town, Eastern Cape province, South Africa. The town lies in an upper valley of the Great Kei River. It has a distinctive hexagonal shape, designed by its founder, Sir George Cathcart (1853), as a precaution against attack. Queenstown is a regional administrative and cultural centre with state educational institutions, particularly for girls, and scenic public gardens. Lying in a temperate plateau area often covered by tall native grasses, it is the distribution point for a prosperous wheat-, cattle-, and wool-producing district and has diversified manufactures. Pop. (2001) town, 24,903; urban agglom., 124,500.

Much of the town's workforce is employed in the mines (mining) at Mount Lyell, and the town has concentration, smelting, and refining facilities. Before newer, less environmentally damaging ore-treatment methods were introduced in 1952, the surrounding hills were stripped of their timber for fuel. Fumes emitted from the smelter killed whatever vegetation remained, and this, coupled with erosion, left a lunarlike landscape around the town. Plant life has gradually been regenerating.

Tourism has grown in importance. The town is a gateway to Franklin-Lower Gordon Rivers National Park (Franklin–Lower Gordon Wild Rivers National Park) (part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage site designated in 1982), which is a short distance to the east. A restored cog railway to Strahan, once used for mining, began operating in 2003. Pop. (2001) urban centre, 2,343.