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.
Maclear
Nqanqarhu | |
|---|---|
 Main street in Maclear | |
  Maclear  Maclear  Maclear | |
| Coordinates: 31°04′12″S 28°21′0″E / 31.07000°S 28.35000°E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Eastern Cape |
| District | Joe Gqabi |
| Municipality | Elundini |
| Area | |
| • 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) | |
| • Black African | 93.1% |
| • Coloured | 4.3% |
| • Indian/Asian | 0.2% |
| • White | 2.0% |
| • Other | 0.4% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • 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/ |
It lies just north-east of Ugie. The land to the east and south was part of the former homeland of Transkei.
History
editIt 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]
Tourism
editGeographic location
editMaclear 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]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Sum of the Main Places Sonwabile and Maclear from Census 2011.
- ^ "Two SA airports – and Port Elizabeth – just got official new names". BusinessInsider. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
- ^ "Port Elizabeth is now Gqeberha – and other name changes for towns and airports in South Africa". Business Tech. 24 February 2021.
- ^ PE Raper. Dictionary of Southern African Place Names. Human Science Research Council. p. 289.
- ^ saexplorer - travel distances from Maclear
- ^ "Maclear, Eastern Cape". pathfinda.com. Retrieved 2021-02-24.