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The Great Kei estuary
(32°41' S;
28°23' E)
is situated north of the coastal city of East London and forms the southern border of the Transkei coast of the Eastern Cape. The river is approximately 520 km long with a catchment area of 20 566 sq. km. About 10% of the Great Kei catchment was under agriculture. Most of this comprised subsistence farming, commercial forestry, temporary commercial dryland agriculture and temporary commercial irrigated agriculture. Approximately 14% of the catchment was degraded and comprised degraded grassland and bushland as well as some erosion. About 73% of the catchment land-cover was natural and consisted mainly of grassland, bushland and shrubland. Urban development accounted for about 3% of the catchment land-cover. This mainly comprised residential development as well as some smallholdings and industrial development. Major towns in the catchment include Butterworth in the lower catchment and Queenstown in the upper catchment.
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