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Bethelsdorp

Eastern Capetown

Photograph of Bethelsdorp
Featured view

Bethelsdorp

Total population

130,000

Founded

1803

Coordinates-33.87°, 25.51°

Demographic figures from Statistics South Africa. Overview below cites Wikipedia and may reference a different year.

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City facts

Founded
1803
Time zone
UTC+02:00

Facts from Wikidata (CC0).

Overview

Bethelsdorp is a town in Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, 20 km north-west of Port Elizabeth.

Read more on Wikipedia

History & geography

History

The town was established in 1803 by Rev. J.T. van der Kemp on the farm Roodepas of Theunis Botha as a mission station of the London Missionary Society. The name is derived from the Hebrew word Bet-el (), meaning 'House of God'. Under the previous political dispensation, Bethelsdorp was a township almost exclusively inhabited by coloureds (Afrikaans: Kleurlinge). This changed somewhat with the end of Apartheid in South Africa in 1994, as living and trading in the township is now freely open to all races.

Read full article on Wikipedia

Excerpted from the corresponding Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA).

Geography

Latitude
-33.8723
Longitude
25.5109
Water area
—
View on OpenStreetMap

Coordinates & boundaries from the US Census TIGER/Line shapefiles.

Climate

Air quality

Walkability

Amenities nearby

Wildlife & biodiversity

Observations (last 5 yrs, 10 mi)
130,309
Distinct species (top 10)
10

Most-observed species

  • Cape Weaver
    Ploceus capensis (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
    2,244
  • Cape Wagtail
    Motacilla capensis Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
    2,181
  • Cape Sparrow
    Passer melanurus (Statius Muller, 1776) · Aves
    2,131
  • Hadada Ibis
    Bostrychia hagedash (Latham, 1790) · Aves
    1,976
  • Speckled Mousebird
    Colius striatus J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
    1,948
  • European Starling
    Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
    1,946
  • Red-eyed Dove
    Streptopelia semitorquata (Rüppell, 1837) · Aves
    1,932
  • Speckled Pigeon
    Columba guinea Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
    1,877

Citizen-science & research observations from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).

Earthquake history

Quakes ≥ 2.5 (25 yrs, 62 mi)
0
Largest magnitude
—
Largest event
—

Events from the USGS Earthquake Catalog (global) (FDSN Event Web Service).

Photos

Sights & places nearby

Notable people from here

A
Andries Ferreira
South African rugby union footballer
John Kani
John Kani
South African actor and author (born 1942)
S
Sizwe Zakho
South African born music producer
A
Amanda Sister
South Africa footballer
X
Xolani Maholo
football player
E
Elandré
South African singer
N
Nomhle Nkonyeni
South African actress (1942-2019)

People born within ~10 km, from Wikidata (CC0). Click any name for their Wikipedia article.

Nearby places in Eastern Cape

Browse all places in Eastern Cape →

Geography & sun

Avg solar (kWh/m²/day)
4.99
Annual solar (kWh/m²)
1,820

Elevation, sunrise/sunset and daylight from Open-Meteo. Solar climatology from NASA POWER.

Nearby airports

Public attention

Wikipedia views (last 30 days)
177
Avg daily Wikipedia views
6
Attention level
Obscure

Pageview totals from the Wikimedia Pageviews API.

Books about this place

Recent natural events nearby

Ground air-quality sensors

Recently spotted species

Tropical House Gecko
Tropical House Gecko
Hemidactylus mabouia
Seen 2026-07-09
Vine Hawkmoth
Vine Hawkmoth
Hippotion celerio
Seen 2026-07-08
Cape Weaver
Cape Weaver
Ploceus capensis
Seen 2026-07-08
Common Cape Sparrow
Common Cape Sparrow
Passer melanurus melanurus
Seen 2026-07-08
Southern Hadada Ibis
Southern Hadada Ibis
Bostrychia hagedash hagedash
Seen 2026-07-08
Cape Bulbul
Cape Bulbul
Pycnonotus capensis
Seen 2026-07-08
Southern Amethyst Sunbird
Southern Amethyst Sunbird
Chalcomitra amethystina amethystina
Seen 2026-07-08
Large Southern Masked Weaver
Large Southern Masked Weaver
Ploceus velatus velatus
Seen 2026-07-08
Southern Malachite Sunbird
Southern Malachite Sunbird
Nectarinia famosa famosa
Seen 2026-07-08

Research-grade observations from iNaturalist (within ~15 mi).

Events

Gallery

Geotagged photos within ~6 miles of Bethelsdorp, from Wikimedia Commons contributors.

ISS016-E-26182 - View of Earth — Bethelsdorp, South Africa2 miPort Elizabeth, Township - panoramio — Bethelsdorp, South Africa3.4 miPort Elizabeth, Township - panoramio - Frans-Banja Mulder — Bethelsdorp, South Africa3.4 miPort Elizabeth, Township, Ikhaya - panoramio — Bethelsdorp, South Africa3.7 miRedhouse Village Hall, Redhouse, Port Elizabeth — Bethelsdorp, South Africa4 miAloe micracantha 62399935 — Bethelsdorp, South Africa4.2 miAloe micracantha 62399941 — Bethelsdorp, South Africa4.2 miChersina angulata 246079785 — Bethelsdorp, South Africa4.2 miCaprimulgus pectoralis 104203809 — Bethelsdorp, South Africa4.3 miNeotis denhami stanleyi — Bethelsdorp, South Africa4.6 miAlopochen aegyptiaca 185322790 — Bethelsdorp, South Africa4.6 miChristopher Tugwell (1939 - 2021) "Rain on arid farm" 1988 — Bethelsdorp, South Africa4.7 miLauries Bay S Beach (219792329) — Bethelsdorp, South Africa4.9 miMind map (sants) — Bethelsdorp, South Africa4.9 miSuburban Uitenhage-PE Passenger Train near Swartkops — Bethelsdorp, South Africa5 miSuburban Passenger Train near Swartkops — Bethelsdorp, South Africa5 miISS046-E-6434 - View of Earth — Bethelsdorp, South Africa5 miLife's a Beach - South Africa (2418544632) — Bethelsdorp, South Africa5.4 miDonkin Reserve, Port Elizabeth 2013 — Bethelsdorp, South Africa5.5 miSouthAfrican Flag HalfMast — Bethelsdorp, South Africa5.5 miTRF Class 7E's E7083, E7099, E7062, E7152, E7057 and E7052 at Swartkops Depot. (17091013067) — Bethelsdorp, South Africa5.5 miTransnet Class 7E's E7098, E7061 and E7096 at Swartkops Depot. (17091104007) — Bethelsdorp, South Africa5.5 miAloe micracantha 62293499 — Bethelsdorp, South Africa5.5 miAloe micracantha 62293508 — Bethelsdorp, South Africa5.5 mi

Photos via Wikimedia Commons — see each image page for license & attribution.

Sources

  • • Wikipedia
  • • Wikimedia Commons
  • • Wikidata
  • • USGS Earthquake Catalog (global feed)
  • • GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility)
  • • iNaturalist
  • • Open-Meteo / sunrise-sunset.org
  • • Wikipedia Pageviews API