"Port Elizabeth – The Friendly City " a Port Elizabeth Travel Page by MikeAtSea

Port Elizabeth was started as a buffer town to prevent invading Xhosas to penetrate the Cape Colony. The city is located on a steep hill that rises from the Algoa Bay.
Today Port Elizabeth and its nearby city Uitenhage is the centre for the car manufacturing industry of South Africa. Contrasts in Port Elizabeth are vast – a pretty city centre with many colonial buildings combined with a modern centre and large middle and upper class suburbs in comparison with massive town ships that surround the city.
Port Elizabeth is considered the start of the Garden Route – the scenic route that connects the city with Mossel Bay, some of the highlights include Knysna and the Tsitsikama National Park.
Also close by to the Friendly City lies the Addo Elephant Park where one is almost guaranteed to see the mighty elephant.
The city lies in the Eastern Cape Province which is a diverse but largely underdeveloped region. Its main native population is the Xhosa tribe. The former two independent homelands the Transkei and Ciskei were north of the city.
Undoubtedly the Eastern Cape offers many highlights such as un-crowded beaches and magnificent walking trails along the coast, combined with beautiful nature and game reserves and towns such as Port Elizabeth.