East London is the second largest city in the Eastern Cape and has South Africa's only river port.

East London has a pleasant sub-tropical climate and has some lovely real estate, including seafront and riverfront properties. East London has excellent schools, sports facilities, and shopping centres, and a sizeable industrial base dominated by the motor industry.

With its laid-back atmosphere, great beaches and proximity to coastal resorts, East London is a fine place to live and is a sought-after tourist destination. The East London museum houses a coelacanth, a preshistoric fish that was thought extinct until a live specimen was caught off East London in 1938.