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Cape Town
Cape Town
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The central area of Cape Town as seen from Table Mountain.
Cape Town and Table Mountain - Landsat Image over SRTM Elevation. [1]Cape Town (Afrikaans: Kaapstad; Xhosa: eKapa or SaseKapa) is the third most populous city in South Africa. It is the legislative capital of South Africa, as well as capital of the Western Cape province. Cape Town is famous for its natural harbour, as well as its location near the Cape of Good Hope. Its central area is dominated by Table Mountain, so named after its flat top. Cape Town is located at 33°55′ S 18°27′ E.
Cape Town is the tourism capital of South Africa, receiving the largest number of tourists of any South African city.
The area is also famous for its unique plant life: fynbos (an Afrikaans word meaning "fine bush"), a shrubby vegetation type similar to other winter rainfall shrublands, in which proteas are prominent and characteristic and which occurs nowhere else but the Cape coastal belt, the adjacent mountains and some isolated inland mountain tops. Fire is a necessary stage in the lives of almost all fynbos plants. In readiness for fire, most proteas retain their seeds on the bush for at least one year, a habit known as serotiny. They do this in structures which resemble the original flowerheads. In some species these structures are strikingly beautiful and long-lasting, which accounts for their use in dried floral arrangements.
Lastly, it is famous for the fine wines produced in the areas of Stellenbosch, Paarl and Robertson.
When leaving Cape Town, you first pass the suburbs and Cape Town International Airport. After getting over the mountains you enter the Karoo in the north-east or the coast regions in the north and east.
Cape Town is a popular tourist destination, offering the visitor a wide variety of activities such as water sports (including diving, surfing and sailing), angling, wine-tasting, shopping, scenic drives, mountaineering, hiking, kite-flying, hang-gliding and parasailing, and bird- and whale-watching.
The most popular time for visitors is the summer from October to March, though some visitors from more temperate climates might find the height of summer (December and January) uncomfortably hot. The city also becomes very crowded then as the local holidaymakers descend on the city for their summer school holidays. The most popular tourist attractions are, in order of popularity: The Victoria & Alfred waterfront, a popular shopping venue with thousands of shops, fine hotels, a world-class marina and an aquarium; Table Mountain, which can be accessed either by walking or a cable car; Signal Hill with the Noon gun, Cape Point; and Boulders Beach, home to a colony of penguins. The Cape Peninsula and the region around Cape Town offer wonderful walking and hiking opportunities from right in the middle of the city where the mountains can be accessed very easily (such as Lion's Head and Devil's Peak) to further afield in the surrounding mountain ranges.
Boat trips can be undertaken from the Victoria & Alfred marina to visit Robben Island. It is a well known spot for windsurfers/kitesurfing, mainly in the summer seasons (September to February).
Other boat trips can be undertaken from Simonstown (the main South African naval base)on the False Bay (Indian Ocean) coast to Seal Island and Cape Point and from Hout Bay, a fishing harbour on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, to Duiker Island which has a population of 6000 seals in breeding season dropping to 1500 seals in the off season.
One of the world's largest population of whales in the breeding season (August to November) can be found off the coast of the Cape Peninsula and the surrounding coast of the Western Cape. Many local observation points allow sightings from close by.
Local wineries offer tastings and informative tours are available. August and September are the best time to visit the west coast, because the desert comes to life after the winter rains and the wild flowers bloom in profusion.
A cable car system takes visitors to the top of Table Mountain, though it only operates in good weather as gale-force winds can make it dangerous or clouds can obscure the view from the summit. The operating status (open or closed) of the cable car is posted on a signboard at Kloof Nek.
Sports teams and stadiums
Cape Town boasts two soccer teams in the Premier League, Santos (based in Athlone) and Ajax Cape Town (based in Parow).
The Cape Town suburb of Newlands is the home of the Western Province rugby team, one of the powerhouses in South African rugby, as well as Western Province cricket. Newlands is also home to one of South Africa's four Super 12 rugby franchises, the Stormers.
The clement weather of the region allows open air sports all year round. Apart from team sports, golf and tennis are very popular and facilities for these exist all over the city. Conditions for scuba diving, surfing and both kite and board sailing are world class and attract many foreign tourists.
Transport
Cape Town International Airport is the second biggest airport in South Africa and a major gateway for travellers to the Cape Region. It offers a number of International flights to destinations in Africa, Europe, Asia and North America. Nearly all commercial airports in South Africa are served from here.
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