First visited by the Portuguese in 1482, Algoa bay was the first port of call for ships outward bound to Goa, India and for a hundred years, it remained in the hands of the Portuguese as part of the CaHistory of Port Elizabeth to India.
In 1795 the British captured the Cape and a stone fort, Fort Frederick, was built on the hill overlooking the Algoa Bay anchorage. Following this development, the first two decades of the nineteenth century saw a thriving settlement established, later to become Port Elizabeth.
History year: 1488
Port Elizabeth was observed by the famous Bartolomeu Dias. In his writtings reffered to the area as "Baia da Roca" which meant bay of rock.
History year: 1497
Vasco da Gamma entered Algoa Bay and wrote about Bird Island. Bird Island is situated in the middle of Algao Bay
History year: 1700
As the Cape became more developed more Dutch settlers from Cape Town moved towards Port Elizabeth in search of good farmlands.
History year: 1799
The English established a military post called Fort Fedrick in preperation of possible French invasion.
History year: 1820
4000 British Settlers arrived by sea to become the first British residence in Algoa Bay. The British Settlers settled accross the Eastern Cape area. Sir Rufane Donkin was the acting governer at the time and decided to call the new settlement after his wife Elizabeth.
