Port Elizabeth

Port Elizabeth, city in southeastern South Africa, in the province of Eastern Cape, on Algoa Bay (an arm of the Indian Ocean). It is an important seaport and manufacturing center and a popular resort noted for its fine beaches. Major manufactures include motor vehicles, metal and wood products, footwear, processed food, and chemicals. Port Elizabeth is the site of the University of Port Elizabeth (founded in 1964); Port Elizabeth Technikon (1925), a technical university; the King George VI Art Gallery, featuring collections of British and South African art; the Port Elizabeth Museum, with natural history exhibits, an oceanarium, and a collection of reptiles; and Fort Frederick, built by the British in 1799. The community developed around Fort Frederick. It was laid out in 1820 by the British military leader and colonial official Sir Rufane Shaw Donkin and named for his late wife, Lady Elizabeth. The town grew rapidly after it was connected by railroad to Kimberley in 1873. Population 1,005,779 (2001, metropolitan area).