Tourist Information

Major tourist attractions of Port Elizabeth include the Campanile (bell tower), which was built in 1923 to commemorate the arrival of the 1820 Settlers, the old stone Fort Frederick (1799), the city hall (1862) and the Donkin Reserve Park and monument. Other attractions include the gardens at St George's Park, the museum and oceanography room at Humewood, the new Boardwalk waterfront complex and the King George VI Art Gallery.

Port Elizabeth is also known for its water sports. Algoa bay is home to the water sports like kite boarding, scuba diving, game fishing charters, surfing, windsurfing etc. Port Elizabeth harbor, waterfront and city center are in the process of being upgraded for the 2010 Football World Cup.

Port Elizabeth lies on the N2 road. To the east, the road runs through the so-called Border Country through Grahamstown to East London then on to Durban and finally terminating in Ermelo in Mpumalanga. To the west the road travels the picturesque Garden Route to George and Cape Town. The city main bus station is situated in Market Square. Port Elizabeth also has rail network. Metrorail operates local services and Shosholoza Meyl operates the long-distance passenger service. Shosholoza Meyl links Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg via Bloemfontein. Port Elizabeth serves the city for both passenger and cargo traffic. Though international visitors must currently fly to either Johannesburg or Cape Town and then take a domestic flight to Port Elizabeth. Port Elizabeth has a harbor in Algoa Bay.

General Information

Port Elizabeth was founded as a town in 1820. It is now a part of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, incorporated in 2001. During the 1960s and 1970's Port Elizabeth was affected badly by two projects. The first project was the removal of the university from the historical place of Port Elizabeth and the second project was the building of a series of highways. These two projects have destroyed most of the historic beauty of Port Elizabeth. Port Elizabeth is the home of South Africa's motor vehicle industry. The city hosts auto mobile giants like Ford, General Motors, Volkswagen and Continental Tyres.

Demographic Information

Port Elizabeth City is situated in the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. It is situated at 770km east of Cape Town. Port Elizabeth also contains a couple of nicknames like The Friendly City and The Windy City. It is located at 33°57'29?S 25°36'00?E / -33.95806, 25.6. According to 2005 census data Port Elizabeth has Metro density of 813/km², urban population of 737,600 and Metro population of 1,244,900 respectively. Port Elizabeth has friendship partnership with the Swedish City of Gothenburg. Port Elizabeth is also sister city of American cities of Jacksonville, Florida and Palm Desert, California.