Table Mountain of Cape Town as seen from Robben Island
by corbs83 in the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0
Cape Town Introduction
Cape Town is the third largest city in South Africa. It is the most popular South African destination for tourism, and has well known landmarks such as the Table Mountain and Cape Point. Cape Town is often regarded as one of the world's most beautiful cities because of its geography.
Cape Town was founded around 1652 when Jan van Riebeeck arrived there, and established the first permanent European settlement in South Africa. Cape Town was originally developed as a victualling station for Dutch ships sailing to Eastern Africa, India, and the Far East. It was an important stop as the Suez Canal would not be built for another 200 years. Cape Town quickly outgrew its original purpose as the first European outpost at the Castle of Good Hope, and was the largest city in South Africa until Johannesburg and Durban surpassed it in size.
Today, Cape Town has a population of 2.95 million (2001). With an area of 2,499 square kilometres (965 sq mi), Cape Town is larger than other South African cities. As a result, it enjoys a comparatively lower population density.
Table Mountain forms a dramatic backdrop for Cape Town. It is a plateau that is 1,000 m (3,300 ft) high and surrounded by near-vertical cliffs, Devil's Peak and Lion's Head. Occasionally, a thin strip of cloud forms over Table Mountain, and the locals call it the "tablecloth".
Cape Town is located at the north end of a peninsula called Cape Peninsula. 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 (304.8 m) (the American definition of a mountain) within Cape Town's official city limits.
The plain that joins the peninsula to the mainland is called Cape Flats. Many of Cape Town's suburbs are located here. Cape Flats is a "rising marine plain". It consists mostly of sandy soil, probably an ancient sea bed. There is indication that Table Mountain itself was once an island.
Cape Town Waterfront
by contributor, used under Creative Commons Attribution 1.0
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