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How it Began
The city of Cape Town is situated on the south-western tip of the African continent. The "Mother City", as Cape Town has become known over the years, was the first South African port established by European settlers in the 16th century.Portuguese navigators first made the open-water connection between Atlantic and Indian Oceans over four hundred years ago. In subsequent development by the Dutch, it became an outpost for East-West trade routes.

A refreshment station was set up by Dutch sailors working for the VOC (Dutch East India Company). Company Gardens were also set up which provided passing ships with fresh produce. Today the gardens have been transformed into a place of recreation and relaxation.

In the 17th century,the first slaves were brought in to the Cape to help run the refreshment station. Slaves were immigrated from Madagascar, Angola, Mozambique, the west Indies and Sri Lanka. This continued unti 1834.

The influence of the Dutch settlers and the mixture of languages of the slaves resulted in the birth of the Afrikaans language, unique to Southern Africa.

The British arrived in the 17th century,and annexed the Cape, declaring it a Colony. Theymade use of slave labour to develop the city of Cape Town. The British then went on to colonise South Africa.

You can still see first-hand evidence of the area's colonial beginnings if you visit the oldest building in the city, the five-pointed defensive fortress which also served as the early seat of government. The Castle of Good Hope, finished in 1679, has now been converted into a national monument. To get a cannon's eye view of the western part of the city, climb to the top of its walls, where six flags tell the story of European power, independence, and the eventual birth of the democratic Republic of South Africa in 1994.   

Today, the city of Cape Town is a large urban area with a high population density.Cape Town is renowned for being the "laid-back" city in South Africa.

The Western Cape province where Cape Town is located has three official languages: English, Afrikaans, and Xhosa. Students start school early in their mother tongue, then learn the other two down the road.

Climate
Cape Town's location at the juncture of the Atlantic and Indian oceans, and the influence of the nearby mountain ranges on prevailing air currents means that the Cape experiences a Mediterranean type climate with dry warm to hot summers cooled by south easterly winds, and cool wet winters. The Atlantic sea temperature off the west coast is generally a few degrees colder than that of the Indian Ocean.

Some Attractions
The rugged Cape coast is dotted with upmarket suburbs, quaint fishing villages and stretches of sandy beaches separated by massive rocky outcrops - remnants of the original geological formations from which Table Mountain developed. The well known extensive Winelands and historic Cape towns such as Stellenbosch, FranchHoek and Paarl, interspersed with rugged mountain ranges are situated an hour or two away, inland.

Table Mountain
Cape Town's most prominent feature, right near the city center and visible from miles around, is the flat-topped, 1000m-high Table Mountain.There is a cable car to the top of the mountain, but there are also a few hiking trails for the more adventurous explorer. Once at the top, there are panoramic views of both the Indian and Atlantic Oceans,across the city and out to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned (this has now been converted into a museum).Dassies run around in abundance on the mountain.

Kirstenbosch Gardens
On the eastern slopes of Table Mountain lie the well known Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens the largest of its kind in South Africa, and home to thousands of varieties of indigenous plants.

Groot Constantia
The oldest wine farm in the country, Groot Constantia, established in the 17th century is situated on the lower slopes of the "Back Table" Its modernised winery is in full production.

V&A Waterfront
The thriving upmarket Cape Town Waterfront is a major attraction for tourists and locals alike. It has developed into one of the most popular venues in the country with its combination of modern retail outlets, artistic markets and laid back entertainment, and is crowded throughout the year.

Architecture
Cape Town is known for its historic and unique architecture which is still apparent in the city and many of the surrounding communities. It has developed from a number of diverse influences such as Cape Dutch, British and Muslim.

Source: Cape>Gateway
               Ed Berry (traveltheplanet.co.za)
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