Kei Mouth (

Afrikaans Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...

: ''Keimond'') is a resort town on the southeast coast of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

, situated in the Wild Coast region of the

Eastern Cape Province The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha. The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in 199 ...

, situated 94 kilometres from the city of East London. The town is situated on the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...

coast, on the western bank of the

Great Kei River The Great Kei River is a river in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is formed by the confluence of the Black Kei River and White Kei River, northeast of Cathcart. It flows for and ends in the Great Kei Estuary at the Indian Ocea ...

, and has one of the country's three remaining car transporting pontoon river ferries.

History

The town of Kei Mouth was created by the British after the 8th Frontier War, as part of the frontline of a buffer zone aimed at protecting British Kaffraria from the warring Xhosa tribes. Huberta, the famous Hippo, took up residence in the Kei River just above third cave in 1930. She was eventually chased off and continued her journey southward once more.

Sports

Bowls and Golf are favoured pastimes in Kei Mouth. The Kei Mouth Country Club has a 12-hole Golf Course and there is a bowling green and a squash court adjacent to the campsite. Other sporting activities include mountain biking,

horse riding Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...

and water sports such as surfing,

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

, boating and

windsurfing Windsurfing is a wind propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the aerospace and surf culture of California. Windsurfing ga ...

Tourism

The economy of Kei Mouth revolves largely around tourism due to its location at the southern entrance to the erstwhile

Transkei Transkei (, meaning ''the area beyond he riverKei''), officially the Republic of Transkei ( xh, iRiphabliki yeTranskei), was an unrecognised state in the southeastern region of South Africa from 1976 to 1994. It was, along with Ciskei, a Ba ...

region. Whilst many of the residents are retirees, a large portion of homes are holiday homes owned by families from the interior. There are several accommodation establishments, a municipal campsite, two restaurants and bars, two small supermarkets and a service station. Nearby resort towns include: Qolora Mouth,

Morgan's Bay Morgan Bay is a village in Amathole District Municipality in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The holiday village of Morgan Bay was given its current name in 1822, when it was named after A.F. Morgan, the master of the Barracouta, a su ...

, Haga Haga and

Chintsa Chintsa, alternatively rendered Cintsa, is a village in the Wild Coast region of the Eastern Cape province, South Africa. It is situated 38 km north-east from East London East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points ...

Demographics

The main languages spoken in Kei Mouth are

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Xhosa Xhosa may refer to: * Xhosa people, a nation, and ethnic group, who live in south-central and southeasterly region of South Africa * Xhosa language, one of the 11 official languages of South Africa, principally spoken by the Xhosa people See als ...

and

. The town is home to a large number of retirees, thanks to the mild climate and holiday atmosphere.

References

Populated places in the Great Kei Local Municipality {{EasternCape-geo-stub