Institutional factors in natural resource management in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa - Institutional Constraints to Small Farmer Development in Southern Africa - page 231

10.6.1 The geographical setting
The Eastern Cape is located on the south-eastern seaboard of South Africa and is the second
largest province with an area of 170,600 km 2 which represents 14% of South Africa's land
mass. The majority of the people speak isiXhosa, followed by Afrikaans and English. In
terms of climate, the province varies from mild temperate conditions i.e. 14-23 °C along
the coastal areas to slightly more extreme conditions of 5-35 °C among the inland areas,
with the inland mountain areas experiencing winter snows and summer rainfalls. Mid-2006
population is 6.9 million people.
The major towns and cities in the Eastern Cape (Figure 10.2) are Aliwal North, Bisho,
Butterworth, East London, Grahamstown, Humansdorp, King Williams Town, Port
Elizabeth, Queenstown and Umtata, among others. Port Elizabeth and East London are
the centres of the two largest industrial regions of the province and are both served by
well-equipped ports. The major industries in the province include agriculture, textiles
and clothing, tourism, wool, timber and transport, with tourism being the major growth
industry (CSIR, 2004).
Figure 10.2. Eastern Cape Province. Source: Rainbownation (http://www.rainbownation.com/travel/
maps/index.asp?loc=10).