# Port Alfred

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For the bay in South Australia, see [Black Point, South Australia](/source/Black_Point%2C_South_Australia).

Town in Eastern Cape, South Africa

Port Alfred Town Bridge in Port Alfred Port Alfred Show map of Eastern Cape Port Alfred Show map of South Africa Port Alfred Show map of Africa Coordinates: 33°35′30″S 26°53′15″E / 33.59167°S 26.88750°E / -33.59167; 26.88750 Country South Africa Province Eastern Cape District Sarah Baartman Municipality Ndlambe Government • Type Town Council Area [1] • Total 46.6 km2 (18.0 sq mi) Population (2011)[1] • Total 25,859 • Density 555/km2 (1,440/sq mi) Racial makeup (2011) [1] • Black African 80% • Coloured 6.8% • Indian/Asian 0.3% • White 12.5% • Other 0.4% First languages (2011) [1] • Xhosa 71.2% • English 14.4% • Afrikaans 11.4% • Other 3.1% Time zone UTC+2 (SAST) Postal code (street) 6170 PO box 6170 Area code 046 Website www.portalfred.co.za

**Port Alfred** is a small town with a population of just under 26,000[1] in the [Eastern Cape](/source/Eastern_Cape) province of [South Africa](/source/South_Africa). It is situated on the eastern seaboard of the country at the mouth of the [Kowie River](/source/Kowie_River), almost exactly halfway between the larger cities of [Port Elizabeth](/source/Port_Elizabeth) and [East London](/source/East_London%2C_South_Africa) and 30 kilometres (19 mi) east of [Cannon Rocks](/source/Cannon_Rocks).

## History

Port Alfred was established in the early 1820s by [British settlers](/source/1820_Settlers) who were moved into the area by [Lord Charles Somerset](/source/Lord_Charles_Somerset) as there was conflict between the [Cape Colony](/source/Cape_Colony) and the [Xhosa people](/source/Xhosa_people). Originally, it was two separate towns (settlers arriving on the west bank in 1820 named their settlement Port Kowie, and those arriving on the east bank named theirs Port Frances[2]).

In 1860, when [Queen Victoria](/source/Queen_Victoria)'s son [Prince Alfred](/source/Alfred%2C_Duke_of_Saxe-Coburg_and_Gotha) visited, the name was changed in his honour.[3]

### Port

In 1839, William Cock and George Hodgkinson started to block the natural river mouth to the east and canalise the present opening to the sea. By 1841 South Africa's first man-made harbour was opened after completion of the stone-lined channel between the ocean and the Kowie river.[4] This allowed high-masted sailing ships with their heavy cargo to dock at the wharf.

## Transport

Port Alfred is located on the junction of the [R67](/source/R67_(Eastern_Cape)) and [R72](/source/R72_(Eastern_Cape)) roads. The R67 connects Port Alfred with the [N2](/source/N2_road_(South_Africa)) at [Grahamstown](/source/Grahamstown) to the north, while the R72 joins the [N2](/source/N2_road_(South_Africa)) near [Colchester](/source/Colchester%2C_Eastern_Cape) to the west and follows the coast to [East London](/source/East_London%2C_South_Africa) in the east.

## Education

Educational establishments based in Port Alfred include [Stenden South Africa](/source/Stenden_South_Africa) (a subsidiary campus of [Stenden University](/source/Stenden_University) in the Netherlands), a private Christian school ([El Shaddai Christian Academy](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=El_Shaddai_Christian_Academy&action=edit&redlink=1)), the largest aviation training school in the Southern Hemisphere ([43 Air School](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=43_Air_School&action=edit&redlink=1)), [Mtyhobo Primary School](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mtyhobo_Primary_School&action=edit&redlink=1), [Dambuza Primary School](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dambuza_Primary_School&action=edit&redlink=1), [Nomzamo High School](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nomzamo_High_School&action=edit&redlink=1), [Kuyasa Combined School](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kuyasa_Combined_School&action=edit&redlink=1) and public school, [Port Alfred High](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Port_Alfred_High&action=edit&redlink=1).

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-census2011_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-census2011_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-census2011_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-census2011_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-census2011_1-4) Sum of the Main Places [Nkwenkwezi](http://census2011.adrianfrith.com/place/265006) and [Port Alfred](http://census2011.adrianfrith.com/place/265007) from Census 2011.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** [http://home.intekom.com/african_lioness/history~.html](http://home.intekom.com/african_lioness/history~.html)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Raper, P. E. (1989). [*Dictionary of Southern African Place Names*](https://archive.org/stream/DictionaryOfSouthernAfricanPlaceNames/SaPlaceNames#page/n370/mode/2up). Jonathan Ball Publishers. p. 370. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-947464-04-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-947464-04-2) – via [Internet Archive](/source/Internet_Archive).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Bond, John (1957). ["10 - Trekkers of the Sea"](https://archive.org/stream/theyweresouthafr006530mbp#page/n109/mode/2up). *They were South Africans*. London, New York: Oxford University Press. p. 91.

## Further reading

Turpin, Eric W (1964). [*Basket Work Harbour; The Story of the Kowie*](https://books.google.com/books?id=EIx2QgAACAAJ). Cape Town: Howard Timmins. p. 136. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-86978-244-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-86978-244-4). {{[cite book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_book)}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility ([help](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:CS1_errors#invalid_isbn_date))

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Port Alfred](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Port_Alfred).

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for ***[Port Alfred](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Port_Alfred#Q1693203)***.

- [Official website](http://www.portalfred.co.za/)

- [43 Air School](https://web.archive.org/web/20130322205542/http://www.43airschool.co.za/)

- [River Hotels](http://www.riverhotels.co.za)

v t e Municipalities and communities of Sarah Baartman District Municipality, Eastern Cape District seat: Gqeberha Blue Crane Route Cookhouse Kommadagga Middleton Pearston Somerset East (KwaNojoli) Sarah Baartman District within South Africa Dr Beyers Naudé Aberdeen (Xamdeboo) Adendorp (KwaMseki Bishop Limba) Graaff-Reinet (Robert Sobukwe Town) Jansenville Klipplaat Kendrew Nieu-Bethesda (KwaNoheleni) Rietbron Steytlerville Willowmore Waterford Kouga Aston Bay Cape St. Francis Hankey Humansdorp Jeffreys Bay Kruisfontein Loerie Oyster Bay Paradise Beach Patensie St Francis Bay Thornhill Kou-Kamma Clarkson Coldstream Joubertina Kareedouw Krakeel River Louterwater Misgund Stormsrivier Thornham Tweeriviere Makana Alicedale Makhanda Riebeek East Salem Ndlambe Alexandria Bathurst Boesmansriviermond Boknesstrand Cannon Rocks Cuylerville Kasouga Kenton-on-Sea Port Alfred Seafield Southwell Trappe's Valley Sunday's River Valley Addo Coerney Enon Kirkwood Paterson

Authority control databases International VIAF National United States Israel Geographic MusicBrainz area Other Yale LUX

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Port Alfred](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Alfred) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Alfred?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.