Cape Town is the third 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 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 and Durban.
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 explorer Bartolomeu Dias in 1486. Vasco da Gama
recorded a sighting of the Cape of Good Hope in 1497, and the area did not have regular
contact with Europeans until 1652, when the Netherlands' Jan van Riebeeck and other
employees of the Dutch East India Company (Dutch: Verenigde Oost-indische
Compagnie, VOC) were sent to the Cape to establish a way-station for ships travelling to
the Dutch East Indies. 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
and Madagascar. Many of these became ancestors of the first Cape Coloured
communities.
During the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars, the Netherlands was repeatedly
occupied by France, and Great Britain 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,
Cape Town was permanently ceded to Britain. It became the capital of the newly formed
Cape Colony, whose territory expanded very substantially through the 1800s.
The discovery of diamonds in Griqualand West in 1869, and the Witwatersrand Gold
Rush in 1886, prompted a flood of immigrants to South Africa. Conflicts between the Boer
republics in the interior and the British colonial government resulted in the Second Boer
War of 1899-1901. Britain won the war. In 1910, Britain established the Union of South
Africa, which unified the Cape Colony with the two defeated Boer Republics and the
British colony of Natal. Cape Town became the legislative capital of the Union, and later
of the Republic of South Africa.
PLACE TO VISIT
Bo-Kaap - This neighborhood, located on a hill south-west of downtown is the area
historically inhabited by mainly Muslim descendants of slaves from South-East Asia
(hence an older term for the area - 'Malay Quarter'. It's a common location for film shoots,
as there are some very colourful buildings, quaint streets, mosques. views over Cape
Town and some great food sold on the side of the street. It's well worth wandering around
for an hour or so, as well as visiting the Bo-Kaap Museum
The Castle of Good Hope - Popularly called 'The Castle' by locals, it has
extensive displays of historical military paraphernalia, a history of the castle, an art
collection and the William Fehr Collection (including old Cape Dutch furniture). You can
eat inside the Castle at the restaurant or café, as well as buy wine. R20 entrance free.
Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens - . Open daily 8AM to 6PM (7PM September
to March). View the hugely diverse and beautiful plants and flowers of the Cape flora in
one of the most stunning botanical gardens in the world. Plants from all of the regions of
South Africa are on display, including rare succulents from the Richtersveld, a giant
baobob tree, and interesting medicinal plants. Numerous paths wander through the
grounds situated on the back side of Table Mountain. Several restaurants, a gift shop and
indigenous nursery are also available. At various times of the year concerts are
performed in the open air amphitheater. Art is frequently on display, including large
Shona stone sculptures from Zimbabwe. The gardens are also home to the National
Biodiversity Institute. R27.
Robben Island - Robben Island is located just off the coast from Cape Town, this
was the location used during the apartheid days to hold political prisoners, including
Nelson Mandela and the late Walter Sisulu. Some of the tour guides were themselves
political prisoners so they have plenty of insight about what went on there. Tours run
several times per days, seven days a week from the Nelson Mandela Gateway at the V&A
Waterfront.
South African Parliament - Cape Town is the legislative seat of South Africa (the
Presidential seat is in Pretoria and the Supreme Court is at Bloemfontein). A tour of this
compound will acquaint you with South Africa's recent history and its political system. The
tour includes visits to the National Assembly, the National Council of Provinces and the
old apartheid-era assembly which is now only used for caucus and committee meetings.
Tours are offered a few times per day in various languages. Free entrance and tours.
South African Parliament - Cape Town is the legislative seat of South Africa (the
Presidential seat is in Pretoria and the Supreme Court is at Bloemfontein). A tour of this
compound will acquaint you with South Africa's recent history and its political system. The
tour includes visits to the National Assembly, the National Council of Provinces and the
old apartheid-era assembly which is now only used for caucus and committee meetings.
Tours are offered a few times per day in various languages. Free entrance and tours.
HOW TO REACH
By plane - International Terminal of CPT.Cape Town International Airport is the
second largest airport in South Africa (the largest being the OR Tambo International
Airport in Johannesburg). There are several flights daily to Johannesburg, Durban and all
other major South African cities, as well as the Namibian cities of Windhoek,
Swakopmund and Walvis Bay and other destinations, including Gaborone, Maun and
Nairobi. The most used airlines for international flights from Europe, the US and Asia
include South African Airways, Lufthansa , British Airways Singapore Airlines and
Malaysian
By Train - Cape Town's main train station is located in the city centre, on the corner of
Adderley Street and Strand Street. Please take care of your belongings.A daily train
departs for Kimberley (16.5 hours) and Johannesburg (25 hours). From Johannesburg
there are onward connections north to Pretoria, Polokwane and Musina (near the border
with Zimbabwe), and east to Nelspruit (near the Kruger National Park).
Weekly trains leave every Monday for Durban (36.5 hours) via Kimberley (18 hours),
Bloemfontein (21 hours) and Pietermaritzburg (34 hours). Weekly trains leave every
Sunday for East London (28 hours).
By bus - All major bus companies have Intercity connections from Cape Town, taking
you to all bigger cities in South Africa and to Windhoek in Namibia. There might be up to 6
buses a day to certain cities.
The starting point is next to the train station at the corner of Adderley and Strand Street,
near the Golden Acre building. Please ask at the nearby tourist information or in your
hotel for connections and where your bus is going to leave, as finding your bus can
become difficult.
Over and above, there are a few bus services available while traveling from eastern africa,
notebly Tanzania and Kenya. The general route followed is Nairboi (Kenya),
Dar-es-salaam (Tanzania), Lusaka (Zambia)and Harare(Zimbabwe)in order top reach Jo'
Berg. The journey from Nairobi takes about two to three days.
