Jerusalem vs Port Elizabeth

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Jerusalem (; Hebrew: יְרוּשָׁלַיִם‎ Yerushaláyim; Arabic: القُدس‎ al-Quds or Bayt al-Maqdis, also spelled Baitul Muqaddas) is a city in the Middle East, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the oldest cities in the world, and is considered holy to the three major Abrahamic religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Both Israel and the Palestinian Authority claim Jerusalem as their capital, as Israel maintains its primary governmental institutions there and the State of Palestine ultimately foresees it as its seat of power; however, neither claim is widely recognized internationally.During its long history, Jerusalem has been destroyed at least twice, besieged 23 times, captured and recaptured 44 times, and attacked 52 times. The part of Jerusalem called the City of David shows first signs of settlement in the 4th millennium BCE, in the shape of encampments of nomadic shepherds. Jerusalem was named as Urusalim on ancient Egyptian tablets, probably meaning "City of Shalem" after a Canaanite deity, during the Canaanite period (14th century BCE). During the Israelite period, significant construction activity in Jerusalem began in the 9th century BCE (Iron Age II), and in the 8th century the city developed into the religious and administrative center of the Kingdom of Judah. In 1538, the city walls were rebuilt for a last time around Jerusalem under Suleiman the Magnificent. Today those walls define the Old City, which has been traditionally divided into four-quarters—known since the early 19th century as the Armenian, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Quarters. The Old City became a World Heritage Site in 1981, and is on the List of World Heritage in Danger. Since 1860 Jerusalem has grown far beyond the Old City's boundaries. In 2015, Jerusalem had a population of some 850,000 residents, comprising approximately 200,000 secular Jewish Israelis, 350,000 Haredi Jews and 300,000 Palestinians. In 2016, the population was 882,700, of which Jews comprised 536,600 (60.8%), Muslims 319,800 (36.2%), Christians 15,800 (1.8%), and 10,300 unclassified (1.2%).According to the Bible, King David conquered the city from the Jebusites and established it as the capital of the united kingdom of Israel, and his son, King Solomon, commissioned the building of the First Temple.

Modern scholars argue that Jews branched out of the Canaanite peoples and culture through the development of a distinct monolatrous – and later monotheistic – religion centered on El/Yahweh, These foundational events, straddling the dawn of the 1st millennium BCE, assumed central symbolic importance for the Jewish people. The sobriquet of holy city (עיר הקודש, transliterated 'ir haqodesh) was probably attached to Jerusalem in post-exilic times. The holiness of Jerusalem in Christianity, conserved in the Septuagint which Christians adopted as their own authority, was reinforced by the New Testament account of Jesus's crucifixion there. In Sunni Islam, Jerusalem is the third-holiest city, after Mecca and Medina. In Islamic tradition, in 610 CE it became the first qibla, the focal point for Muslim prayer (salat), and Muhammad made his Night Journey there ten years later, ascending to heaven where he speaks to God, according to the Quran. As a result, despite having an area of only 0.9 square kilometres (0.35 sq mi), the Old City is home to many sites of seminal religious importance, among them the Temple Mount with its Western Wall, Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Outside the Old City stands the Garden Tomb. Today, the status of Jerusalem remains one of the core issues in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, West Jerusalem was among the areas captured and later annexed by Israel while East Jerusalem, including the Old City, was captured and later annexed by Jordan. Israel captured East Jerusalem from Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War and subsequently annexed it into Jerusalem, together with additional surrounding territory. One of Israel's Basic Laws, the 1980 Jerusalem Law, refers to Jerusalem as the country's undivided capital. All branches of the Israeli government are located in Jerusalem, including the Knesset (Israel's parliament), the residences of the Prime Minister (Beit Aghion) and President (Beit HaNassi), and the Supreme Court. While the international community rejected the annexation as illegal and treats East Jerusalem as Palestinian territory occupied by Israel, Israel has a stronger claim to sovereignty over West Jerusalem.

Source: Wikipedia

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Port Elizabeth or Nelson Mandela Bay (Xhosa: iBhayi, alternatively Gqebera; Afrikaans: Die Baai [di ˈbɑːi]), often known by its initials PE and colloquially as "The Friendly City" or "The Windy City", is a major seaport city and most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Port Elizabeth is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa's second largest metropolitan district by area. It is the most-populous city of the Eastern Cape, the sixth most-populous city in South Africa and the cultural, economic and financial centre of the Eastern Cape. The city is among the top five cities in the world for pleasant weather, according to a 2014 scientific climate study of 600 global cities. Port Elizabeth is known for many blue-flag beaches along the city's urban coastline; its popularity as an international and local holiday destination; and its rich and diverse cultural heritage. It is a tourism gateway city for the Eastern Cape and the only city with the closest proximity to malaria-free big five game reserves.The economy of Port Elizabeth is primarily oriented towards automotive assembly, manufacturing and export industries, and the city is also a major South African and sub-Saharan African destination for investment. Foreign direct investments of $19,8 billion has been secured over the past decade. Several Fortune 500 companies have a presence or their African operations headquartered in Port Elizabeth. The city's most prominent landmarks are Shark Rock pier, the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, and the Donkin Reserve. Port Elizabeth is a popular domestic and international holiday destination.

It is a gateway city for Eastern Cape's adventure, outdoor and African big five game, malaria-free safari tourism.Port Elizabeth is located in the south eastern coast of South Africa. It is situated on the western portion of Algoa Bay, adjacent to the Indian Ocean. The city lies 770 km east of Cape Town, between South Africa's Garden Route and Wild Coast. Port Elizabeth covers 251 square kilometers of the Nelson Mandela Bay metropolitan area, South Africa's sixth largest metropolitan municipality. Fortune 500 companies are present or have their African operations headquartered in the city. Port Elizabeth is the second oldest city in South Africa. It was founded in 1820 by the government of the Cape Colony when 4,000 British colonists settled Algoa Bay to strengthen the border region between the Cape Colony and the Xhosa. The city's moderate subtropical climate ranks among the top ten cities in the world for highly pleasant, all year round weather, according to a Syracuse University climatology study.Port Elizabeth is a popular tourist holiday destination. Shark Rock Pier, a prominent installation on the shoreline of Port Elizabeth's Summerstrand precinct, is the city's most famous landmark. Port Elizabeth is a tourism gateway city for big five game viewing, South Africa's national's arts festival, outdoor recreation, adventure tourism and numerous nature conservancies, including the Baviaanskloof mega-reserve, Port Elizabeth was one of the host cities for the official tournament of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Source: Wikipedia