East London
-
General Information
Other Name: Buffalo City, , State: Eastern Cape, South Africa
Area: 0
Languages Spoken: English, Xhosa and Afrikaans
Long Distance Code: -
Importance: -
Best Time to Visit: - to - and -
International Access: -Description
East London is a city on the southeast coast of South Africa, situated in the Eastern Cape Province at 32.97°S and 27.87°E.The city is situated on the Indian Ocean coast, between the Buffalo River, and the Nahoon River, and is the country's only river port.East London's tourism industry has grown greatly over the past few years. The City is being marketed as Buffalo City though, causing many to be confused. Apart from this obstacle local businesses are thriving, with a great deal of investment in the area, drawing visitors from around the world.East London is a family city; many tourists from inland (fondly known as "Vaalies" because most are from the old Transvaal) come to East London to enjoy the mild temperatures and the fantastic beaches, surf spots and fishing.East London is almost all year round blessed with a pleasant and sunny climate and - like all places along the Sunshine Coast - with wonderful sandy beaches. Directly in the city centre area are the Nahoon, the Orient and the Eastern Beach.Location
-Climate
Mild Climate
Between the mouth of the Buffalo River to the south and the Nahoon River to the north are the city's three finest sandy beaches. The nearest to the city center is Orient Beach, with a playground, a paddling pool, a children's slide and mini golf. Adjoining is the Eastern Beach, with water warmed by the Mozambique Current. At Nahoon Beach, on a large lagoon 8km/5mi north of the city center, are an amusement park and a camping site, and an offshore reef provides ideal conditions for surfing.
Although not the biggest aquarium in South Africa, the East London Aquarium boasts a range of unique features making it a must see on any itinerary. View migrating whales from the whale deck and pier, with blue flags indicating whale sightings. Visitors can watch the sharks in the tank built above the shoreline rocks or see the rehabilitation process of birds and fish injured by pollution or nets. A major attraction is the seals, with two shows being held daily.
At the north end of Oxford Street is the East London Museum (established 1931), perhaps the most interesting natural history museum in the country, with numbers of unusual exhibits.The star attraction of the museum is the coelacanth, a fish with limb-like fins which until it was caught in the Chalumna River, near East London, in 1938 was believed to have become extinct more than 50 million years ago. (There are now known to be between 200 and 300 of these "prehistoric" fish in the waters off the Comoro Islands in the Indian Ocean; the specimen caught here had presumably been carried south by the current.) The museum also has numerous specimens of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, as well as a dodo's egg. There is an anthropological section with material on the culture of the Xhosa .
500m/550yd east of the Powder Magazine, in the West Bank district, is St Peter's Church (1857), now protected as a national monument.