The Eastern Cape is one of the poorest provinces in the country. Here, large coastal cities border landscapes of stunning beauty such as the semi-desert Great Karoo and the Wild Coast with its vast sandy beaches. The Eastern Cape is above all the land of the Xhosa, who lived in its western areas until they were killed or pushed back by European settlers searching for farmland. Nowadays, most of them live in the townships and former bantustans of the Transkei and Ciskey.