Alexandria is a small farming town in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, situated along the R72 Provincial Route, approximately 100 km north-east of Gqeberha (formerly known as Port Elizabeth) to Bushman’s River Mouth, Kenton-on-Sea, and Port Alfred.
Alexandria falls within the Ndlambe Local Municipality and the Sarah Baartman District Municipality.
The town has a warm temperate climate and is unusual in southern Africa in having no distinct dry or wet season, with rain received throughout the year.
Alexandria is one of the most important chicory-producing areas in South Africa and is also known for dairy farming and pineapple production.
The Alexandria area also includes the Alexandria State Forest, known as Langebos to the locals, which is a narrow stretch of pristine indigenous forest bordering the Alexandria dune field, one of the largest active dune fields in the world.
The Woody Cape Nature Reserve, which stretches from the Sundays River mouth to the Bushman’s River mouth and includes the dune field and the indigenous forest, has been incorporated into the Addo Elephant National Park.
History
The town might have been established by the Dutch colonial government in the late 18th century, but was named Alexandria in 1856 after Reverend Alexander Smith.
