Alice, Eastern Cape

Alice
Buildings of the University of Fort Hare in Alice
Alice  Alice shown within Eastern Cape
Coordinates:
Country	South Africa
Province	Eastern Cape
District	Amathole
Municipality	Nkonkobe
Established	{{#property:P571}}
Area
• Total	9.85 km2 (3.80 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	15,143
• Density	1,500/km2 (4,000/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
• Black African	93.0%
• Coloured	5.6%
• Indian/Asian	0.3%
• White	0.6%
• Other	0.5%
First languages (2011)
• Xhosa	84.0%
• Afrikaans	7.3%
• English	3.5%
• Other	5.2%
Postal code (street)	5700
PO box	5700
Area code	040

Alice, a town in South Africa, is named after The Princess Alice, daughter of the British Queen Victoria. Many of the current political leaders in South Africa were educated at the University of Fort Hare, also the alma mater of former President Nelson Mandela. The university is also the repository of the archives of the African National Congress documents and houses one of the most significant collections of African art.

Victoria Hospital is a large district hospital on the outskirts of Alice, recently (2006-2011) fully reconstructed and upgraded by the Eastern Cape Provincial Government.

History

File:SAR Class 7A 1019 (4-8-0) ex CGR 731.jpg

Alice railway station, c. 1900

The location was named Lovedale by European missionaries who settled there in 1824. It was named after Dr. John Love of the Glasgow Missionary Society. During the Frontier War it was abandoned and the mission resettled on the west bank of the Tyume River. On the east bank a fort was built, called Fort Hare, after Major-General John Hare, who was acting Lieutenant-Governor of the Eastern Cape. Alice was the administrative and magisterial capital of the old district of Victoria East.