town, Eastern Cape province, South Africa, west of East London. Founded as a missionary station in 1826, King William's Town later (after 1835) served as a military headquarters for British Kaffraria and as a centre for German settlement before officially becoming a town in 1861. It was named for the British king William IV. The town has a large textile mill and tannery and is nationally known for its many excellent schools. Its Kaffrarian Museum is considered to have the best collection of African mammal specimens in the world. Pop. (2001) 28,118.