Located on the shore of Table Bay, Cape Town was originally developed by the
Dutch East India Company as a victualling (supply) station for Dutch ships sailing
to Eastern Africa, India, and the Far East.
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, becoming the economic and cultural hub of the Cape Colony.
Until the Witwatersrand Gold Rush and the development of Johannesburg,
Cape Town was the largest city in South Africa. As of 2007 the city had a population
of 3.5 million.
Cape Town's land area of 2,455 square kilometres (948 sq mi) is larger than other
South African cities, resulting in a comparatively lower population density of 1,425 inhabitants per square kilometre (3,690 /sq mi). |
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 is 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 is 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 1,000 feet (300 m) (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.
The Cape Peninsula has a Mediterranean climate with well-defined seasons. |