Welcome to Port Elizabeth!
Gqeberha (formerly and commonly Port Elizabeth, Xhosa: iBhayi, Afrikaans: Die Baai) (or just PE if you want to sound South African) is South Africa's fifth largest city. It is on the Indian Ocean coast halfway between Cape Town and Durban, in the Eastern Cape, about 260 km from Knysna. It lives up to its reputation as a friendly city and the windy city.
Port Elizabeth, officially renamed Gqeberha 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 center 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". 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 its 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.