Maclear, South Africa

Maclear Nqanqarhu
Main street in Maclear
Maclear Show map of Eastern Cape Maclear Show map of South Africa Maclear Show map of Africa
Coordinates: 31°04′12″S 28°21′0″E / 31.07000°S 28.35000°E / -31.07000; 28.35000
Country	South Africa
Province	Eastern Cape
District	Joe Gqabi
Municipality	Elundini
Area [1]
• Total	9.2 km2 (3.6 sq mi)
Elevation	1,272 m (4,173 ft)
Population  (2011)[1]
• Total	10,521
• Density	1,100/km2 (3,000/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [1]
• Black African	93.1%
• Coloured	4.3%
• Indian/Asian	0.2%
• White	2.0%
• Other	0.4%
First languages (2011) [1]
• Xhosa	88.3%
• Afrikaans	5.1%
• English	2.7%
• Sotho	2.1%
• Other	1.8%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)	5480
PO box	5480
Area code	045
Website	http://www.maclear.co.za/

Maclear, officially Nqanqarhu,^[2] is a small town situated in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, near the Mooi River (a tributary of the Tsitsa River), 172 km (107 mi) north of East London and 80 km (50 mi) northeast of Elliot.

It lies just north-east of Ugie. The land to the east and south was part of the former homeland of Transkei.

It was founded in 1876 as a military camp, called Nqanqaru Drift and developed rapidly, reaching municipal status in 1916. It is named after Sir Thomas Maclear (1794-1879), a famous astronomer who laid the foundation for a trigonometrical survey of the Cape Colony.^{[citation needed]}

In 2021, the town was renamed Nqanqarhu.^[3]

Maclear is a trout-fishing resort.^[4]

Maclear lies between Mount Fletcher and Ugie, in the foothills of the Drakensberg mountains, and at the intersection between the R56 and R396 roads.^[5][6]