Algoa Bay is a maritime bay in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. It is located on the east coast, 683 kilometres (424 mi) east of the Cape of Good Hope.
Algoa Bay is bounded in the west by Cape Recife and in the east by Cape Padrone. The bay is up to 436 m (1,430 ft) deep. The harbour city of Port Elizabeth is situated adjacent to the bay, as is the Port of Ngqura deep-water port facility.
The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (Xhosa: uMasipala oMbaxa iNelson Mandela Bay; Afrikaans: Nelson Mandelabaai Metropolitaanse Munisipaliteit) is one of eight metropolitan municipalities in South Africa. It is located on the shores of Algoa Bay in the Eastern Cape province and comprises the city of Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), the nearby towns of Uitenhage and Despatch, and the surrounding rural area.
The name "Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality" was chosen to honour former President Nelson Mandela.
Gqeberha (English: /kɛˈbɛərxə/ keb-AIR-khə, Xhosa: [ᶢǃʱɛ̀ɓéːxà]), also known as Port Elizabeth and colloquially referred to as P.E., is a major seaport 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-smallest metropolitan municipality by area. It is the sixth-most populous city in South Africa and is the cultural, economic and financial hub of the Eastern Cape.
Gqeberha was founded in 1820 as Port Elizabeth by Sir Rufane Donkin, who was the governor of the Cape at the time. He named it after his wife, Elizabeth, who had died in India. The Donkin Memorial in the CBD of the city bears testament to this. It was established by the government of the Cape Colony when 4,000 British colonists settled in 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.
The Baakens River, also known as Gqeberha River (Xhosa: [ᶢǃʱɛ̀ɓéːxà]), is a river that empties at Port Elizabeth's city centre and harbour in Algoa Bay.
The river flows for about 23 km (14 mi) from its catchment area at Sherwood, Hunter's Retreat, and Rowallan Park through mainly urban area to its mouth. Mostly, it is a small quiet stream. Near its mouth, it runs into a gorge on the south side of the hill on which Fort Frederick lies.