenhage is well known for its automotive manufacturing industry. This industry is a major source of employment in the region and large numbers of cars are exported each year.
Many of the coastal towns are major holiday destinations with visitors flooding in to the Garden Route and Sunshine Coast from elsewhere in South Africa as well as overseas. Knysna, Port Alfred, Plettenberg Bay, and Jeffreys Bay have all grown tremendously as people have invested in holiday homes, taking advantage of the mild climate and superb beaches.
There is much fertile land and agriculture is important. Fruit, especially pineapples, form a significant crop; coffee and tea are also cultivated. Maize and sorghum are grown and cattle farming is of particular significance as a subsistence activity. The predominant activity in the Karoo is sheep farming.
There is excellent potential for forestry. The coastal areas receive good summer rainfall and have a moderate climate, becoming more sub-tropical to the north-west. The Tsitsikamma National Park on the southern border is home to dense indigenous forest.
From the bright lights of the coastal cities to rural villages, the Eastern Cape offers a little bit of everything. Towns like Grahamstown and Graaf-Reinet are steeped in history and tradition. Jeffreys Bay and St Francis Bay offer sandy beaches and perfect waves, and the Tsitsikamma some of the country's most breathtaking hiking trails.
Author: Seeff Property Group
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