George (South Africa)

George
	George
	George
Coordinates	33 ° 57 '53 " S , 22 ° 28' 17" E Coordinates: 33 ° 57 '53 " S , 22 ° 28' 17" E
Basic data
Country	South Africa
province	Western cape
District	Garden Route
ISO 3166-2	ZA toilet
local community	George
surface	83.8 km²
Residents	157,394 (2011)
density	1,878.2 Ew. / km²
founding	1811
Website	george.org.za (English)
	Special features:; City on the Garden Route
	The Dutch Reformed Church

George is a town on the Garden Route in the municipality of George , Garden Route District , Western Cape Province in South Africa . The city is located about 430 kilometers east of Cape Town and 330 kilometers west of Port Elizabeth . With 157,394 inhabitants (as of 2011) it is one of the largest cities in the Western Cape. George is an important industrial city and has a university. Just a few kilometers from the Indian Ocean , the city spreads out on a plateau on the southern edge of the Outeniqua Mountains .

history

The city was founded in 1811 under British rule. Its namesake is King George III.

St. Mark's Cathedral

There are four noteworthy church buildings in George: Pacaltsdorp Church , completed in 1825, making it the oldest church in the region, the Dutch Reformed Moederkerk , which was consecrated after 12 years of construction in 1842 and has a 23 meter high tower and one meter thick walls, St. Peter & St. Paul on Meade Street, the oldest Catholic church in South Africa, and St. Mark's Cathedral , which was the smallest cathedral in the southern hemisphere until its expansion in 1924 .

The King Edward VII Public Library is located in George .

George owns George Airport and offers many shopping and leisure opportunities mainly due to its proximity to the sea.

George is particularly popular with golf players. The Fancourt Hotel has an important golf course.

In the north the city has an extensive botanical garden .

Two historic streets originate in George:

The historic Montagu Pass over the Outeniqua Mountains (1847)
The Seven Passes Road between George and Knysna .

A historic steam train, the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe , ran on a scenic route from Mossel Bay via George to Knysna . After storm damage and landslides, this was set in 2006 between George and Knysna; In 2010, the South African railway company Transnet decided not to repair the entire route for reasons of profitability and thus not to resume operations.