A City A Day

Port Elizabeth  or  The Bay [2]  ( Zulu :  Bhayi ;  Xhosa :  iBhayi ;  Afrikaans :  Die Baai ) is one of the largest cities in  South Africa , situated in the  Eastern Cape Province , 770 km (478 mi) east of  Cape Town . The city, often shortened to  PE  and nicknamed "The Friendly City" or "The Windy City", stretches for 16 km along  Algoa Bay , and is one of the major  seaports  in South Africa. Port Elizabeth was founded as a town in 1820 to house  British settlers  as a way of strengthening the border region between the  Cape Colony  and the  Xhosa . It now forms part of the  Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality  which has a population of over 1.3 million.

Pretoria  is a city in the northern part of  Gauteng Province ,  South Africa . It is one of the country's three  capital cities , serving as the executive (administrative) and de facto national capital; the others are  Cape Town , the  legislative  capital, and Bloemfontein , the  judicial  capital. Pretoria is sometimes regarded as being divided into three sections: West, East and north, relative to the CBD (Central Business District). Pretoria is contained within the  City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality  as one of several constituent former administrations (among which also  Centurion  and  Soshanguve ). Pretoria itself is sometimes referred to as "Tshwane" due to a long-running and controversial  proposed change of name , which has yet to be decided, as of 2013. Pretoria is named after the  Voortrekker  leader  Andries Pretorius . [2] [3] [4] Pretoria in South Africa is popularl...

Durban  ( Zulu :  eThekwini , from  itheku  meaning 'bay / lagoon') is the largest city in the  South African  province of  KwaZulu-Natal . It is also the second most important manufacturing hub in South Africa after  Johannesburg . It forms part of the eThekwini   metropolitan municipality . Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa and Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism because of the city's warm  subtropical  climate and extensive beaches. The municipality, which includes neighbouring towns, has a population of almost 3.5 million, [3]  making the combined municipality the biggest city on the east coast of the African continent. The metropolitan land area of 2,292 square kilometres (885 sq mi) is comparatively larger than other South African cities, resulting in a somewhat lower population density of 1,513 /km 2  (3,920 /sq mi). [4]

Cape Town  ( Afrikaans :  Kaapstad   [ˈkɑːpstɐt] ;  Xhosa :  iKapa ) is the second-most populated city in  South Africa  after Johannesburg , [4]  and the provincial capital and  primate city  of the  Western Cape . As the seat of the  National Parliament , it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the  City of Cape Town   metropolitan municipality . The city is famous for  its harbour  as well as its natural setting in the  Cape floral kingdom , as well as for such well-known landmarks as  Table Mountain  and  Cape Point . Located on the shore of  Table Bay , Cape Town was originally developed by the  Dutch East India Company  as a victualling (supply) station for Dutch ships sailing to  East Africa ,  India , and the  Far East .  Jan van Riebeeck 's arrival on 6 April 1652 established the first permanent European settl...

Johannesburg  ( / dʒ oʊ ˈ h æ n ɪ s b ɜr ɡ / ;  Afrikaans:  [joˈɦɐnəsbœrx] ) also known as  Jozi ,  Joburg ,  Joni ,  eGoli  or  Joeys , is the largest city in  South Africa , by population. Johannesburg is the  provincial  capital of  Gauteng , the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in  Sub-Saharan Africa . [6]  The city is one of the 50 largest metropolitan areas  in the world, [7]  and is also the world's largest city not situated on a river, lake, or coastline. [8]  It claims to be the  lightning  capital of the world, though this title is also claimed by others. While Johannesburg is not one of  South Africa's three capital cities , it is the seat of the  Constitutional Court , which has the final word on interpretation of  South Africa's constitution , as well as the provincial capital of Gauteng. The city...

Antananarivo  ( / ˌ æ n t ə ˌ n æ n ə ˈ r iː v oʊ / ;  Malagasy   [antaˈnanaˈrivʷ] , from  Tanànan'ny Arivolahy ), formerly  Tananarive ( / t ə ˌ n æ n ə ˈ r iː v /  or  / t ə ˌ n ɑː n ə ˈ r iː v / ), is the  capital  and largest city in  Madagascar . It is also known by its  French  colonial shorthand form  Tana . The larger urban area surrounding the city, known as Antananarivo-Renivohitra ("Antananarivo-Mother Hill" or "Antananarivo-Capital"), is the capital of  Analamanga  Region. Antananarivo is situated in the central region of the island length-wise and in the eastern-central region of the island width-wise, 160 km (99 mi) away from the eastern coast, and 330 km (210 mi) away from the western coast. The city occupies a commanding position, being built on the  summit  and slopes of a long and narrow rocky ridge, which extends north and south for about 4 km (2...

Maputo , known as  Lourenço Marques  before independence, is the  capital  and largest city of  Mozambique . It is known as the  City of Acacias  in reference to  acacia  trees commonly found along its avenues and the  Pearl of the Indian Ocean . It was famous for the inscription "This is Portugal" on the walkway of its municipal building. Today, it is a port city on the  Indian Ocean , with its economy centered around the harbour. According to the 2007 census, the population is 1,766,184. [1]   Cotton , sugar ,  chromite ,  sisal ,  copra , and hardwood are the chief exports. The city manufactures  cement ,  pottery ,  furniture ,  shoes , and  rubber . The city is surrounded by  Maputo Province , but is administered as its own province. On the northern bank of Espírito Santo Estuary of  Delagoa Bay , an inlet of the  Indian Ocean , Lourenço Marques was named aft...

Zomba  is a  city  in southern  Malawi , in the  Shire Highlands . It is the administrative capital of  Zomba District . It was the capital of first  British Central Africa  and then  Nyasaland  before the establishment of the Republic of  Malawi in 1964. It was also the first capital of  Malawi  and remained so until 1974, when  Lilongwe  became the capital. The Parliament remained even longer, until 1994 in Zomba. The city is best known for its  British colonial  architecture and its location at the base of the dramatic  Zomba Plateau . Zomba is also the home of  Chancellor College  of the University of Malawi .

Lilongwe , (named after the  Lilongwe River ) is the  capital  and largest city of  Malawi . The city is located in the central region of Malawi, near the borders with  Mozambique  and  Zambia . The city has an estimated population 781,538 as of 2012. Lilongwe has existed for centuries as a small fishing village on the banks of the Lilongwe River. During the  British colonial period  in the beginning of the 20th century, Lilongwe was chosen as  British colonial administrative centre , due to its desirable geography. The area had an easy navigable route to Lake Malawi, and connected to Lusaka (in Zambia ),  Blantyre  and Mzuzu. The administrative area where located in what is now known as the City Centre. Up until the 1930s Lilongwe had at most a population of 5000. After the independence in 1964,  Zomba  became the capital until 1974 when Hastings Banda made the decision to shift the capital city from Zomba...

Zanzibar City  (or  Zanzibar Town , often simply referred to as  Zanzibar ) is the capital and largest city of  Zanzibar , in Tanzania . It is located on the west coast of  Unguja , the main island of the  Zanzibar Archipelago , roughly due north of  Dar es Salaam  across the  Zanzibar Channel . It also serves as the capital of the  Zanzibar Urban/West Region , and qualifies as a district , formally known as  Zanzibar Urban District . In 2002 its population was 205,870. [1] Panorama of Stone Town from the  House of Wonders Apartment blocks in Michenzani Zanzibar City comprises two main parts,  Stone Town  and  Ng'ambo  (literally: "The Other Side"); the two areas are historically divided by a  creek , now marked by a large street called Creek Road. [2] [3]  Stone Town is the historical core of the city, former capital of the  Zanzibar Sultanate ; because of its unique a...