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Cape Town



 
 
Cape Town (; ) is the second most populous city in South Africa
South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
, forming part of the metropolitan municipality
Metropolitan municipality (South Africa)

In South Africa, a metropolitan municipality or Category A municipality is a municipality which executes all the functions of local government for a city or conurbation....
 of the City of Cape Town
City of Cape Town

The City of Cape Town is the metropolitan municipality which governs the city of Cape Town, South Africa and its suburbs and Commuter town. As of 2001, its population was 2,893,246....
. It is the provincial capital of the Western Cape
Western Cape

The Western Cape is a Provinces of South Africa in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the huge Cape Province....
, as well as the legislative
Legislature

Legislature is a type of representative deliberative assembly with the power to create and change laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law....
 capital of South Africa, where the National Parliament
Parliament of South Africa

The Parliament of South Africa is South Africa legislature and is composed of the National Assembly of South Africa and the National Council of Provinces....
 and many government offices are located. Cape Town is famous for its harbour
Port of Cape Town

The Port of Cape Town is the port of the city of Cape Town, South Africa. It is situated in Table Bay and lies at 18? 26' E and 33? 54' S.Because of its position along one of the world's busiest trade routes it is one of the busiest ports in South Africa, handling the largest amount of fresh fruit and second only to Durban as a container p...
 as well as its natural setting in the Cape floral kingdom, including such well-known landmarks as Table Mountain
Table Mountain

Table Mountain is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa, and is featured in the flag of Cape Town and other local government insignia....
 and Cape Point
Cape Point

Cape Point is a promontory at the south-east corner of the Cape Peninsula, which is a mountainous and very scenic landform that runs north-south for about thirty kilometres at the extreme southwestern tip of the African continent in the Republic of South Africa....
. Cape Town is one of the most popular South African destinations for tourism
Tourism

Tourism is travel for recreational or leisure purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from...
.

Located on the shore of Table Bay
Table Bay

Table Bay is a natural inlet overlooked by Cape Town and is at the northern end of the Cape Peninsula, which stretches south to the Cape of Good Hope....
, Cape Town was originally developed by the Dutch East India Company
Dutch East India Company

The Dutch East India Company was a trading company, which was established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia....
 as a victualling (supply) station for Dutch
Netherlands

The Netherlands is a country that is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands is located in North-West Europe, and bordered by the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east....
 ships sailing to Eastern Africa, India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
, and the Far East
Far East

The Far East is a term current in English language to refer to the countries of East Asia. The term is often expanded to also include Southeast Asia and South Asia, for economic and cultural reasons, for example because Buddhism is common to East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia....
.






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Cape Town (; ) is the second most populous city in South Africa
South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
, forming part of the metropolitan municipality
Metropolitan municipality (South Africa)

In South Africa, a metropolitan municipality or Category A municipality is a municipality which executes all the functions of local government for a city or conurbation....
 of the City of Cape Town
City of Cape Town

The City of Cape Town is the metropolitan municipality which governs the city of Cape Town, South Africa and its suburbs and Commuter town. As of 2001, its population was 2,893,246....
. It is the provincial capital of the Western Cape
Western Cape

The Western Cape is a Provinces of South Africa in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the huge Cape Province....
, as well as the legislative
Legislature

Legislature is a type of representative deliberative assembly with the power to create and change laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law....
 capital of South Africa, where the National Parliament
Parliament of South Africa

The Parliament of South Africa is South Africa legislature and is composed of the National Assembly of South Africa and the National Council of Provinces....
 and many government offices are located. Cape Town is famous for its harbour
Port of Cape Town

The Port of Cape Town is the port of the city of Cape Town, South Africa. It is situated in Table Bay and lies at 18? 26' E and 33? 54' S.Because of its position along one of the world's busiest trade routes it is one of the busiest ports in South Africa, handling the largest amount of fresh fruit and second only to Durban as a container p...
 as well as its natural setting in the Cape floral kingdom, including such well-known landmarks as Table Mountain
Table Mountain

Table Mountain is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa, and is featured in the flag of Cape Town and other local government insignia....
 and Cape Point
Cape Point

Cape Point is a promontory at the south-east corner of the Cape Peninsula, which is a mountainous and very scenic landform that runs north-south for about thirty kilometres at the extreme southwestern tip of the African continent in the Republic of South Africa....
. Cape Town is one of the most popular South African destinations for tourism
Tourism

Tourism is travel for recreational or leisure purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from...
.

Located on the shore of Table Bay
Table Bay

Table Bay is a natural inlet overlooked by Cape Town and is at the northern end of the Cape Peninsula, which stretches south to the Cape of Good Hope....
, Cape Town was originally developed by the Dutch East India Company
Dutch East India Company

The Dutch East India Company was a trading company, which was established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia....
 as a victualling (supply) station for Dutch
Netherlands

The Netherlands is a country that is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands is located in North-West Europe, and bordered by the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east....
 ships sailing to Eastern Africa, India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
, and the Far East
Far East

The Far East is a term current in English language to refer to the countries of East Asia. The term is often expanded to also include Southeast Asia and South Asia, for economic and cultural reasons, for example because Buddhism is common to East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia....
. Jan van Riebeeck
Jan van Riebeeck

Johan Anthoniszoon "Jan" van Riebeeck was a Netherlands Dutch Empire administrator and founder of Cape Town....
's arrival on 6 April 1652 established the first permanent European settlement in South Africa
South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
. Cape Town quickly outgrew its original purpose as the first European outpost at the Castle of Good Hope
Castle of Good Hope

The Castle of Good Hope is a star fort which was built on the original coastline of Table Bay and now, because of land reclamation, seems nearer the centre of Cape Town, South Africa....
, becoming the economic and cultural hub of the Cape Colony
Cape Colony

The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by French Revolution, so that the French revolutionaries could not take possession of...
. Until the Witwatersrand Gold Rush
Witwatersrand Gold Rush

The Witwatersrand Gold Rush was a gold rush in 1886 that led to the establishment of Johannesburg, South Africa.There had always been rumours of a modern-day "El Dorado" in the folklore of the native tribes that roamed the plains of the South African highveld, and the gold miners that had come from all over the world to seek out their fortu...
 and the development of Johannesburg
Johannesburg

Johannesburg also known as Joburg, is the largest city in South Africa. Johannesburg is the province Capital of Gauteng the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa....
, Cape Town was the largest city in South Africa.

the city had a population of 3.5 million. Cape Town's land area of is larger than other South African cities, resulting in a comparatively lower population density of .

History

There is no certainty as to when humans first occupied the area prior to the first visits of Europeans in the 15th century. The earliest known remnants in the region were found at Peers cave in Fish Hoek and date to around 12,000 years ago. Little is known of the history of the region's first residents, since there is no written history from the area before it was first mentioned by Portuguese
Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Located in southwestern Europe, Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east....
 explorer
Age of Discovery

The Age of Discovery, also known as the Age of Exploration, was a period in human history starting in the 15th Century and continuing into the 17th Century, during which Europeans explored the world by ocean searching for trading partners and particular trade goods....
 Bartolomeu Dias
Bartolomeu Dias

Bartolomeu Dias , a Nobleman of the Royal Household, was a Portugal List of explorers who sailed around the southernmost tip of Africa in 1488, the first European known to have done so....
 in 1486. Vasco da Gama
Vasco da Gama

D. Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira was a Portugal in the Age of Discovery, one of the most successful in the European Age of Discovery and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India....
 recorded a sighting of the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope

The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headlands and bays on the Atlantic Ocean coast of South Africa. There is a very common misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa and the dividing point between the Atlantic Ocean and Indian Oceans, but in fact the southernmost point is Cape Agulhas, about 150 kilometres t...
 in 1497, and the area did not have regular contact with Europeans until 1652, when the Netherlands
Netherlands

The Netherlands is a country that is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands is located in North-West Europe, and bordered by the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east....
' Jan van Riebeeck
Jan van Riebeeck

Johan Anthoniszoon "Jan" van Riebeeck was a Netherlands Dutch Empire administrator and founder of Cape Town....
 and other employees of the Dutch East India Company
Dutch East India Company

The Dutch East India Company was a trading company, which was established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia....
 (VOC) were sent to the Cape to establish a way-station for ships travelling to the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies

The Dutch East Indies, or Netherlands East Indies, was the Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II.It was formed from the nationalised colony of the former Dutch East India Company that came under the administration of the Netherlands in 1800....
. The city grew slowly during this period, as it was hard to find adequate labour. This labour shortage prompted the city to import slaves from Indonesia
Indonesia

The Republic of Indonesia , is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Comprising Islands of Indonesia, it is the world's largest Archipelago state....
 and Madagascar
Madagascar

Madagascar, or Republic of Madagascar , is an island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa. The main island, also called Madagascar, is the List of islands by area, and is home to 5% of the world's plant and animal species, of which more than 80% are Endemism to Madagascar....
. Many of these became ancestors of the first Cape Coloured
Cape Coloureds

The term Cape Coloureds refers to the modern-day descendants of slaves imported into South Africa by Netherlands settlers as well as to other groups of mixed ancestry originating in the present-day Western Cape....
 communities.

During the French Revolution
French Revolution

The French Revolution was a period of political and social upheaval and radical change in the history of France, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudalism for the aristocracy and Roman Catholic Church clergy, underwent radical change to forms based on Age of Enlightenment principles of cit...
ary and Napoleonic wars, the Netherlands was repeatedly occupied by France, and Great Britain
Great Britain

Great Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the List of islands by area, and the largest in Europe. With a population of 58.9 million people it is List of islands by population....
 moved to take control of Dutch colonies. Britain captured Cape Town in 1795, but the Cape was returned to the Netherlands by treaty in 1803. British forces occupied the Cape again in 1806. In the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814
Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814

The Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 was a treaty signed between United Kingdom and the The Netherlands in London on August 13, 1814. It was signed by Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh, for Britain and Hendrik Fagel for the Netherlands....
, Cape Town was permanently ceded to Britain. It became the capital of the newly formed Cape Colony
Cape Colony

The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by French Revolution, so that the French revolutionaries could not take possession of...
, whose territory expanded very substantially through the 1800s.

The discovery of diamond
Diamond

In mineralogy, diamond is the Allotropes of carbon where the carbon atoms are arranged in an isometric-hexoctahedral crystal lattice. After graphite, diamond is the second most stable form of carbon....
s in Griqualand West
Griqualand West

Griqualand West is an area of central South Africa with an area of 40,000 km? that now forms part of the Northern Cape Province, which was inhabited by the Griqua people....
 in 1869, and the Witwatersrand Gold Rush
Witwatersrand Gold Rush

The Witwatersrand Gold Rush was a gold rush in 1886 that led to the establishment of Johannesburg, South Africa.There had always been rumours of a modern-day "El Dorado" in the folklore of the native tribes that roamed the plains of the South African highveld, and the gold miners that had come from all over the world to seek out their fortu...
 in 1886, prompted a flood of immigrants to South Africa. Conflicts between the Boer
Boer

Boer is the Dutch language word for farmer which came to denote the descendants of the proto Afrikaans-speaking pastoralists of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 18th century as well as those who left the Cape Colony during the 19th century to settle in the Orange Free State, Transvaal and to a lesser extent Natal Pro...
 republics in the interior and the British colonial government resulted in the Second Boer War
Second Boer War

The Second Boer War , commonly referred to as The Boer War and also known as the South African War , the Anglo-Boer War and in Afrikaans as the Boereoorlog or Tweede Vryheidsoorlog , was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902, between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics of the Orange Fre...
 of 1899-1901, which Britain won. In 1910, Britain established the Union of South Africa
Union of South Africa

The Union of South Africa is the historic predecessor to the present-day state of the Republic of South Africa. It came into being on 31 May 1910, with the previously separate colonies of the Cape Colony, Colony of Natal, Transvaal and the Orange Free State, plus the German South-West Africa colony in 1915, becoming Provinces in the Union of...
, which unified the Cape Colony with the two defeated Boer Republics and the British colony of Natal
Colony of Natal

The Colony of Natal was a British colony in south-eastern Africa. It was proclaimed a British colony on May 4, 1843 after the British government had annexed the Boer Natalia Republic, and on 31 May1910 combined with three other colonies to form the Union of South Africa....
. Cape Town became the legislative capital of the Union, and later of the Republic of South Africa.

In the 1948 national elections, the National Party
National Party (South Africa)

The National Party was the governing party of South Africa from June 4, 1948 until May 9, 1994, and was disbanded in 2005. Its policies included apartheid, the establishment of a republic, and the promotion of Afrikaner culture....
 won on a platform of apartheid (racial segregation) under the slogan of "swart gevaar
Swart gevaar

Swart Gevaar . Translated into English as black threat. A term referred to during the days of the Apartheid South African regime. It refers to a perceived security threat to the then white South African Government from the black African population....
". This led to the Group Areas Act
Group Areas Act

The Group Areas Act of 1950 was an act of parliament created under the apartheid government of South Africa on 27th April 1950. The act assigned racial groups to different residential and business sections in urban areas in a system of urban apartheid....
, which classified all areas according to race. Formerly multi-racial suburbs of Cape Town were either purged of unlawful residents or demolished. The most infamous example of this in Cape Town was District Six
District Six, Cape Town

District Six is the name of a former inner-city residential area in Cape Town, South Africa. It is best known for the History of South Africa in the Apartheid era#Forced removal of over 60 000 of its inhabitants during the 1970s by the apartheid regime....
. After it was declared a whites-only region in 1965, all housing there was demolished and over 60,000 residents were forcibly removed. Many of these residents were relocated to the Cape Flats
Cape Flats

The Cape Flats is an expansive, low-lying, flat area situated to the southeast of the central business district of Cape Town. To most people in Cape Town, the area is known simply as 'The Flats'....
 and Lavendar Hill. Under apartheid, the Cape was considered a "Coloured
Coloured

In the South African, Namibian, Zambian, Botswana and Zimbabwean context, the term Coloured refers or referred to an ethnic group of people who possess sub-Saharan African ancestry, but not enough to be considered Black people under the law of South Africa....
 labour preference area", to the exclusion of "Bantus", i.e. blacks.

Cape Town was home to many leaders of the anti-apartheid movement. On Robben Island
Robben Island

Robben Island or Penguin Island is an island in Table Bay, some seven kilometres off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa. The name is Dutch language for "seal island"....
, a former penitentiary island 10 kilometres from the city, many famous political prisoners were held for years. In one of the most famous moments marking the end of apartheid, Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was the first President of South Africa of South Africa to be elected in a universal suffrage democratic election, serving in the office from 1994?99....
 made his first public speech in decades on 11 February 1990 from the balcony of Cape Town City Hall
Cape Town City Hall

Cape Town City Hall is a large Edwardian building in Cape Town city centre which was built in 1905. It is located on the Grand Parade to the west of the Castle of Good Hope and is built from honey-coloured oolitic limestone imported from Bath, Somerset in England....
 hours after being released. His speech heralded the beginning of a new era for the country, and the first democratic election
South African general election, 1994

The South African general election of 1994 was a general election held in South Africa at the end of apartheid, therefore also the first held with universal suffrage....
 was held four years later, on 27 April 1994. Nobel Square in the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront
Victoria & Alfred Waterfront

The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in the historic heart of Cape Town's working harbour is South Africa most-visited destination, having the highest rate of foreign tourists of any attraction in the country....
 features statues of South Africa's four Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize

The Nobel Peace Prize is one of five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel. According to Nobel's will , the Peace Prize should be awarded "to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for :wikt:fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the h...
 winners - Albert Luthuli, Desmond Tutu
Desmond Tutu

Desmond Mpilo Tutu is a South African cleric and activist who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of History of South Africa in the Apartheid Era....
, F.W. de Klerk and Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was the first President of South Africa of South Africa to be elected in a universal suffrage democratic election, serving in the office from 1994?99....
. Since 1994, the city has struggled with problems such as HIV
HIV

Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that can lead to AIDS , a condition in humans in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to life-threatening opportunistic infections....
/AIDS
AIDS

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the HIV ....
, tuberculosis
Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is a common and often deadly infectious disease caused by mycobacterium, mainly Mycobacterium tuberculosis . Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect the central nervous system, the lymphatic system, the circulatory system, the genitourinary system, the gastrointestinal system, bones, joints, and even the...
, a surge in violent drug-related crime
Drug-Related Crime

Illegal drug trade are related to crime in multiple ways. Most directly, it is a crime to use, possess, manufacture, or distribute drugs classified as having a potential for Drug_abuse ....
 and more recent xenophobic violence. At the same time, the economy has surged to unprecedented levels due to the boom in the tourism
Tourism

Tourism is travel for recreational or leisure purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from...
 and the real estate
Real estate

Real estate is a law term that encompasses land along with anything permanently affixed to the land, such as buildings, specifically property that is fixed in location.
 industries.

Geography

The centre of Cape Town is located at the northern end of the Cape Peninsula
Cape Peninsula

The Cape Peninsula is a generally rocky peninsula that juts out for 75 km into the Atlantic Ocean at the south-western extremity of the African continent....
. Table Mountain
Table Mountain

Table Mountain is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa, and is featured in the flag of Cape Town and other local government insignia....
 forms a dramatic backdrop to the city bowl, with its plateau over 1,000 m (3,300 ft) high; it is surrounded by near-vertical cliffs, Devil's Peak
Devil's Peak (Cape Town)

Devil's Peak is part of the mountainous backdrop to Cape Town. When looking at Table Mountain from the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, or when looking at the standard picture postcard view of the mountain, the skyline is from left to right: the spire of Devil's Peak, the flat mesa of Table Mountain, the dome of Lion's Head and Signal Hill ....
 and Lion's Head
Lion's Head (Cape Town)

Lion's Head is a mountain located in Cape Town, South Africa, between Table Mountain and Signal Hill . Lion's Head peaks at above sea level. The peak forms part of a dramatic backdrop to the city of Cape Town and is part of the Table Mountain National Park....
. Sometimes a thin strip of cloud forms over the mountain, and owing to its appearance, it is colloquially known as the "tablecloth". The peninsula consists of a dramatic mountainous spine jutting southwards into the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions; with a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres . It covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface....
, ending at Cape Point
Cape Point

Cape Point is a promontory at the south-east corner of the Cape Peninsula, which is a mountainous and very scenic landform that runs north-south for about thirty kilometres at the extreme southwestern tip of the African continent in the Republic of South Africa....
. There are over 70 peaks above (the American definition of a mountain
Mountain

A mountain is a landform that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area usually in the form of a peak. A mountain is generally steeper than a hill....
) within Cape Town's official city limits. Many of the suburbs of Cape Town are on the large plain of the Cape Flats
Cape Flats

The Cape Flats is an expansive, low-lying, flat area situated to the southeast of the central business district of Cape Town. To most people in Cape Town, the area is known simply as 'The Flats'....
, which joins the peninsula to the mainland. The Cape Flats lie on what is known as a rising marine plain, consisting mostly of sandy geology which shows that at one point Table Mountain itself was an island.

Climate

Satellite Image of Cape Peninsula
The Cape Peninsula
Cape of Good Hope

The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headlands and bays on the Atlantic Ocean coast of South Africa. There is a very common misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa and the dividing point between the Atlantic Ocean and Indian Oceans, but in fact the southernmost point is Cape Agulhas, about 150 kilometres t...
 has a Mediterranean climate
Mediterranean climate

A Mediterranean climate is one that resembles the climate of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, which includes over half of the area with this climate type world-wide....
 with well-defined season
Season

A season is one of the major divisions of the year, generally based on yearly periodic changes in weather.Seasons result from the yearly revolution of the Earth around the Sun and the Axial tilt....
s. In winter, which lasts from May to September, large cold front
Cold front

A cold front is defined as the leading edge of a cooler and drier mass of air, replacing a warmer mass of air.Development of cold front...
s come across from the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions; with a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres . It covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface....
 with heavy precipitation
Precipitation (meteorology)

File:MeanMonthlyP.gifIn meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of Atmosphere water vapor that is deposited on the earth's surface....
 and strong north-westerly winds. The winter months are cool, with an average minimum temperature of 7 °C
Celsius

Celsius is a temperature scale that is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death....
 (45 °F
Fahrenheit

Fahrenheit is a temperature scale named after the physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit , who proposed it in 1724. Today, the scale has largely been replaced by the Celsius scale; it is still in use for non-scientific purposes in the United States and a few other countries such as Belize....
). Most of the city's annual rainfall occurs in wintertime, but due to the mountainous topography of the city, rainfall amounts for specific areas can vary dramatically. The suburb of Newlands which is to the south of the city is the wettest place in South Africa. The valleys and coastal plains average 515 millimetres (20 in) of rain per annum, while mountain areas can average as much as 1,500 millimetres (60 in) per annum. Summer, which lasts from November to March, is warm and dry. The Peninsula gets frequent strong winds from the south-east, known locally as the Cape Doctor
Cape Doctor

"Cape Doctor" is the local name for the strong, persistent and dry south-easterly wind that blows on the South African coast in summer . It is known as the Cape Doctor because it has long been held to clear Cape Town of pollution and 'pestilance' ....
, because it blows away pollution and cleans the air. The south-easterly wind is caused by a high-pressure system
Pressure system

A pressure system is a region of the Earth's atmosphere where atmospheric pressure is unusually high or low. High and low pressures develop constantly due to thermodynamic interactions of temperature differentials in the atmosphere and water of oceans and lakes....
 which sits in the South Atlantic to the west of Cape Town, known as the South-Atlantic High. Summer temperatures are mild, with an average maximum of 26 °C (79 °F). The only times when Cape Town can be uncomfortably hot is when the Berg Wind, meaning "mountain wind" blows from the Karoo
Karoo

The Karoo is a semi-desert region of South Africa. It has two main sub-regions - the Great Karoo in the north and the Little Karoo in the south....
 interior for a couple weeks in February or early March.

Government

Cape town's local government is the City of Cape Town
City of Cape Town

The City of Cape Town is the metropolitan municipality which governs the city of Cape Town, South Africa and its suburbs and Commuter town. As of 2001, its population was 2,893,246....
, which is a metropolitan municipality
Metropolitan municipality (South Africa)

In South Africa, a metropolitan municipality or Category A municipality is a municipality which executes all the functions of local government for a city or conurbation....
. Cape Town is governed by a 210-member city council
City council

A city council is a form of local government, usually covering a city or other urban area, such as a town. The system of government has roots back at least to the Roman Empire....
, which reports to a 28-member executive council. The executive council, in turn, is presided over by a city manager and an executive mayor. The city is divided into 105 electoral wards; each ward directly elects one member of the council, whilst the other 105 councillors are elected by a party-list proportional representation
Party-list proportional representation

Party-list proportional representation systems are a family of voting systems emphasizing proportional representation in multiple-winner elections ....
 system. The mayor is chosen by the city council.

The current mayor is Helen Zille
Helen Zille

Helen Zille is the Mayor of Cape Town, leader of South Africa opposition Democratic Alliance political party, and candidate for Premier of the Western Cape in the South African general election, 2009....
 of the Democratic Alliance
Democratic Alliance (South Africa)

The Democratic Alliance is a liberal parties South African political party, and the official opposition to the ruling African National Congress....
. In the most recent local government elections
South African municipal election, 2006

The 2006 South African municipal elections were held on March 1, 2006, to elect members to the local governing councils in the Municipalities of South Africa....
, the Democratic Alliance was the largest single party with 90 of the 210 seats on the council, ahead of the African National Congress
African National Congress

The African National Congress has been South Africa's governing party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in May 1994....
's 81 seats, but with no party holding a majority. A subsequent by-election has increased the DA's seats to 91. The DA has now increased its majority, by introducing the Independent Democrats (South Africa) to the coalition, and so the DA-led council now has a majority of 22 seats.

Before the unification of Cape Town's local government into the so-called "Unicity", it was divided into six regional "Administrations"; many functions of the Unicity are still divided according to the old Administrations. The administrations include Cape Town, which has the regions of the City Bowl
City Bowl

The City Bowl is a part of Cape Town in South Africa. It is a natural amphitheatre-shaped area bordered by Table Bay and defined by the mountains of Signal Hill , Lion's Head , Table Mountain and Devil's Peak ....
, the Atlantic Seaboard, the southern suburbs, Pinelands
Pinelands, Cape Town

File:OSM Pinelands map small.svg|250px|thumb|Map of Pinelands from OpenStreetMap.default :File:OSM Pinelands map.svgThe "garden city movement" suburb of Pinelands is located on the edge of the southern suburbs of Cape Town in South Africa and is known for its large thatched houses....
, Langa
Langa, Cape Town

Langa is a township found in Cape Town, South Africa. Similar to Khayelitsha, Langa is one of the areas that were designated for black Africans before the apartheid era....
 and Mitchell's Plain
Mitchell's Plain

Mitchell's Plain is a largely coloured township about 20 km from the city of Cape Town. It is located on the Cape Flats on the False Bay coast between Strandfontein and Khayelitsha....
. The South Peninsula includes Hout Bay
Hout Bay

Hout Bay is the name of a coastal suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. It lies in a valley on the Atlantic Seaboard of the Cape Peninsula and is twenty kilometres south of the Central Business District of Cape Town....
, Wynberg
Wynberg, Cape Town

Wynberg is a southern suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. It is situated between Plumstead, Cape Town and Kenilworth, Cape Town. It is a main transport hub for the Southern Suburbs, Cape Town of Cape Town....
, Constantia
Constantia, Cape Town

Constantia is an affluent suburb of Cape Town, South Africa, situated about 15 kilometres south of the centre of Cape Town. The Constantia Valley lies to the east of and at the foot of the Constantiaberg mountain....
, Fish Hoek, Kommetjie, Noordhoek
Noordhoek

Noordhoek is the name of several locations:* Noordhoek, Cape Town, South Africa* Noordhoek, Bloemfontein, South Africa* Noordhoek , the Netherlands...
 and Simon's Town
Simon's Town

Simon's Town and, in Afrikaans, Simonstad), is a village and a naval base in South Africa, near Cape Town. It is located on the shores of False Bay, on the eastern side of the Cape Peninsula....
. The Blaauwberg region includes Milnerton
Milnerton, Cape Town

Milnerton is a suburb of Cape Town in South Africa situated on the Atlantic Ocean 11 kilometres to the north of Cape Town city's centre.The Milnerton area of Cape Town includes Cambridge Estate, Century City, Du Noon, Joe Slovo Park, Lagoon Beach, Milnerton Ridge, Royal Ascot, Sanddrift, Tygerhof and Woodbridge Island....
, Tableview
Tableview, Cape Town

Tableview or Table View is a west coast suburb of Cape Town, South Africa, named after its view of Table Mountain....
, and Bloubergstrand
Bloubergstrand, Cape Town

Bloubergstrand is a suburb of Cape Town located on the shores of Table Bay, about 25km to the north of the city centre. Its name in Afrikaans means "blue mountain beach" after Blouberg, a hill not far inland from the coast....
. Tygerberg has its own region, with Durbanville
Durbanville, Cape Town

Durbanville is a residential suburb and wine producing area in the northern suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa.Durbanville was originally known as Pampoenkraal ....
, Bellville
Bellville, Cape Town

Bellville is a former city in the Western Cape province of South Africa; it is now part of the greater Cape Town metropolitan area. It falls within the area of the City of Cape Town municipality....
, and Khayelitsha
Khayelitsha

Khayelitsha is a partially informal township in South Africa, on the outskirts of Cape Town in the Cape Flats. The name is Xhosa language for Our New Home....
 added to it. Oostenberg includes Kraaifontein, Brackenfell
Brackenfell, Cape Town

Brackenfell is one of the northern suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa. It comprises residential, commercial and industrial areas catering to all sectors of the market....
, Kuilsrivier, Blue Downs
Blue Downs, Cape Town

Blue Downs is a suburb of the Cape Town, South Africa. It is part of the Oosterberg sub-region of the city and is located in the Cape Flats....
, and Eerste Rivier
Eerste Rivier, Cape Town

Eerste Rivier is a suburb of the city of Cape Town, South Africa. It is part of the Oosterberg sub-region.Schools in Eerste Rivier include the Afrikaans-medium Eersterivier Secondary School....
. The last administration, Helderberg, includes Somerset West
Somerset West, Western Cape

Somerset West is a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is situated in the Helderberg area , about 50 km east of Cape Town and 10 km from Strand, Western Cape....
, Strand, and Gordon's Bay
Gordon's Bay

Gordon's Bay is a harbour town in the Western Cape province of South Africa, close to Strand, Western Cape. It is situated on the northeastern corner of False Bay about 50 km from Cape Town to the south of the N2 national road and is named after Robert Jacob Gordon , the Dutch explorer of Scottish descent....
.

Demographics

Za Cape Town Language
According to the South African National Census of 2001
South African National Census of 2001

The South African National Census of 2001 is the most recent national census of South Africa.The census was undertaken by Statistics South Africa and undertook to enumerate every person present in South Africa on the census night, 9-10 October 2001....
, the population of Cape Town is 2,893,251 people. There are 759,767 formal households, of which 87.4% have a flush or chemical toilet
Toilet

A toilet is a plumbing fixture and disposal system primarily intended for the disposal of the excretory system: urine and feces. Additionally, vomit and menstrual waste is sometimes disposed in toilets in western societies....
, and 94.4% have refuse removed by the municipality at least once a week. 80.1% of households use electricity
Electricity

Electricity is a general term that encompasses a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena such as lightning and static electricity, but in addition, less familiar concepts such as the electromagnetic field and electromagnetic induction....
 as the main source of energy. 16.1% of households are headed by one person.

Coloured
Coloured

In the South African, Namibian, Zambian, Botswana and Zimbabwean context, the term Coloured refers or referred to an ethnic group of people who possess sub-Saharan African ancestry, but not enough to be considered Black people under the law of South Africa....
 people account for 48.13% of the population, followed by Black Africans at 31%, Whites at 18.75%, and Asians
Asian people

Asian or Asiatic people is a demonym for people from Asia. However, the use of the term varies by country and person, often referring to people from a particular region or subregion of Asia....
 at 1.43%. 46.6% of the population is under the age of 24, whilst 5% are over the age of 65. The median age in the city is 26 years old, and for every 100 females, there are 92.4 males. 19.4% of city residents are unemployed
Unemployment

File:World map of countries by rate of unemployment.pngUnemployment occurs when a person is available to work and currently seeking work, but the person is without Wage labour....
; 58.3% of the unemployed are black, 38.1% are Coloured, 3.1% are White and 0.5% are Asian.

41.4% of Cape Town residents speak Afrikaans
Afrikaans

Afrikaans is an Indo-European language, derived from Dutch language and thus classified as Low Franconian languages West Germanic languages. It is mainly spoken in South Africa and Namibia, with smaller numbers of speakers living in Botswana, Angola, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Zambia, Australia, New Zealand, United States of America, Taiwa...
 at home, 28.7% speak Xhosa
Xhosa language

Xhosa is one of the official languages of South Africa. Xhosa is spoken by approximately Xhosa, or about 18% of the South African population. Like most Bantu languages, Xhosa is a Tone , that is, the same sequence of consonants and vowels can have different meanings when said with a rising or falling or high or low intonation....
, 27.9% speak English
English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
, 0.7% speak Sotho, 0.3% speak Zulu
Zulu language

Zulu , is a language of the Zulu people with about 10 million speakers, the vast majority of whom live in South Africa. Zulu is the most widely spoken home language in South Africa as well as being understood by over 50% of the population ....
, 0.1% speak Tswana
Tswana language

Tswana , is a Bantu languages language written in the Latin Alphabet. Tswana is the national and majority language of Botswana, whose people are the Batswana ....
 and 0.7% of the population speaks a non-official language at home. 76.6% of residents are Christian
Christianity

Christianity is a Monotheistic religion #Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus as New Testament view on Jesus' life....
, 10.7% have no religion, 9.7% are Muslim
Islam

Islam is a Monotheism, Abrahamic religion originating with the teachings of the Prophets of Islam Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure....
, 0.5% are Jewish
Judaism

Judaism is a set of beliefs and practices originating in the Hebrew Bible , as later further explored and explained in the Talmud and other texts....
 and 0.2% are Hindu
Hinduism

'Hinduism' is the predominant religion of the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is often referred to as , a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the eternal dharma", by its practitioners....
. 2.3% have other or undetermined beliefs.

4.2% of residents aged 20 and over have received no schooling
Education in South Africa

South Africa has 12 million learners, 366 000 teachers and around 28 000 schools - including 390 special needs schools and 1 000 registered private schools....
; 11.8% have had some primary school; 7.1% have completed only primary school; 38.9% have had some high school
High school

High school is the name used in some parts of the world to describe an institution which provides all or part of secondary education. The term originated in Scotland and spread to the New World countries as the high prestige that the Scottish educational system had at the time led several countries to employ Scottish educators to develop the...
 education; 25.4% have finished only high school and 12.6% have an education higher than the high school level. Overall, 38.0% of residents have completed high school. The median annual income of working adults aged 20–65 is ZAR
South African rand

The rand is the currency of South Africa. It takes its name from the Witwatersrand , the ridge upon which Johannesburg is built and where most of South Africa's gold deposits were found....
 25 774. Males have a median annual income of ZAR 27 406 versus ZAR 22 265 for females.

Economy

Cape Town International Convention Centre
Cape Town is the economic centre of the Western Cape and serves as the regional manufacturing centre. It also has the primary harbour and airport in the Western Cape. The large government presence in the city, both as the capital of the Western Cape and the seat of the National Parliament
Parliament of South Africa

The Parliament of South Africa is South Africa legislature and is composed of the National Assembly of South Africa and the National Council of Provinces....
, has led to increased revenue and growth in industries that serve the government. Cape Town hosts many conferences
Meeting

In a meeting, two or more people come together for the purpose of discussing a predetermined topic such as business or community event planning, often in a formal setting....
, particularly in the new Cape Town International Convention Centre
Cape Town International Convention Centre

The Cape Town International Convention Centre is a convention centre in Cape Town, South Africa. The centre opened in June 2003.It is currently undergoing an expansion, with more exhibition space nearing completion on the south-eastern section of the property, and a 15-storey Convention Tower office block being built above....
, which opened in June 2003. The city has recently enjoyed a booming real estate and construction
Construction

In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of multitasking....
 market, because of the 2010 World Cup as well as many people buying summer homes in the city or relocating there permanently. The central business district is under an extensive urban renewal programme, with numerous new buildings and renovations taking place under the guidance of the Cape Town Partnership
Cape Town Partnership

The Cape Town Partnership is a public-private partnership with Cape Town businesses, the City Improvement District and the City of Cape Town local government....
. The central business district is expecting a private-sector investment influx of ZAR30-35billion (US$5-6billion) over the next 5 years, confirmed by the Partnership.

Cape Town has four major commercial nodes, with Cape Town Central Business District containing the majority of job opportunities and office space. Century City, the Bellville/TygerValley strip and Claremont
Claremont, Cape Town

Claremont is a suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. It is situated six miles south of the city, and is one of the so-called "Southern Suburbs". It is an important commercial and residential area, which is currently experiencing significant growth and development....
 commercial nodes are well established and contain many offices and corporate headquarters as well. Most companies headquartered in the city are insurance companies, retail groups, publishers, design houses, fashion designers, shipping companies, petrochemical companies, architects and advertising agencies.

Much of the produce is handled through the Port of Cape Town
Port of Cape Town

The Port of Cape Town is the port of the city of Cape Town, South Africa. It is situated in Table Bay and lies at 18? 26' E and 33? 54' S.Because of its position along one of the world's busiest trade routes it is one of the busiest ports in South Africa, handling the largest amount of fresh fruit and second only to Durban as a container p...
 or Cape Town International Airport
Cape Town International Airport

Cape Town International Airport is an airport in Cape Town, South Africa. It is a hub for South African Airways. Cape Town International is the second-largest airport in South Africa, after Johannesburg International Airport, third-largest in Africa and a major gateway for tourist traffic....
. Most major shipbuilding companies have offices and manufacturing locations in Cape Town. The Province is also a centre of energy development for the country, with the existing Koeberg nuclear power station
Koeberg nuclear power station

Koeberg nuclear power station is the only nuclear power station power station in South Africa and the entire African continent. It is located 30 km north of Cape Town, near Melkbosstrand on the west coast of South Africa....
 providing energy for the Western Cape's needs. Recently, oil explorers have discovered oil and natural gas
Natural gas

Natural gas is a gas consisting primarily of methane. It is found associated with fossil fuels, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is created by methanogenic organisms in marshes, bogs, and landfills....
 off the coast in the Atlantic Ocean.

The Western Cape is an important tourist region in South Africa; the tourism industry accounts for 9.8% of the GDP
Gross domestic product

File:GDP nominal per capita world map IMF 2008.pngThe gross domestic product or gross domestic income is one of the measures of national income and output for a given country's economy....
 of the province and employs 9.6% of the province's workforce. In 2004, over 1.5 million international tourists visited the area.

The mining industry in Cape Town has been booming for the last 6 years. 6000 miners are now employed in the mining industry since 2002.

The city was recently named as the most entrepreneurial city in South Africa, with the percentage of Capetonians pursuing business opportunities almost three times higher than the national average. Those aged between 18-64 were 190% more likely to pursue new business, whilst in Johannesburg, the same demographic group was only 60% more likely than the national average to pursue a new business.

Tourism

Cape Town Bo Kaap City Street
Cape Town is the most popular tourist destination in South Africa due to its good climate, natural setting, and relatively well-developed infrastructure. The city has several well-known natural features that attract tourists, most notably Table Mountain
Table Mountain

Table Mountain is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa, and is featured in the flag of Cape Town and other local government insignia....
, which forms a large part of the Table Mountain National Park
Table Mountain National Park

Table Mountain National Park, previously known as the Cape Peninsula National Park, is a national park in Cape Town, South Africa, proclaimed on May 29, 1998 for the purpose of protecting the natural environment of the Table Mountain Chain, and in particular the rare fynbos vegetation....
 and is the back end of the City Bowl. Reaching the top of the mountain can be achieved either by hiking up, or by taking the Table Mountain Cableway. Cape Point
Cape Point

Cape Point is a promontory at the south-east corner of the Cape Peninsula, which is a mountainous and very scenic landform that runs north-south for about thirty kilometres at the extreme southwestern tip of the African continent in the Republic of South Africa....
 is recognised as the dramatic headland at the end of the Cape Peninsula
Cape Peninsula

The Cape Peninsula is a generally rocky peninsula that juts out for 75 km into the Atlantic Ocean at the south-western extremity of the African continent....
. Many tourists also drive along Chapman's Peak Drive
Chapman's Peak

Chapman's Peak is the name of a mountain on the western side of the Cape Peninsula, about 15 kilometres south of Cape Town, South Africa. It is opposite the inlet on which the town of Hout Bay is centred....
, a narrow road that links Noordhoek
Noordhoek, Cape Town

Noordhoek is a suburb of Cape Town, South Africa, located below Chapman's Peak on the west coast of the Cape Peninsula, approximately thirty-five kilometres to the south of the city itself....
 with Hout Bay, for the views of the Atlantic Ocean and nearby mountains. It is possible to either drive or hike up Signal Hill
Signal Hill (Cape Town)

Signal Hill is a landmark flat-topped hill located in Cape Town, next to Lion's Head and Table Mountain.The hill is also known as "The Lion's Flank", but this term is obsolete....
 for closer views of the City Bowl and Table Mountain.

Many tourists also visit Cape Town's beaches, which are popular with local residents. Due to the city's unique geography, it is possible to visit several different beaches in the same day, each with a different setting and atmosphere. Beaches located on the Atlantic Coast tend to have very cold water from the Benguela current
Benguela Current

The frigid waters of the north-flowing Benguela current move from the western coast of South Africa, Namibia and Angola towards north and northwest up to the line where it joins the southern equatorial current which is already a warm current....
 which originates from the Southern Ocean
Southern Ocean

The Southern Ocean, also known as the Great Southern Ocean, the Antarctic Ocean and the South Polar Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean south of 60th parallel south latitude....
. The water at False Bay
False Bay

False Bay is a body of water defined by Cape Hangklip and the Cape Peninsula in the extreme South-West of South Africa....
 beaches is often warmer by up to 10 °C (18 °F). Both coasts are equally popular, although the beaches in affluent Clifton
Clifton, Cape Town

Clifton is a suburb of Cape Town, South Africa.It is an exclusive residential area and is home to some of the most expensive real estate in South Africa, with dwellings nestled on cliffs that have sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean....
 and elsewhere on the Atlantic Coast are better developed with restaurants and cafés, with a particularly vibrant strip of restaurants and bars accessible to the beach at Camps Bay
Camps Bay

Camps Bay is an affluent suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. In the European winter it is a hotbed of European tourists as well as local South Africans down for a beach holiday....
. Boulders Beach
Boulders Beach

Boulders Beach is a sheltered beach made up of inlets between granite boulders, from which the name originated. It is located in the Cape Peninsula, near Simon's Town towards Cape Point, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa....
 near Simon's Town is known for its colony of African penguins
African Penguin

The African Penguin , also known as the Black-footed Penguin or Jackass Penguin is found on the south-western coast of Africa, living in colonies on 24 islands between Namibia and Algoa Bay, near Port Elizabeth, South Africa, with the largest colony on Gansbaai, near Kleinbaai....
. Surfing
Surfing

Surfing refers to a person or boat riding down a wave and thereby gathering speed from the downward movement. Most commonly, the term is used for a surface water sports in which the person surfing is carried along the face of a breaking ocean surface wave standing on a surfboard....
 is popular and the city hosts the Red Bull Big Wave Africa
Red Bull Big Wave Africa

The Red Bull Big Wave Africa is a surfing competition held annually in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa.The event is held at "Dungeons", just east of The Sentinel, a peak in Hout Bay, Cape Town....
 surfing competition every year.

The city has several notable cultural attractions. The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront
Victoria & Alfred Waterfront

The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in the historic heart of Cape Town's working harbour is South Africa most-visited destination, having the highest rate of foreign tourists of any attraction in the country....
, built on top of part of the docks
Dock (maritime)

A dock is a man-made feature involved in the handling of boats or ships. However the exact meaning varies between different variants of the English language....
 of the Port of Cape Town
Port of Cape Town

The Port of Cape Town is the port of the city of Cape Town, South Africa. It is situated in Table Bay and lies at 18? 26' E and 33? 54' S.Because of its position along one of the world's busiest trade routes it is one of the busiest ports in South Africa, handling the largest amount of fresh fruit and second only to Durban as a container p...
, is one of the city's most popular shopping venues, with several hundred shops and the Two Oceans Aquarium
Two Oceans Aquarium

The Two Oceans Aquarium is an aquarium located at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. The aquarium opened on the 13 November 1995 and comprises seven exhibition galleries with large viewing windows:*...
. Part of the charm of the V&A, as it is locally known, is that the Port continues to operate and visitors can watch ships enter and leave. The V&A also hosts the Nelson Mandela Gateway, through which ferries
Ferry

A ferry is a form of transport, usually a boat or ship, used to carry passengers and their vehicles across a body of water. Ferries are also used to transport freight and even railroad cars....
 depart for Robben Island
Robben Island

Robben Island or Penguin Island is an island in Table Bay, some seven kilometres off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa. The name is Dutch language for "seal island"....
. It is possible to take a ferry from the V&A to Hout Bay, Simon's Town and the Cape Fur Seal
Cape Fur Seal

The Brown Fur Seal , also known as the Cape Fur Seal, South African Fur Seal and the Australian Fur Seal) is a species of fur seal....
 colonies on Seal and Duiker Islands. Several companies offer tours of the Cape Flats
Cape Flats

The Cape Flats is an expansive, low-lying, flat area situated to the southeast of the central business district of Cape Town. To most people in Cape Town, the area is known simply as 'The Flats'....
, a mostly Coloured township
Township (South Africa)

In South Africa, the term township usually refers to the urban living areas that, under Apartheid, were reserved for non-whites . Townships were usually built on the periphery of towns and cities....
, and Khayelitsha
Khayelitsha

Khayelitsha is a partially informal township in South Africa, on the outskirts of Cape Town in the Cape Flats. The name is Xhosa language for Our New Home....
, a mostly black township. An option is to sleep overnight in Cape Town's townships. There are several B&Bs where you can spend a safe and real African night.

Cape Town is noted for its architectural heritage, with the highest density of Cape Dutch
Cape Dutch architecture

Cape Dutch architecture is an architecture style found in the Western Cape of South Africa. The style was prominent in the early days of the Cape Colony, and the name derives from the fact that the initial settlers of the Cape were primarily Dutch....
 style buildings in the world. Cape Dutch style, which combines the architectural traditions of the Netherlands, Germany and France, is most visible in Constantia
Constantia, Cape Town

Constantia is an affluent suburb of Cape Town, South Africa, situated about 15 kilometres south of the centre of Cape Town. The Constantia Valley lies to the east of and at the foot of the Constantiaberg mountain....
, the old government buildings in the Central Business District, and along Long Street
Long Street (Cape Town)

Long Street is a major street located in the City Bowl section of Cape Town, South Africa. It is famous as a Bohemianism hang out, as the street is lined by many bookstores, various ethnic restaurants and bars....
. The annual Cape Town Minstrel Carnival
Coon Carnival

The Kaapse Klopse is a minstrel show festival that takes place annually in Cape Town, South Africa. Up to 13,000 minstrels in blackface#Blackface spinoffs take to the streets garbed in shockingly bright colours, either carrying colourful umbrellas or playing an array of musical instruments....
, also known by its Afrikaans
Afrikaans

Afrikaans is an Indo-European language, derived from Dutch language and thus classified as Low Franconian languages West Germanic languages. It is mainly spoken in South Africa and Namibia, with smaller numbers of speakers living in Botswana, Angola, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Zambia, Australia, New Zealand, United States of America, Taiwa...
 name of Kaapse Klopse, is a large minstrel
Minstrel

A minstrel was a Middle Ages European bard who performed songs whose lyrics told stories about distant places or about real or imaginary historical events....
 festival held annually on January 2 or "Tweede Nuwe Jaar" (Afrikaans: Second New Year
New Year

The New Year is an event that happens when a culture celebrates the end of one year and the beginning of the next year. Cultures that measure yearly calendars all have New Year celebrations....
). Competing teams of minstrels parade in brightly coloured costumes, either carrying colourful umbrellas or playing an array of musical instruments. The Artscape Theatre Centre
Artscape Theatre Centre

Artscape Theatre Centre is the main performing arts centre in Cape Town, South Africa. It was opened in 1971 and is located on reclaimed land in the Foreshore area....
 is the main performing arts venue in Cape Town.
Rues Du Cap
Cape Town's transport system links it to the rest of South Africa; it serves as the gateway to other destinations within the province. The Cape Winelands
Cape Winelands

The Cape Winelands is a region of the Western Cape Province of South Africa. It is the largest wine producing region in South Africa and is divided into six main wine regions, each offering their own unique wine route....
 and in particular the towns of Stellenbosch
Stellenbosch, Western Cape

Stellenbosch is the second oldest European settlement in the Western Cape Province, South Africa after Cape Town, and is situated about 50 kilometers away along the banks of the Eerste Rivier, Cape Town....
, Paarl and Franschhoek
Franschhoek, Western Cape

Franschhoek is a small town in the Western Cape Province and one of the oldest towns of the Republic of South Africa....
 are popular day trips from the city for sightseeing and wine tasting
Wine tasting

Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. While the practice of wine tasting is as ancient as its production, a more formalized methodology has slowly become established from the 14th century onwards....
. Whale watching
Whale watching

Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and other cetaceans in their natural habitat. Whales are watched most commonly for recreation but the activity can also be for scientific or educational reasons....
 is popular amongst tourists: Southern Right Whale
Southern Right Whale

The Southern Right Whale is a baleen whale, one of three species classified as right whales belonging to the genus Eubalaena. Around 12,000 Southern Right Whales are spread throughout the southern part of the Southern Hemisphere....
s and Humpback Whale
Humpback Whale

The humpback whale is a Baleen whale whale. One of the larger rorqual species, adults range in length from 12–16 metres and weigh approximately 36,000 kilograms ....
s are seen off the coast during the breeding season (August to November) and Bryde's Whale
Bryde's Whale

Bryde?s Whales are the least-known and in many ways the most unusual of the rorquals. They are small by rorqual standards—no more than about 25 tonnes—prefer tropical and temperate waters to the polar seas that other whales in their family frequent; are largely coastal rather than pelagic, and although they retain the characteris...
s and Killer Whale can be seen any time of the year. The nearby town of Hermanus
Hermanus

Hermanus is a town on the southern coast of South Africa and is famous as a place from which to watch whales during the southern winter and spring....
 is known for its Whale Festival, but whales can also be seen in False Bay. Heaviside's dolphins
Heaviside's Dolphin

The Haviside's Dolphin , or mistakenly the Heaviside's Dolphin, is a small dolphin that is found off the coast of Namibia and the west coast of South Africa....
 are endemic to the area and can be seen from the coast north of Cape Town; Dusky dolphins
Dusky Dolphin

The Dusky Dolphin is a highly gregarious and acrobatic dolphin found in coastal waters in the Southern Hemisphere. It was first identified by John Edward Gray in 1828....
 live along the same coast and can occasionally be seen from the ferry to Robben Island.

Approximately 1.5 million tourists visited in Cape Town during 2004, bringing in a total of R10 billion in revenue. The forecasts for 2006 anticipate 1.6 million tourists spending a total of R12 billion. The most popular areas for visitors to stay include Camps Bay
Camps Bay

Camps Bay is an affluent suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. In the European winter it is a hotbed of European tourists as well as local South Africans down for a beach holiday....
, Sea Point
Sea Point

Sea Point is Cape Town's most densely populated suburb, situated between Signal Hill and the Atlantic Ocean a few kilometres to the west of Cape Town's Central Business District ....
, the V&A Waterfront
Victoria & Alfred Waterfront

The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in the historic heart of Cape Town's working harbour is South Africa most-visited destination, having the highest rate of foreign tourists of any attraction in the country....
, the City Bowl, Hout Bay
Hout Bay

Hout Bay is the name of a coastal suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. It lies in a valley on the Atlantic Seaboard of the Cape Peninsula and is twenty kilometres south of the Central Business District of Cape Town....
, Constantia
Constantia, Cape Town

Constantia is an affluent suburb of Cape Town, South Africa, situated about 15 kilometres south of the centre of Cape Town. The Constantia Valley lies to the east of and at the foot of the Constantiaberg mountain....
, Rondebosch
Rondebosch

Rondebosch is one of the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa. It is primarily a residential suburb, with a medium-size shopping area and a small business district....
, Newlands
Newlands, Cape Town

Newlands is an upmarket suburb of Cape Town, South Africa.It is located at the foot of Table Mountain in the Southern Suburbs, Cape Town of Cape Town, and reputed to be the wettest urban area of South Africa due to its high winter rainfall....
, Somerset West, Hermanus
Hermanus

Hermanus is a town on the southern coast of South Africa and is famous as a place from which to watch whales during the southern winter and spring....
 and Stellenbosch, as well.

Cape Town Tourism is the City of Cape Town's Official Regional Tourism Organisation, responsible for destination marketing, visitor and industry services. They offer a comprehensive service offering information and bookings for Cape Town attractions, tours and accommodation. You can visit their website on http://www.capetown.travel/

Communications and media

Naspers Building, Cape Town
Several newspapers, magazines and printing facilities have their offices in the city. Independent News and Media publishes the major English language
English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
 papers in the city, the Cape Argus
Cape Argus

Founded in 1857 the Cape Argus is a daily newspaper published by Independent News & Media in Cape Town, South Africa. At times in the past it was known simply as "The Argus"....
 and the Cape Times
Cape Times

The Cape Times is an English language morning newspaper owned by Independent News and Media and published in Cape Town, South Africa. The first edition of the newspaper was published in 1876 by then editor Frederick York St Leger....
. Naspers
Naspers

Naspers is a South Africa-based multinational media company with principal operations in electronic media and print media ....
, the largest media conglomerate in South Africa, publishes Die Burger
Die Burger

Die Burger is a daily Afrikaans language newspaper, published by Naspers. By 2008, it had a circulation of 91,665 in the Western Cape Province and Eastern Cape Provinces of South Africa....
, the major Afrikaans language paper.

Cape Town has many local community newspapers. Some of the largest community newspapers in English are the Athlone News from Athlone
Athlone, Cape Town

Athlone is a suburb of Cape Town located to the east of the city centre on the Cape Flats to the south of the N2 highway. It is named after Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone who was Governor-General of the Union of South Africa from 1924 to 1930....
, the Atlantic Sun
Atlantic Sun

The Atlantic Sun is a local newspaper for the West Coast region of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. An affiliate of Cape Community Newspapers, the newspaper does not have its own website, but the news is distributed via IOL....
, the Constantiaberg Bulletin
Constantiaberg Bulletin

The Constantiaberg Bulletin is a local newspaper in the Constantia and surrounding regions of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa....
 from Constantiaberg
Constantiaberg, Cape Town

Constantiaberg is a region of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa....
, the City Vision
City Vision

The City Vision is a local newspaper whose offices are based in the Bellville region of Western Cape, South Africa. It is edited, prepared and compiled by people who live in the black townships of Cape Town and who have a passion for journalism and their community....
 from Bellville
Bellville, Cape Town

Bellville is a former city in the Western Cape province of South Africa; it is now part of the greater Cape Town metropolitan area. It falls within the area of the City of Cape Town municipality....
, the False Bay Echo
False Bay Echo

The False Bay Echo is a local newspaper in the False Bay region of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. It serves the coastal suburbs along the Western edge of False Bay, including Muizenberg, St....
 from False Bay
False Bay

False Bay is a body of water defined by Cape Hangklip and the Cape Peninsula in the extreme South-West of South Africa....
, the Helderberg Sun
Helderberg Sun

The Helderberg Sun is a local newspaper in the Helderberg region of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. This includes the Strand and Somerset West....
 from Helderberg
Helderberg, Cape Town

Helderberg is a region of Cape Town, South Africa....
, the Plainsman
Plainsman

The Plainsman is a local newspaper in the Mitchell's Plain region of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa....
 from Michells Plain, the Sentinel News
Sentinel News

The Sentinel News is a local newspaper in the Hout Bay region of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa....
 from Hout Bay, the Southern Mail
Southern Mail

The Southern Mail is a local newspaper from the South Peninsula region of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa....
 from the Southern Peninsula, the Southern Suburbs Tatler
Southern Suburbs Tatler

The Southern Suburbs Tatler is a local newspaper in the Southern Suburbs, Cape Town region of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. Its coverage area includes Woodstock, Observatory, Cape Town, Mowbray, Cape Town, Rondebosch, Rondesbosch East, Newlands, Cape Town, Claremont, Cape Town, Pinelands, Cape Town, Kenilworth, Cape Town and Bish...
 from the Southern Suburbs
Southern Suburbs, Cape Town

The Southern Suburbs refers to a group of suburbs in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. It includes Rondebosch, Claremont, Cape Town, Plumstead, Cape Town, Wynberg, Cape Town, Newlands, Cape Town, Constantia and Bishopscourt....
, Table Talk
Table Talk (Cape Town)

The Table Talk is a local newspaper in the Table Bay region of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa....
 from Table View and Tygertalk
Tygertalk

The Tygertalk is a local newspaper in the Tygerberg region of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. It covers Bellville and Durbanville....
 from Tygervalley/Durbanville. Afrikaans language community newspapers include the Landbou-Burger
Landbou-Burger

The Landbou-Burger is a local newspaper for farmers from around Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. It is in Afrikaans....
 and the Tygerburger. Vukani
Vukani

The Vukani is a local weekly newspaper in the Cape Flats region of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. It is written in Xhosa language and English and edited by Vukile Sonandzi....
, based in the Cape Flats
Cape Flats

The Cape Flats is an expansive, low-lying, flat area situated to the southeast of the central business district of Cape Town. To most people in Cape Town, the area is known simply as 'The Flats'....
, is published in Xhosa
Xhosa language

Xhosa is one of the official languages of South Africa. Xhosa is spoken by approximately Xhosa, or about 18% of the South African population. Like most Bantu languages, Xhosa is a Tone , that is, the same sequence of consonants and vowels can have different meanings when said with a rising or falling or high or low intonation....
.

Cape Town is a centre for broadcast media and has several radio stations that only broadcast within the city. 94.5 Kfm
KFM (Cape Town)

K-FM is a radio station based in Cape Town, South Africa.External links...
 (94.5 MHz FM) and Good Hope FM
Good Hope FM

Good Hope FM is a commercial music radio station, based in Cape Town, South Africa. The station broadcasts 24 hours of Contemporary Hit Radio per day....
 (94–97 MHz FM
FM broadcasting

FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology invented by Edwin Howard Armstrong that uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio....
) mostly play pop music
Pop music

Pop music is a music genre that features a noticeable rhythmic element, melodies and hook , a mainstream style and a conventional structure.The term "pop music" was first used in 1926 in the sense of "having popular appeal" , but since the 1950s it has been used in the sense of a musical genre, originally characterized as a lighter alternat...
. Heart FM (104.9 MHz FM), the former P4 Radio, plays Jazz and R&B, while Fine Music Radio (101.3 FM) plays classical music and jazz
Jazz

Jazz is a primarily American musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
. Bush Radio is a community radio station (89.5 MHz FM
FM broadcasting

FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology invented by Edwin Howard Armstrong that uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio....
). The Voice of the Cape
Voice of the Cape

The Voice of the Cape is a Muslim community radio station based in Cape Town, South Africa. The first Muslim radio station in South Africa, the station started broadcasting on a special license in 1995 for the month of Ramadaan....
 (95.8 MHz FM) and Cape Talk
Cape Talk

567 CapeTalk is a commercial AM broadcasting radio station based in Cape Town, South Africa, broadcasting on AM/MW 567 to Cape Town. The station is also webcast via its website....
 (567 kHz MW
Mediumwave

Medium Wave is a part of the Medium frequency radio band used mainly for AM broadcasting. Some experiments and trials are planned or under way for a digital modulation such as Digital Radio Mondiale ....
) are the major talk radio stations
Talk radio

Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests....
 in the city. The University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town

The University of Cape Town , is a public university located on the Cecil Rhodes Estate on the slopes of Devil's Peak , in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa....
 also runs its own radio station, UCT Radio
UCT Radio

UCT Radio is a campus radio station operated by students of the University of Cape Town in Cape Town, South Africa. UCT Radio broadcasts on the 104.5 MHz frequency from a 20 watt transmitter located at ....
 (104.5 MHz FM
FM broadcasting

FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology invented by Edwin Howard Armstrong that uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio....
).

The SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation) has a small presence in the city, with satellite studios located at Sea Point
Sea Point

Sea Point is Cape Town's most densely populated suburb, situated between Signal Hill and the Atlantic Ocean a few kilometres to the west of Cape Town's Central Business District ....
. e.tv
E.tv

e.tv is the fifth terrestrial television channel in South Africa, following three channels operated by the state-owned South African Broadcasting Corporation and the privately owned subscription-funded M-Net, operated by Multichoice....
 has a greater presence, with a large complex located at Longkloof Studios in Gardens
Gardens, Cape Town

Gardens in an inner-city suburb of Cape Town located just to the south of the city centre located in the higher elevations of the "City Bowl". It is located directly beneath Table Mountain and Lion's Head ....
. M-Net
M-Net

Similar to Canal+ in France, the channel offers a mix of general entertainment, children's programmes, sports and movies, most of which are acquired from overseas but some are also locally produced....
 is not well represented with infrastructure within the city. Numerous productions companies and their support industries are located in the city, mostly supporting the production of overseas commercials, model shoots, TV-series and movies. The local media infrastructure remains primarily in Johannesburg
Johannesburg

Johannesburg also known as Joburg, is the largest city in South Africa. Johannesburg is the province Capital of Gauteng the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa....
.

Sport

Club Sport League Stadium
Ajax Cape Town FC Football Premier Soccer League Philippi Stadium
Philippi Stadium

The Philippi Stadium is located in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa and is used for soccer matches. The Phillipi Stadium precinct will be developed as a practice venue and fan park for the 2010 World Cup....
Cape Cobras
Cape Cobras

The Nashua Cape Cobras often shortened to Cape Cobras or Cobras is the name used since the 2005-06 season by the combined Western Province cricket team and Boland cricket team first class cricket teams in South African domestic cricket....
Cricket
Cricket

Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games team sport that originated in southern England. The earliest definite reference is dated 1598, and it is now played in more than 100 countries....
Standard Bank Cup Series Newlands Cricket Ground
Newlands Cricket Ground

Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town is a South African cricket ground. It's the home of the Cape Cobras, who play in the SuperSport Series, MTN Domestic Championship and Twenty20 competitions....
Santos
Santos Football Club (South Africa)

Santos Football Club or simply Santos, also known under their sponsored title as Engen Santos, is a professional South African football club based in Lansdowne, Cape Town, Cape Town....
Football Premier Soccer League Athlone Stadium
Athlone Stadium

Athlone Stadium is a stadium in Athlone, Cape Town on the Cape Flats in Cape Town, South Africa. It is used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of Ajax Cape Town and Santos Cape Town....
Stormers
Stormers

The Stormers, for sponsorship reasons referred to as Vodacom Stormers, are a South African rugby union team competing in the Super 14 competition ....
Rugby union
Rugby union

Rugby union is a competitive outdoor contact sport, played with an oval ball, by two teams of 15 players. It is one of the two main codes of rugby football, the other being rugby league....
Super 14
Super 14

The Super 14 is the largest rugby union football club championship in the southern hemisphere, consisting of four state teams from Australia , five New Zealand franchises, each of which is comprised by a number of provinces , and five teams from South Africa ....
Newlands Stadium
Newlands Stadium

Newlands Stadium is located in Cape Town, South Africa.The stadium currently has a capacity of 51,900 people and is an all seater venue.Various sports clubs currently use the stadium as their home base, including:...
Western Province Rugby union
Rugby union

Rugby union is a competitive outdoor contact sport, played with an oval ball, by two teams of 15 players. It is one of the two main codes of rugby football, the other being rugby league....
Currie Cup
Currie Cup

The Currie Cup tournament is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces....
Newlands Stadium
Newlands Stadium

Newlands Stadium is located in Cape Town, South Africa.The stadium currently has a capacity of 51,900 people and is an all seater venue.Various sports clubs currently use the stadium as their home base, including:...


Cape Town's most popular sports by participation are cricket
Cricket

Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games team sport that originated in southern England. The earliest definite reference is dated 1598, and it is now played in more than 100 countries....
, association football, swimming
Swimming

Swimming is the movement by humans or animals through water, usually without artificial assistance. Swimming is an activity that can be both useful and recreational....
, and rugby union
Rugby union

Rugby union is a competitive outdoor contact sport, played with an oval ball, by two teams of 15 players. It is one of the two main codes of rugby football, the other being rugby league....
. The Stormers
Stormers

The Stormers, for sponsorship reasons referred to as Vodacom Stormers, are a South African rugby union team competing in the Super 14 competition ....
 represent Western Province and Boland
Boland

Boland may refer to:...
 in the Southern Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere

The Southern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is south of the equator?the word sphere literally means 'half ball'. It is also that half of the celestial sphere south of the celestial equator....
's Super 14
Super 14

The Super 14 is the largest rugby union football club championship in the southern hemisphere, consisting of four state teams from Australia , five New Zealand franchises, each of which is comprised by a number of provinces , and five teams from South Africa ....
 rugby union
Rugby union

Rugby union is a competitive outdoor contact sport, played with an oval ball, by two teams of 15 players. It is one of the two main codes of rugby football, the other being rugby league....
 competition. Cape Town is the home of the Western Province Rugby Union, who play at Newlands Stadium
Newlands Stadium

Newlands Stadium is located in Cape Town, South Africa.The stadium currently has a capacity of 51,900 people and is an all seater venue.Various sports clubs currently use the stadium as their home base, including:...
 and compete in the Currie Cup
Currie Cup

The Currie Cup tournament is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces....
. Cape Town also regularly hosts the national team, the Springboks
South Africa national rugby union team

The South Africa national rugby union team , are the current holders of the Rugby World Cup and are currently ranked number 2 in the IRB World Rankings....
, and hosted matches during the 1995 Rugby World Cup
1995 Rugby World Cup

The 1995 Rugby World Cup was the third Rugby World Cup. It was hosted by South Africa, and had the distinction of being the first Rugby World Cup in which every match was held in one country....
, including a semi-final.

Association football, which is better known as soccer in South Africa, is also popular. Two clubs from Cape Town play in the Premier Soccer League
Premier Soccer League

Premier Soccer League is the trading name of the National Soccer League of South Africa, also known by its initials . The top league is the ABSA Premiership, sponsored by Absa Group Limited....
 (PSL), South Africa's premier league. These teams are Ajax Cape Town, which formed as a result of the 1999 amalgamation of the Seven Stars and the Cape Town Spurs; and Santos
Santos Football Club (South Africa)

Santos Football Club or simply Santos, also known under their sponsored title as Engen Santos, is a professional South African football club based in Lansdowne, Cape Town, Cape Town....
. Cape Town will also be the location of several of the matches of the FIFA 2010 World Cup including a semi-final, which is to be held in South Africa. The Mother City is building a new 70,000 seat stadium (Green Point Stadium) in the Green Point area.

In cricket, the Cape Cobras
Cape Cobras

The Nashua Cape Cobras often shortened to Cape Cobras or Cobras is the name used since the 2005-06 season by the combined Western Province cricket team and Boland cricket team first class cricket teams in South African domestic cricket....
 represent Cape Town at the Newlands Cricket Ground
Newlands Cricket Ground

Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town is a South African cricket ground. It's the home of the Cape Cobras, who play in the SuperSport Series, MTN Domestic Championship and Twenty20 competitions....
. The team is the result of an amalgamation of the Western Province Cricket and Boland Cricket
Boland Cricket

The Boland cricket team is based in the Boland region of Western Cape province in South Africa....
 teams. They take part in the Supersport
SuperSport Series

The SuperSport Series is the main domestic First-class cricket cricket competition in South Africa, first contested in 1889-90 South African cricket season....
 and Standard Bank Cup Series.

Cape Town has Olympic aspirations: in 1996, Cape Town was one of the five candidate cities shortlisted by the IOC to launch official candidatures to host the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics

The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team officials from 201 countries....
. Although the games ultimately went to Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
, Cape Town came in third place. There has been some speculation that Cape Town is seeking the South African Olympic Committee's nomination to be South Africa's bid city for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games.

Sports events

The city of Cape Town has vast experience in hosting major national and international sports events.

The Cape Argus Pick 'n Pay Cycle Tour is the world's largest individually timed cycle race and the first event outside Europe to be included in the International Cycling Union's Golden Bike Series. It sees over 35 000 cyclists tackling a 109 km route around Cape Town. The Absa Cape Epic is the largest full-service mountain bike stage race in the world.

Some notable events hosted by Cape Town has been the 1995 Rugby World Cup
1995 Rugby World Cup

The 1995 Rugby World Cup was the third Rugby World Cup. It was hosted by South Africa, and had the distinction of being the first Rugby World Cup in which every match was held in one country....
, 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup, and World Championships in various sports such as athletics, fencing, weightlifting, hockey, cycling, canoeing, gymnastics and others.

Cape Town is also a host city to the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup

The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be the 19th FIFA World Cup, an international tournament for Association football, that is scheduled to take place between 11 June and 11 July 2010 in South Africa....
 from 11 June to 11 July 2010, further enhancing its profile as a major events city.

Education

Public primary and secondary schools in Cape Town are run by the Western Cape
Western Cape

The Western Cape is a Provinces of South Africa in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the huge Cape Province....
 Education Department. This provincial department is divided into seven districts; four of these are "Metropole" districts Metropole Central, North, South, and East which cover various areas of the city. There are also many private schools, both religious and secular, in Cape Town.

Tertiary education

Uct Upper Campus Landscape View
Cape Town has a well-developed higher education
Higher education

Higher education refers to a level of education that is provided by university, vocational university, community colleges, liberal arts colleges, Institute of technology and other collegiate level institutions, such as Vocational school, trade schools and career colleges, that award academic degrees or professional certifications....
 system of public universities
Public university

A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private university....
. Cape Town is served by three public universities: the University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town

The University of Cape Town , is a public university located on the Cecil Rhodes Estate on the slopes of Devil's Peak , in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa....
 (UCT), the University of the Western Cape
University of the Western Cape

The University of the Western Cape is a university located in the Bellville, South Africa suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. It was established in 1960 by the Politics of South Africa as a university for Coloured people only....
 (UWC) and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Cape Peninsula University of Technology

Cape Peninsula University of Technology, a university in Cape Town, South Africa, is the only university of Technology in the Western Cape province, and is also the largest university in the province, with over 29 000 students....
 (CPUT). Stellenbosch University
Stellenbosch University

Stellenbosch University is an internationally recognised university which is situated in the town of Stellenbosch, South Africa. Other nearby universities are the University of Cape Town and University of the Western Cape....
, while not in the city itself, is 50 kilometres from the City Bowl and has additional campuses, such as the Tygerberg Faculty of Health Sciences and the Bellville Business Park closer to the City.

Both the University of Cape Town and Stellenbosch University are leading universities in South Africa. This is due in large part to substantial financial contributions made to these institutions by both the public and private sector. UCT is an English speaking institution. It has over 21,000 students and has an MBA programme that is ranked 51st by the Financial Times in 2006. Since the African National Congress
African National Congress

The African National Congress has been South Africa's governing party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in May 1994....
 has come into governmental power, some restructuring of Western Cape universities has taken place and as such, traditionally non-white universities have seen increased financing, which has benefitted the University of the Western Cape.

The public Cape Peninsula University of Technology was formed on January 1, 2005, when two separate institutions – Cape Technikon and Peninsula Technikon – were merged. The new university offers education primarily in English
English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
, although one may take courses in any of South Africa's official languages. The institution generally awards the National Diploma.

Transport

Cape Town N2
Kalk Bay Station 3
Cape Town M3 Passing Uct
Air Cape Town International Airport
Cape Town International Airport

Cape Town International Airport is an airport in Cape Town, South Africa. It is a hub for South African Airways. Cape Town International is the second-largest airport in South Africa, after Johannesburg International Airport, third-largest in Africa and a major gateway for tourist traffic....
 serves both domestic and international flights. It is the second-largest airport in South Africa and serves as a major gateway for travellers to the Cape region. Cape Town has direct flights to most cities in South Africa as well as a number of international destinations.

As of June 2006, Cape Town International Airport is being upgraded to handle an expected increase in air traffic as tourism numbers will increase in the lead-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup

The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be the 19th FIFA World Cup, an international tournament for Association football, that is scheduled to take place between 11 June and 11 July 2010 in South Africa....
. The renovations include several large new parking garages, a revamped domestic departure terminal and a new international terminal plus a new double-decker road system. The airport's cargo facilities are also being expanded and several large empty lots are being developed into office space
Office

An office is generally a room or other area in which people employment, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it ; the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one's duty....
 and hotels.

The Cape Town International Airport was among the winners of the World Travel Awards for being Africa's leading airport.

Sea Cape Town has a long tradition as a port city. The Port of Cape Town
Port of Cape Town

The Port of Cape Town is the port of the city of Cape Town, South Africa. It is situated in Table Bay and lies at 18? 26' E and 33? 54' S.Because of its position along one of the world's busiest trade routes it is one of the busiest ports in South Africa, handling the largest amount of fresh fruit and second only to Durban as a container p...
, the city's main port, is located in Table Bay
Table Bay

Table Bay is a natural inlet overlooked by Cape Town and is at the northern end of the Cape Peninsula, which stretches south to the Cape of Good Hope....
 directly to the north of the central business district. The port is a hub for ships in the southern Atlantic: it is located along one of the busiest shipping corridors in the world. It is also a busy container port, second in South Africa only to Durban
Durban

Durban is the third most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality . It is the largest city in KwaZulu-Natal and is famous as the busiest port in Africa....
. In 2004, it handled 3,161 ships and 9.2 million tonnes of cargo
Cargo

Cargo refers to goods or produce transported, generally for Commerce gain, by Cargo ship, Cargo airline, Train#Freight trains, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal freight transport long-haul cargo transport....
.

Simon's Town Harbour on the False Bay
False Bay

False Bay is a body of water defined by Cape Hangklip and the Cape Peninsula in the extreme South-West of South Africa....
 coast of the Cape Peninsula
Cape Peninsula

The Cape Peninsula is a generally rocky peninsula that juts out for 75 km into the Atlantic Ocean at the south-western extremity of the African continent....
 is the main base of the South African Navy
South African Navy

The South African Navy is the navy of South Africa....
.

Rail The Shosholoza Meyl
Shosholoza Meyl

Shosholoza Meyl is the long-distance passenger services unit of Spoornet, the South African main-line railway operator. Shosholoza Meyl operates many train routes across South Africa , carrying approximately 4 million passengers annually ....
 is the passenger rail operations of Spoornet
Spoornet

Among Transnet's railway service divisions are: Protekon, a transport infrastructure design company; Transnet Rail Engineering...
 and operates two long-distance passenger rail services from Cape Town: a daily service to and from Johannesburg
Johannesburg

Johannesburg also known as Joburg, is the largest city in South Africa. Johannesburg is the province Capital of Gauteng the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa....
 via Kimberley and a weekly service to and from Durban
Durban

Durban is the third most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality . It is the largest city in KwaZulu-Natal and is famous as the busiest port in Africa....
 via Kimberley, Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein

Bloemfontein The city is situated on dry grassland at , at an altitude of 1,395 metres above sea level. The city is home to 369,568 residents, while the Mangaung Local Municipality has a population of 645,455....
 and Pietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg

Pietermaritzburg is the capital and second largest city of the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It was founded in 1838. Popularly called Maritzburg, and abbreviated PMB, it is home to a campus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and is a major producer of aluminium as well as timber and dairy products....
. These trains terminate at Cape Town Railway Station
Cape Town Railway Station

Cape Town Railway Station is the main railway station of the city of Cape Town, South Africa. It is located along Adderley Street and Strand Streets in the centre of the city....
 and make a brief stop at Bellville
Bellville, Cape Town

Bellville is a former city in the Western Cape province of South Africa; it is now part of the greater Cape Town metropolitan area. It falls within the area of the City of Cape Town municipality....
. Cape Town is also one terminus of the luxury tourist-oriented Blue Train
Blue Train (South Africa)

The Blue Train travels an approximately 1,600 kilometer journey in South Africa between Pretoria and Cape Town. It is one of the most luxurious train journeys in the world....
.

Metrorail
Metrorail (Western Cape)

Metrorail operates commuter and suburban rail services in the Cape Town metropolitan area, as well as some services to nearby towns. The services are provided by Metrorail , who operate in the main cities of South Africa....
 operates a commuter rail service in Cape Town and the surrounding area. The Metrorail network consists of 96 stations throughout the suburbs and outskirts of Cape Town.

Road Three national roads
National Roads in South Africa

The National Road System is a network of highways that links all the major List of cities in South Africa in South Africa. The system was mostly built by the Apartheid government during the 1970s, although construction of new roads and repairs of existing stretches continue today....
 start in Cape Town: the N1
N1 (South Africa)

The N1 is a South Africa National Roads in South Africa, running from Cape Town to Beit Bridge on the border with Zimbabwe. It is also the main road link between Johannesburg and Cape Town, and forms the first section of the famed Cape to Cairo Road....
 which links Cape Town with Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein

Bloemfontein The city is situated on dry grassland at , at an altitude of 1,395 metres above sea level. The city is home to 369,568 residents, while the Mangaung Local Municipality has a population of 645,455....
, Johannesburg
Johannesburg

Johannesburg also known as Joburg, is the largest city in South Africa. Johannesburg is the province Capital of Gauteng the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa....
, Pretoria
Pretoria

Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three Capital , serving as the Executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislature capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital....
 and Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe , is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the continent of Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo River rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east....
; the N2
N2 (South Africa)

File:Map of the N2 .svgThe N2 is one of the National Roads of South Africa of South Africa; it is the main highway along the Indian Ocean coast of the country....
 which links Cape Town with Port Elizabeth, East London and Durban
Durban

Durban is the third most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality . It is the largest city in KwaZulu-Natal and is famous as the busiest port in Africa....
; and the N7
N7 (South Africa)

The N7 is a National Roads in South Africa in South Africa, connecting Cape Town, South Africa to Vioolsdrif, a border post to Namibia. After crossing the border, it changes designation to B1 and runs up to Windhoek and the north of Namibia....
 which links Cape Town with the Northern Cape Province and Namibia
Namibia

Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in southern Africa on the Atlantic Ocean coast. It shares borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east, and South Africa to the south....
. The N1 and N2 both start in the Central Business District, and split to the east of the CBD, with the N1 continuing to the north east and the N2 heading south east past Cape Town International Airport
Cape Town International Airport

Cape Town International Airport is an airport in Cape Town, South Africa. It is a hub for South African Airways. Cape Town International is the second-largest airport in South Africa, after Johannesburg International Airport, third-largest in Africa and a major gateway for tourist traffic....
. The N7 starts in Mitchells Plain and runs north, intersecting with the N1 and the N2 before leaving the city.

Cape Town also has a system of freeway
Freeway

A freeway is a type of road designed for Road safety#Motorway high-speed operation of motor vehicles through the elimination of at-grade intersections....
 and dual carriageway
Dual carriageway

A dual carriageway or divided highway is a road or highway in which the two directions of traffic are separated by a central barrier or strip of land, known as a central reservation or median....
 M-roads, which connect different parts of the city. The M3
M3 (Cape Town)

The M3 is an expressway in Cape Town, South Africa, connecting the upper part of the City Bowl to the Southern Suburbs, Cape Town and ending in Tokai, Cape Town....
 splits from the N2 and runs to the south along the eastern slopes of Table Mountain
Table Mountain

Table Mountain is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa, and is featured in the flag of Cape Town and other local government insignia....
, connecting the City Bowl with Muizenberg
Muizenberg

Muizenberg is a beach-side suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. It is situated where the shore of the Cape Peninsula curves round to the east on the False Bay coast....
. The M5
M5 (Cape Town)

The M5 is an expressway running through Cape Town, South Africa. It connects the northern suburbs to Muizenberg in the south, and crosses both the N1 and the N2 ....
 splits from the N1 further east than the M3, and links the Cape Flats to the CBD. The R300
R300 (Western Cape)

The R300 or Kuils River Freeway is a Regional Route in Cape Town, South Africa that connects Mitchells Plain with the N2 , Kuils River, and the N1 at Bellville, South Africa....
, which is informally known as the Cape Flats Freeway, links Mitchells Plain with Bellville, the N1 and the N2.

Buses Golden Arrow Bus Services
Golden Arrow Bus Services

The Golden Arrow Bus Services Ltd is an operator of public transport system for the Cape Peninsula and surrounding areas of South Africa. Its services are primarily short-routes....
 operates scheduled bus services throughout the Cape Town metropolitan area. Several companies run long-distance bus services from Cape Town to the other cities in South Africa.

Taxis Cape Town has two kinds of taxis: metered taxis
Taxicab

A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of public transport for a single passenger, or small group of passengers, typically for a non-shared ride....
 and minibus taxis. Unlike many cities, metered taxis are not allowed to drive around the city to solicit fares and instead must be called to a specific location.

Minibus taxis are the standard form of transport for the majority of the population who cannot afford private vehicles. Although essential, these taxis are often poorly maintained and are frequently not road-worthy. These taxis make frequent unscheduled stops to pick up passengers, which can cause accidents. With the high demand for transport by the working class of South Africa, minibus taxis are often filled over their legal passenger allowance, making for high casualty rates when minibuses are involved in accidents. Minibuses are generally owned and operated in fleets, and inter-operator violence flares up from time to time, especially as turf wars
Taxi wars in South Africa

The term taxi war is usually used to refer to the turf wars fought between taxi associations and individual minibus taxi drivers in South Africa, from the late 1980s onwards....
 occur over lucrative taxi routes.

See also

  • Cape Town Partnership
    Cape Town Partnership

    The Cape Town Partnership is a public-private partnership with Cape Town businesses, the City Improvement District and the City of Cape Town local government....
  • Greenmarket Square
    Greenmarket Square

    Greenmarket Square is a historical square in the centre of old Cape Town, South Africa.The square was built in 1696, when a burgher watch house was erected here....
  • Noon Gun
    Noon Gun

    The Noon Gun has been a historic time signal in Cape Town, South Africa since 1806. The gun is situated on Signal Hill , close to the centre of the city....


External links

Government


Other