Everything about Cape Town totally explained
Cape Town (
Afrikaans:
Kaapstad;
Xhosa:
iKapa) is the second most populous city in
South Africa, forming part of the
metropolitan municipality of the
City of Cape Town. It is the provincial
capital of the
Western Cape, as well as the
legislative capital of South Africa, where the
National Parliament and many government offices are located. Cape Town is famous for its harbour as well as its natural setting in the
Cape floral kingdom, including such well-known landmarks as
Table Mountain and
Cape Point. Often regarded as one of the world's most beautiful cities because of its geography, Cape Town is one of the most popular South African destinations for
tourism.
Cape Town was originally developed as a victualling (supply) station for
Dutch ships sailing to
Eastern Africa,
India, and the
Far East more than 200 years before the construction of the
Suez Canal in 1869.
Jan van Riebeeck's arrival on
6 April 1652 established the first permanent European settlement in
South Africa. Cape Town quickly outgrew its original purpose as the first European outpost at the
Castle of Good Hope. It was the largest city in South Africa until the growth of
Johannesburg.
According to the 2007 Community Survey, the city has a population of 3.5 million. Many of these residents were relocated to the
Cape Flats. Under apartheid, the Cape was considered a "
Coloured labour preference area", to the exclusion of "
Bantus", for example blacks.
Cape Town was home to many leaders of the anti-apartheid movement. On
Robben Island, a penitentiary island 10 kilometres out to sea 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 made his first public speech in decades on
11 February 1990 from the balcony of
Cape Town City Hall hours after being released. His speech heralded the beginning of a new era for the country, and the first
democratic election was held four years later, on
27 April 1994. Since 1994, the city has struggled with problems such as
HIV/
AIDS,
tuberculosis, and a surge in violent
drug-related crime. At the same time, the economy has surged to unprecedented levels due to the boom in the
tourism and the
real estate industries.
Geography
The centre of Cape Town is located at the northern end of the
Cape Peninsula.
Table Mountain forms a dramatic backdrop to the city bowl, with its plateau over 1,000 m (3,300 ft) high; it's surrounded by near-vertical cliffs,
Devil's Peak and
Lion's Head. Sometimes a thin strip of cloud forms over the mountain, and owing to its appearance, it's colloquially known as the "Tablecloth". The peninsula consists of a dramatic mountainous spine jutting southwards into the
Atlantic Ocean, ending at
Cape Point. There are over 70 peaks above (the American definition of a
mountain) within Cape Town's official city limits. Many of the suburbs of Cape Town are on the large plain of the
Cape 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
The
Cape Peninsula has a
Mediterranean climate with well-defined
seasons. In winter, which lasts from May to September, large
cold fronts come across from the
Atlantic Ocean with heavy
precipitation and strong north-westerly winds. The winter months are cool, with an average minimum temperature of 7 °
C (45 °
F). 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, because it blows away pollution and cleans the air. The south-easterly wind is caused by a
high-pressure system 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 interior for a couple weeks in February or early March.
Government
City of Cape Town, which is a
metropolitan municipality. Cape Town is governed by a 210-member
city council, 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 system. The
mayor is chosen by the city council.
The current mayor is
Helen Zille of the
Democratic Alliance. In the most recent
local government elections, the Democratic Alliance was the largest single party with 90 of the 210 seats on the council, ahead of the
African National Congress'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, the Atlantic Seaboard, the southern suburbs,
Pinelands,
Langa and
Mitchell's Plain.
The South Peninsula includes
Hout Bay,
Wynberg,
Constantia,
Fish Hoek,
Kommetjie,
Noordhoek and
Simon's Town. The
Blaauwberg region includes
Milnerton,
Tableview, and
Bloubergstrand.
Tygerberg has its own region, with
Durbanville,
Bellville, and
Khayelitsha added to it.
Oostenberg includes
Kraaifontein,
Brackenfell,
Kuilsrivier,
Blue Downs, and
Eerste Rivier. The last administration,
Helderberg, includes
Somerset West,
Strand, and
Gordon's Bay.
Demographics
According to the
South African National Census of 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, and 94.4% have
refuse removed by the municipality at least once a week. 80.1% of households use
electricity as the main source of energy. 16.1% of households are headed by one person.
Coloured people account for 48.13% of the population, followed by
Black Africans at 31%,
Whites at 18.75%, and
Asians 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; 58.3% of the unemployed are black, 38.1% are Coloured, 3.1% are White and 0.5% are Asian. 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 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.
High school attendance rates and the city's well-established higher education infrastructure have helped Cape Town to attract foreign investors, as the education system has produced people with internationally-recognised certifications and diplomas.
The Western Cape also generates a quarter of the South African agricultural sector's total gross income and more than half of South Africa's exports. Much of the produce is handled through the
Port of Cape Town or
Cape Town International Airport. 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 providing energy for the Western Cape's needs. Recently, oil explorers have discovered
oil and
natural gas 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 of the province and employs 9.6% of the province's workforce. In 2004, over 1.5 million international tourists visited the area.
Tourism
Table Mountain, which forms a large part of the
Table Mountain National Park 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 is recognised as the dramatic headland at the end of the
Cape Peninsula. Many tourists also drive along
Chapman's Peak Drive, a narrow road that links
Noordhoek with
Hout Bay, for the views of the Atlantic Ocean and nearby mountains. It is possible to either drive or hike up
Signal Hill 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's 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 as the water is mostly
glacial melt from
Antarctica. The water at
False Bay beaches is often warmer by up to 10 °C (18 °F). Both coasts are equally popular, although the beaches in affluent
Clifton 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.
Surfing is popular and the city hosts the
Red Bull Big Wave Africa surfing competition every year.
The city has several notable cultural attractions. The
Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, built on top of part of the
docks of the
Port of Cape Town, is one of the city's most popular shopping venues, with several hundred shops and the
Two Oceans Aquarium. Part of the charm of the V&A, as it's 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 depart for
Robben Island. It is possible to take a ferry from the V&A to
Hout Bay,
Simon's Town and the
Cape Fur Seal colonies on Seal and Duiker Islands. Several companies offer tours of the
Cape Flats, a mostly Coloured
township, and
Khayelitsha, 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 style buildings in the world. Cape Dutch style, which combines the architectural traditions of the Netherlands, Germany and France, is most visible in
Constantia, the old government buildings in the Central Business District, and along
Long Street. The annual
Cape Town Minstrel Carnival, also known by its
Afrikaans name of
Kaapse Klopse, is a large
minstrel festival held annually on
January 2 or
"Tweede Nuwe Jaar" (Afrikaans: Second
New Year). Competing teams of minstrels parade in brightly coloured costumes, either carrying colourful umbrellas or playing an array of musical instruments. The
Artscape Theatre Centre is the main performing arts venue in Cape Town.
Night life in the city caters for all tastes and preferences, with a range of restaurants and cafes that are generally recognised as including some of the finest eateries in South Africa (both in food quality and decor terms). Night clubs and bars abound with popular areas including the top end of Long Street and its immediate surrounds, as well as the redeveloped
Cape Malay quarter,
De Waterkant. Varied accommodation for tourists is also abundant, ranging from well located backpackers hostels to hotels that have been rated at the top of their class in world terms.
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 and in particular the towns of
Stellenbosch,
Paarl and
Franschhoek are popular day trips from the city for sightseeing and
wine tasting.
Whale watching is popular amongst tourists:
Southern Right Whales are seen off the coast during the breeding season (August to November) and
Bryde's Whales can be seen any time of the year. The nearby town of
Hermanus is known for its Whale Festival, but whales can also be seen in False Bay.
Communications and media
Several newspapers, magazines and printing facilities have their offices in the city.
Independent News and Media publishes the major
English language papers in the city, the
Cape Argus and the
Cape Times.
Naspers, the largest media conglomerate in South Africa, publishes
Die Burger, 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, the
Atlantic Sun, the
Constantiaberg Bulletin from
Constantiaberg, the
City Vision from
Bellville, the
False Bay Echo from
False Bay, the
Helderberg Sun from
Helderberg, the
Plainsman from Michells Plain, the
Sentinel News from Hout Bay, the
Southern Mail from the Southern Peninsula, the
Southern Suburbs Tatler from the
Southern Suburbs,
Table Talk from Table View and
Tygertalk from Tygervalley/Durbanville. Afrikaans language community newspapers include the
Landbou-Burger and the
Tygerburger.
Vukani, based in the
Cape Flats, is published in
Xhosa.
Cape Town is a centre for broadcast media and has several radio stations that only broadcast within the city.
94.5 Kfm (94.5 MHz FM) and
Good Hope FM (94–97
MHz FM) mostly play
pop music. 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. Bush Radio is a community radio station (89.5
MHz FM). The
Voice of the Cape (95.8 MHz FM) and
Cape Talk (567
kHz MW) are the major
talk radio stations in the city.
The
SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation) has a small presence in the city, with satellite studios located at
Sea Point.
e.tv has a greater presence, with a large complex located at Longkloof Studios in
Gardens.
M-Net isn't 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.
Sports teams and stadiums
Cape Town's most popular sports by participation are
cricket,
association football,
swimming, and
rugby union. The
Stormers represent
Western Province and
Boland in the
Southern Hemisphere's
Super 14 rugby union competition. Cape Town is the home of the
Western Province Rugby Union, who play at
Newlands Stadium and compete in the
Currie Cup. Cape Town also regularly hosts the national team, the
Springboks, and hosted matches during the
1995 Rugby World Cup, including a semi-final.
Football, which is better known as
soccer in South Africa, is also popular. Two
clubs from Cape Town play in the
Premier Soccer League (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. Cape Town will also be the location of several of the matches of the
FIFA 2010 World Cup, which is to be held in South Africa. The Mother City is building a new 70,000 seat stadium in the Green Point area.
In cricket, the
Cape Cobras represent Cape Town at the
Newlands Cricket Ground. The team is the result of an amalgamation of the
Western Province Cricket and
Boland Cricket teams. They take part in the
Supersport 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. Although the games ultimately went to
Athens, Cape Town came in an impressive third place, edging out
Stockholm and
Buenos Aires in the first three rounds of voting. 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 event experience
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, 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 from 11 June to 11 July 2010, further enhancing its profile as a major events city.
| Year |
Event |
Venue |
| Annual (since 1960) |
Berg River Canoe Marathon |
Berg River, Paarl |
| Annual (since 1970) |
Old Mutual Two Oceans marathon |
Start: Newlands, Finish: University of Cape Town |
| Annual (since 1978) |
Cape Argus Pick 'n Pay Cycle Tour |
Start: City Centre, Finish: Green Point stadium |
| 1995 |
IRB Rugby World Cup |
Newlands stadium (50,000), Danie Craven stadium (20,000) |
| 1996 |
24th IAAF World Cross Country Championships |
Stellenbosch |
| 1996 |
Atlanta 1996 Olympic Hockey qualifying tournament |
Hartleyvale stadium (3,000) |
| 1996 |
Modern Pentathlon World Cup Final |
Stellenbosch |
| 1997 |
Fencing World Championships |
Culemborg exhibition centre(6,000) |
| 2001 |
World Junior Weightlifting Championships |
N/A |
| 2002 |
World Women’s Hockey Championships |
Ice station (1,000) |
| 2003 |
ICC Cricket World Cup |
Newlands cricket stadium (25,000) |
| 2003 |
World Road Championships |
Various |
| 2003 |
World Marathon Canoeing Championships |
Berg River |
| 2003 |
World Mountain Bike Championships |
N/A |
| 2004-2006 |
Swatch FIVB World Tour |
Camps Bay Beach |
| 2004-2008 |
Volvo ocean race |
Cape Town harbour |
| 2006 |
8th African Gymnastics Championships |
Bellville Velodrome |
| 2007 |
UCI B World Cycling Championships |
Bellville Velodrome(track) |
| 2007 |
ICC World T20 Championship |
Newlands cricket stadium (25,000) |
| 2007 |
ITTF World Cadet Challenge and World Junior Circuit Finals |
Good Hope Centre |
| 2008 |
UCI World Junior Cycling Championships |
Bellville Velodrome |
| 2008 |
World Rope Skipping Championships |
Good Hope Centre (6,000) |
| 2010 |
2010 FIFA World Cup |
Green Point stadium (68,000) |
| 2011 |
9th World Junior Women's Softball Championships |
Turfhall Softball Stadium (2,500) |
| 2012 |
ITTF World Junior Table Tennis Championships |
Grand Arena (6,000) |
Education
Public primary and secondary schools in Cape Town are run by the
Western Cape 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
Cape Town has a well-developed
higher education system of
public universities. Cape Town is served by three public universities: the
University of Cape Town (UCT), the
University of the Western Cape (UWC) and the
Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT).
Stellenbosch University, 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 25,000 students and has an MBA programme that's ranked 51st by the Financial Times in 2006. Since the
African National Congress 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, although one may take courses in any of South Africa's official languages. The institution generally awards the
National Diploma.
Transport
Air
Cape Town International Airport 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. 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 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, the city's main port, is located in Table Bay directly to the north of the central business district. The port is a hub for ships in the southern Atlantic: it's 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. In 2004, it handled 3,161 ships and 9.2 million tonnes of cargo.
Simon's Town Harbour on the False Bay coast of the Cape Peninsula is the main base of the South African Navy.
Rail
The Shosholoza Meyl is the passenger rail operations of Spoornet and operates two long-distance passenger rail services from Cape Town: a daily service to and from Johannesburg via Kimberley and a weekly service to and from Durban via Kimberley, Bloemfontein and Pietermaritzburg. These trains terminate at Cape Town Railway Station and make a brief stop at Bellville. Cape Town is also one terminus of the luxury tourist-oriented Blue Train.
Metrorail 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 start in Cape Town: the N1 which links Cape Town with Bloemfontein, Johannesburg, Pretoria and Zimbabwe; the N2 which links Cape Town with Port Elizabeth, East London and Durban; and the N7 which links Cape Town with the Northern Cape Province and Namibia. 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. 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 and dual carriageway M-roads, which connect different parts of the city. The M3 splits from the N2 and runs to the south along the eastern slopes of Table Mountain, connecting the City Bowl with Muizenberg. The M5 splits from the N1 further east than the M3, and links the Cape Flats to the CBD. The R300, which is informally known as the Cape Flats Freeway, links Mitchells Plain with Bellville, the N1 and the N2.
Buses
Golden Arrow Bus Services 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 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 can't 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 occur over lucrative taxi routes.
Sister cities
Haifa, Israel
San Francisco, USA
Aachen, Germany
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Saint Petersburg, RussiaFurther Information
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