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Jul 22, 2024 · Cape Town got its name from the nearby Cape of Good Hope. The first recorded European to round the Cape was the Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias in 1488. He originally named it the “Cape of Storms” due to the treacherous seas he encountered.
- Overview
- The character of the city
Cape Town, city and seaport, legislative capital of South Africa and capital of Western Cape province. The city lies at the northern end of the Cape Peninsula some 30 miles (50 kilometres), at its southernmost boundary, north of the Cape of Good Hope. Because it was the site of the first European settlement in South Africa, Cape Town is known as the country’s “mother city.”
Cape Town has a beautiful setting: parts of the city and its suburbs wind about the steep slopes of Table Mountain (3,563 feet [1,086 metres] high) and neighbouring peaks and rim the shores of Table Bay; other parts lie on the flats below the slopes or stretch southward across the flats to False Bay. The city covers an area of 116 square miles (300 square kilometres). Pop. (2005 est.) urban agglom., 3,103,000.
The city of Cape Town had its origin in 1652, when the Dutch East India Company established a refreshment station for its ships on the shores of Table Bay. The location was magnificent, on well-watered, fertile soil, beneath the precipitous walls of Table Mountain. The indigenous inhabitants provided cattle but not labour, and the company imported slaves, mainly from East Africa, Madagascar, and the Bay of Bengal area. The slaves brought with them something of their culture and—especially in the case of the Muslims from the East Indies—their religion. Mixed-race unions took place, but strong racial and ethnic characteristics remained. In 1781 the French established a garrison to help the Dutch defend the city against British attack, and the French presence influenced local architecture and culture. British occupation in the 19th century brought new parliamentary and judicial concepts and freedom for the slaves. Cape Town was the gateway to Europe’s penetration of the South African interior, and close ties with continental Europe were maintained.
Today Cape Town is a modern city with high-rise office buildings and pedestrian malls. Although it is a major political and economic centre, its reputation still rests on its beautiful situation between mountain and sea, its cosmopolitan population, and the liberal outlook of many of its citizens.
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World Cities
- Eric Axelson
Cape Town 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 southern Africa.
The Estate gave its name to the Constantia area, and its wines won the praise of even such connoisseurs as Kings of France. Simon van der Stel is also the founder of Stellenbosch, Drakenstein and Franschhoek, and is responsible for the construction of many of the famous homesteads in the Cape.
Apr 4, 2002 · Care was taken to integrate newcomers from other European countries with the Dutch, speaking the Dutch language and conforming to the Reformed Church, and the eighteenth century saw the gradual evolution of the Afrikaner people as the little settlement grew into a town, now called Kaapstad (Cape Town).
Originally known as the Cape of Storms, this tumultuous corner of Southern Africa has a history that will leave you feeling moved and enriched.
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The Mother City, With the Famous- 'Table-Cloth' of Clouds Coming Over, Table Mountain! Cape Town is one of South Africa’s most Historically important Cities. It was here, in the "Mother City", where the first European Colonists set foot in South Africa —which also marked the beginning of the South African slave trade.
