EASTERN CAPE REGION

The region, second largest of South Africa's nine provinces and traditional home of the Xhosa peoples, stretches along and inland from South Africa's balmy Indian Ocean seaboard.

Its largest conurbation is the City of Port Elizabeth, though Bisho, a modest little town, created in the Ciskei 'homeland' during the apartheid era, serves as the Provincial Capital.

Other notable centres include Uitenhage, close to Port Elizabeth and part of its industrial complex; Grahamstown, charmingly historic and focus of the so-called 'settler country'; East London, the country's only major river-port, and its neighbour King William's Town; Umtata, Cradock and Somerset East.

The Eastern Cape is remarkable for both its natural and human diversity. The countryside is a kaleidoscope of contrasts: to the north are the vast, bone-dry plains of the Great Karoo and the high, often misty and sometimes snow-capped mountain ranges of the Sneeuberg, Winterberge, Stormberg and southern Drakensberg; to the south a gentler land that embraces the fertile soils of the Langkloof and Sundays River valley and a coastline stunning in its scenic variety.

Although the Eastern Cape is one of South Africa's poorer provinces, there are hubs of progress and prosperity that promise great hope for the future.

Much of the economic activity - notably car manufacture and its dependent industries - takes place in and around Port Elizabeth and its fine harbour, the country's third largest. Work will soon begin on a second harbour (a deep-water one) at Coega north of the city, which will give a powerful impetus to employment and wealth creation. Commercial farming (fruit, lucerne, chicory, cattle and, above all, marino sheep reared for their wool) yields a valuable bounty.

The region boasts a splendid range of natural attractions, and tourism is on an encouraging growth path. Among leading drawcards are the Addo Elephant National Park, the Mountain Zebra National Park and the Tsitsikamma National Park.

Aliwal North
Amatola
Bluewater Bay
Cradock
EC Drakensberg
East London
Friendly N6
Gamtoos River Valley
Graaff Reinett
Grahamstown
Great FishRiver
Jeffreys Bay
Karoo Heartlands
Port Alfred
Port Elizabeth
Port St Francis
Queenstown
Sunshine Coast
Tsitsikamma Adv
Umtata