Cape Town

Cape Townis thelegislativecapitalofSouth Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of theParliament of South Africa.Cape Town is the country's second-largest city, afterJohannesburg, and the largest in theWestern Cape.The city is part of theCity of Cape Townmetropolitan municipality.
The city is known forits harbour, its natural setting in theCape Floristic Region, and for landmarks such asTable MountainandCape Point. In 2014, Cape Town was named the best place in the world to visit byThe New York Times,and was similarly ranked number one byThe Daily Telegraphin both 2016 and 2023.
Located on the shore ofTable Bay, the City Bowl area of Cape Town isthe oldest urban area in the Western Cape, with a significant cultural heritage. It was founded by theDutch East India Company(VOC) as a supply station for Dutch ships sailing toEast Africa,India, and theFar East.Jan van Riebeeck's arrival on 6 April 1652 established theVOC Cape Colony, the first permanent European settlement in South Africa.
Cape Town outgrew its original purpose as the first European outpost at theCastle of Good Hope, becoming the economic and cultural hub of theCape Colony. Until theWitwatersrand Gold Rushand the development of Johannesburg, Cape Town was the largest city in southern Africa.
The metropolitan area has a long coastline on theAtlantic Ocean, which includes False Bay, and extends to theHottentots Holland mountainsto the east. TheTable Mountain National Parkis within the city boundaries and there are several other nature reserves and marine-protected areas within, and adjacent to, the city, protecting the diverse terrestrial and marine natural environment.
The earliest known remnants of human occupation in the region were found at Peers Cave inFish Hoekand have been dated to between 15,000 and 12,000 years old.
Bartolomeu Dias, the first European to reach the area, arrived in 1488 and named it "Cape of Storms" (Cabo das Tormentas). It was later renamed byJohn II of Portugalas "Cape of Good Hope" (Cabo da Boa Esperança) because of the great optimism engendered by the opening of a sea route to theIndian subcontinentandEast Indies.
In 1497, Portuguese explorerVasco da Gamarecorded a sighting of the Cape of Good Hope.
In 1510, at theBattle of Salt River, the Portuguese admiralFrancisco de Almeidaand sixty-four of his men were killed and his party was defeatedby the  "Goringhaiqua" in Dutch approximate spelling) using cattle that were specially trained to respond to whistles and shouts.The Gorinaiqua were one of theKhoikhoiclans who inhabited the area.
In the late 16th century French, Danish, Dutch, and English, but mainly Portuguese, ships regularly continued to stop over in Table Bay en route to the Indies. They traded tobacco, copper, and iron with theKhoikhoiclans of the region in exchange for fresh meat and other essential traveling provisions.
In 1652,Jan van Riebeeckand other employees of theUnited East India Company(Dutch:Verenigde Oost-indische Compagnie, VOC) were sent to the Cape Colony to establish a way-station for ships travelling to theDutch East Indies, and theFort de Goede Hoop(later replaced by theCastle of Good Hope). The settlement grew slowly during this period, as it was hard to find adequate labour. This labour shortage prompted the local authorities to import enslaved people fromIndonesiaandMadagascar. Many of these people are ancestors of modern-dayCape ColouredandCape Malaycommunities.
Under Van Riebeeck and his successors, as VOC commanders and later governors at the Cape, a wide range of agricultural plants were introduced to the Cape. Some of these, including grapes, cereals, ground nuts, potatoes, apples and citrus, had a large and lasting influence on the societies and economies of the region.
With theDutch Republicbeing transformed intoRevolutionary France's vassalBatavian Republic, Great Britain moved to take control of Dutch colonies, including the colonial possessions of the VOC.
Britaincaptured Cape Town in 1795, but it was returned to the Dutch by treaty in 1803. British forces occupied the Cape again in 1806 following theBattle of Blaauwbergwhen the Batavian Republic allied with Britain's rival, France, during theNapoleonic Wars. Following the conclusion of the war Cape Town was permanently ceded to the United Kingdom in theAnglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814.
The city became the capital of the newly formedCape Colony, whose territory expanded very substantially through the 1800s, partially as a result ofnumerous warswith theamaXhosaon the colony's eastern frontier.  In 1833 slavery wasabolished in the colonyfreeing over 5500 slaves in the city, almost a third of the city's population at the time.TheConvict Crisisof 1849, marked by substantial civil upheaval, bolstered the push for self-governance in the Cape.With expansion came calls for greater independence from the UK, with the Cape attainingits own parliament(1854) and a locally accountable Prime Minister (1872). Suffrage was established according to the non-racialCape Qualified Franchise.
During the 1850s and 1860s, additional plant species were introduced from Australia by the British authorities. Notablyrooikranswas introduced to stabilise the sand of theCape Flatsto allow for a road connecting the peninsula with the rest of the African continentandeucalyptuswas used to drain marshes.
In 1859 the first railway line was built by theCape Government Railwaysand a system of railways rapidly expanded in the 1870s. The discovery of diamonds inGriqualand Westin 1867, and theWitwatersrand Gold Rushin 1886, prompted a flood of immigration into South Africa.In 1895 the city's first public power station, theGraaff Electric Lighting Works, was opened.
Conflicts between theBoer republicsin the interior and the British colonial government resulted in theSecond Boer Warof 1899–1902. Britain's victory in this war led to the formation of a united South Africa. From 1891 to 1901, the city's population more than doubled from 67,000 to 171,000.
As the 19th century came to an end, the economic and political dominance of Cape Town in the Southern Africa region during the 19th century started to give way to the dominance of Johannesburg and Pretoria in the 20th century.
In 1910, Britain established theUnion of South Africa, which unified the Cape Colony with the two defeated Boer Republics and the Britishcolony of Natal. Cape Town became the legislative capital of the Union, and later of theRepublic of South Africa.
By the time of the1936 census, Johannesburg had overtaken Cape Town as the largest city in the country.
In 1945 the expansion of theCape Town foreshorewas completed adding an additional 194 ha (480 acres) to theCity Bowlarea to the city centre.
Prior to the mid-twentieth century, Cape Town was one of the most racially integrated cities in South Africa.In the1948 national elections, theNational Partywon on a platform ofapartheid(racial segregation) under the slogan of "swart gevaar" (Afrikaans for "black danger"). This led to the erosion and eventual abolition of theCape's multiracial franchise.
In 1950, the apartheid government first introduced theGroup Areas Act, which classified and segregated urban areas according to race. Formerly multi-racial suburbs of Cape Town were either purged of residents deemed unlawful by apartheid legislation, or demolished. The most infamous example of this in Cape Town was the suburb ofDistrict Six. After it was declared a whites-only area in 1965, all housing there was demolished and over 60,000 residents were forcibly removed.Many of these residents were relocated to theCape Flats.
The earliest of the Cape Flats forced removals saw the expulsion of Black South Africans to theLanga, Cape Town's first and oldest township, in line with the 1923Native Urban Areas Act.
Under apartheid, the Cape was considered a "Colouredlabour preference area", to the exclusion of "Bantus", i.e. Black Africans. The implementation of this policy was widely opposed by trade unions, civil society and opposition parties. It is notable that this policy was not advocated for by any Coloured political group, and its implementation was a unilateral decision by the apartheid government.During the student-ledSoweto Uprisingof June 1976, school students fromLanga,GugulethuandNyangain Cape Town reacted to the news of the protests against Bantu Education by organising gatherings and marches of their own. A number of school buildings were burnt down and the protest action was met with forceful resistance from the police.
Cape Town has been home to many leaders of theanti-apartheid movement. InTable Bay, 10 km (6 mi) from the city isRobben Island. Thispenitentiary islandwas the site of a maximum security prison where many famous apartheird-era political prisoners served long prison sentences. Famous prisoners include activist, lawyer and future presidentNelson Mandelawho served 18 of his 27 years of imprisonment on the island, as well as two other future presidents,Kgalema MotlantheandJacob Zuma.
In one of the most famous moments marking the end of apartheid, Nelson Mandela made his first public speech since his imprisonment, from the balcony ofCape Town City Hall, hours after being released on 11 February 1990. His speech heralded the beginning of a new era for the country. Thefirst democratic election, was held four years later, on 27 April 1994.
Nobel Squarein theVictoria & Alfred Waterfrontfeatures statues of South Africa's fourNobel Peace Prizewinners:Albert Luthuli,Desmond Tutu,F. W. de KlerkandNelson Mandela.
Cape Town has undergone significant changes in the years since Apartheid. Cape Town has experienced economic growth and development in the post-apartheid era. The city has become a major economic hub in South Africa, attracting international investment and tourism. TheDemocratic Alliance(DA), aliberalpolitical party which came to power in Cape Town in 2006, has been credited with improving bureaucratic efficiency, public safety and fostering economic development.
Opinion polls show that South Africans see it as the best governed province and city in the country.Of South Africa's 257 municipalities, only 38 received a clean financial audit in 2022 from theAuditor-General. Of those, 21 were in the Western Cape.The city's economy has diversified, with growth in sectors such as finance, real estate, and tourism. The establishment of the City Centre Improvement District (CCID) has been particularly successful in revitalizing the city center, bringing businesses and people back into the area. This initiative has transformed public spaces such asGreenmarket Square,Company's Garden, and St George's Mall, attracting both locals and tourists.
In 2014, Cape Town was namedWorld Design Capitalof the Year.Cape Town was voted the best tourist destination in Africa at the 2023 World Travel Awards inDubaiand continues to be the most important tourist destination in the country.Cape Town has been named the best travel city in the world every year since 2013 in theTelegraphTravel Awards.
The legacy of apartheid's spatial planning is still evident, with significant disparities between affluent areas and impoverishedtownships.60% of the city's population live in townships and informal settlements far from the city centre.The legacy of Apartheid means Cape Town remains one of the most racially segregated cities in South Africa.Many Black South Africans continue to live in informal settlements with limited access to basic services such as healthcare, education, and sanitation.The unemployment rate remains high at 23% (though nearly 10 points lower than the nationwide average), particularly among historically disadvantaged groups, and economic opportunities are unevenly distributed.
Cape Town faced asevere water shortagefrom 2015 to 2018.According toOxfam, "in the face of an imminent water shortage, the city of Cape Town in South Africa successfully reduced its water use by more than half in three years, cutting it from 1.2bn litres per day in February 2015 to 516m litres per day in 2018."
In 2021 Cape Town also experienced aviolent turf warbetweenrival mini-bus taxi firmswhich led to the deaths of 83 people. Two years latera strike by the mini-bus taxi firmsresulted in 5 deaths.
Since the 2010s, Cape Town and the wider Western Cape province have seen the rise of a smallsecessionist movement.Support for parties "which have formally adopted Cape independence" was around 5% in the2021 municipal elections.
Cape Town is located at latitude 33.55° S (approximately the same asSydneyandBuenos Airesand equivalent toCasablancaandLos Angelesin the northern hemisphere) and longitude 18.25° E.
Table Mountain, with its near vertical cliffs and flat-topped summit over 1,000 m (3,300 ft) high, and withDevil's PeakandLion's Headon either side, together form a dramatic mountainous backdrop enclosing the central area of Cape Town, the so-calledCity Bowl. A thin strip of cloud, known colloquially as the "tablecloth" ("Karos" inAfrikaans), sometimes forms on top of the mountain. To the immediate south of the city, theCape Peninsulais a scenic mountainous spine jutting 40 km (25 mi) southward into theAtlantic Oceanand terminating atCape Point.
There are over 70 peaks above 300 m (980 ft) withinCape Town's official metropolitan limits. Many of the city's suburbs lie on the large plain called theCape Flats, which extends over 50 km (30 mi) to the east and joins the peninsula to the mainland. The Cape Town region is characterised by an extensive coastline, rugged mountain ranges, coastal plains and inland valleys.
The extent of Cape Town has varied considerably over time. It originated as a small settlement at the foot of Table Mountain and has grown beyond its city limits as ametropolitan areato encompass the entireCape Peninsulato the south, theCape Flats, theHelderbergbasin and part of the Steenbras catchment area to the east, and the Tygerberg hills, Blouberg and other areas to the north.Robben Islandin Table Bay is also part of Cape Town. It is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and False Bay to the south. To the north and east, the extent is demarcated by boundaries of neighbouring municipalities within the Western Cape province.
The official boundaries of the city proper extend between theCity Bowland the Atlantic Seaboard to the east and theSouthern Suburbsto the south. TheCity of Cape Town, themetropolitan municipalitythat takes its name from the city covers the Greater Cape Townmetropolitan area, known as the Cape Metropole, extending beyond the city proper itself to include a number of satellite towns, suburbs and rural areas such asAtlantis,Bellville,Blouberg,Brackenfell,Durbanville,Goodwood,Gordon's Bay,Hout Bay,Khayelitsha,Kraaifontein,Kuilsrivier,Macassar,Melkbosstrand,Milnerton,Muizenberg,Noordhoek,Parow,Philadelphia,Simon's Town,Somerset West, andStrandamong others.
TheCape Peninsulais 52 km (30 mi) long fromMouille Pointin the north to Cape Point in the south,with an area of about 470 km(180 sq mi), and it displays more topographical variety than other similar sized areas in southern Africa, and consequently spectacular scenery. There are diverse low-nutrient soils, large rocky outcrops, scree slopes, a mainly rocky coastline with embayed beaches, and considerable local variation in climatic conditions.
The sedimentary rocks of theCape Supergroup, of which parts of the Graafwater and Peninsula Formations remain, were uplifted between 280 and 21S million years ago, and were largely eroded away during the Mesozoic. The region was geologically stable during the Tertiary, which has led to slow denudation of the durable sandstones. Erosion rate and drainage has been influenced by fault lines and fractures, leaving remnant steep-sided massifs like Table Mountain surrounded by flatter slopes of deposits of the eroded material overlaying the older rocks,
There are two internationally notable landmarks,Table MountainandCape Point, at opposite ends of the Peninsula Mountain Chain, with theCape FlatsandFalse Bayto the east and theAtlantic Oceanto the west. The landscape is dominated by sandstone plateaux and ridges, which generally drop steeply at their margins to the surrounding debris slopes, interrupted by a major gap at the Fish Hoek–Noordhoek valley. In the south much of the area is a low sandstone plateau with sand dunes. Maximum altitude is 1113 m on Table Mountain.The Cape Flats (Afrikaans: Kaapse Vlakte) is a flat, low-lying, sandy area, area to the east the Cape Peninsula, and west of the Helderberg much of which was wetland and dunes within recent history. To the north are the Tygerberg Hills and the Stellenbosch district.
TheHelderbergarea of Greater Cape Town, previously known as the "Hottentots-Holland" area, is mostly residential, but also a wine-producing area east of the Cape Flats, west of the Hottentots Holland mountain range and south of the Helderberg mountain, from which it gets its current name. The Helderberg consists of the previous municipalities of Somerset West, Strand, Gordons Bay and a few other towns. Industry and commerce is largely in service of the area.
After the Cape Peninsula, Helderberg is the next most mountainous part of Greater Cape Town, bordered to the north and east by the highest peaks in the region along the watershed of the Helderberg and Hottentots Holland Mountains, which are part of the Cape Fold Belt withCape Supergroupstrata on a basement of Tygerberg Formation rocks intruded by part of the Stellenbosch granite pluton. The region includes the entire catchment of the Lourens and Sir Lowry's rivers, separated by the Schapenberg hill, and a small part of the catchment of the Eerste River to the west. The Helderberg is ecologically highly diverse, rivaling the Cape Peninsula, and has its own endemic ecoregions and several conservation areas.
To the east of the Hottentots Holland mountains is the valley of the Steenbras River, in which theSteenbras Damwas built as a water supply for Cape Town. The dam has been supplemented by several other dams around the western Cape, some of them considerably larger. This is almost entirely a conservation area, of high biodiversity.Bellville,Brackenfell,Durbanville,Kraaifontein,GoodwoodandParoware a few of the towns that make up theNorthern Suburbsof Cape Town. In current popular culture these areas are often referred to as being beyond the "boereworscurtain," a play on the term "iron curtain."
UNESCOdeclaredRobben Islandin the Western Cape aWorld Heritage Sitein 1999. Robben Island is located in Table Bay, some 6 km (3.7 mi) west of Bloubergstrand, a coastal suburb north of Cape Town, and stands some 30m above sea level. Robben Island has been used as aprisonwhere people were isolated, banished, and exiled for nearly 400 years. It was also used as alepercolony, a post office, a grazing ground, a mental hospital, and an outpost.
TheCape Peninsulais a rocky and mountainouspeninsulathat juts out into theAtlantic Oceanat the south-western extremity of the continent. At its tip is Cape Point and theCape of Good Hope. The peninsula forms the west side of False Bay and the Cape Flats. On the east side are the Helderberg and Hottentots Holland mountains.
The three main rock formations are the late-PrecambrianMalmebury group (sedimentary and metamorphic rock), the Cape Granite suit, comprising the huge Peninsula, Kuilsrivier-Helderberg, and Stellenbosch batholiths, that were intruded into the Malmesbury Group about 630 million years ago, and theTable Mountain groupsandstones that were deposited on the eroded surface of the granite and Malmesbury series basement about 450 million years ago.
The sand, silt and mud deposits were lithified by pressure and then folded during the Cape Orogeny to form theCape Fold Belt, which extends in an arc along the western and southern coasts. The present landscape is due to prolonged erosion having carved out deep valleys, removing parts of the once continuous Table Mountain Group sandstone cover from over the Cape Flats and False Bay, and leaving high residual mountain ridges.
At times the sea covered the Cape Flats andNoordhoekvalley and the Cape Peninsula was then a group of islands. During glacial periods the sea level dropped to expose the bottom of False Bay to weathering and erosion, with the last major regression leaving the entire bottom of False Bay exposed. During this period an extensive system of dunes was formed on the sandy floor of False Bay. At this time the drainage outlets lay between Rocky Bank Cape Point to the west, and between Rocky Bank and Hangklip Ridge to the east, with the watershed roughly along the line of the contact zone east of Seal Island and Whittle Rock.
Cape Town has aMediterranean climate(Köppen:Csb, borderingCsa),with mild, moderately wet winters and dry, warm summers. Winter, which lasts from June to September, may see large cold fronts entering for limited periods from the Atlantic Ocean with significantprecipitationand strong north-westerly winds. Winter months in the city average a maximum of 18 °C (64 °F) and minimum of 8.5 °C (47 °F). Winters aresnowandfrostfree, except on Table Mountain and on other mountain peaks, where light accumulation of snow and frost can sometimes occur.Total annual rainfall in the city averages 515 mm (20.3 in) although in theSouthern Suburbs, close to the mountains, rainfall is significantly higher and averages closer to 1,000 mm (39.4 in).
Summer, which lasts from December to March, is warm and dry with an average maximum of 26 °C (79 °F) and minimum of 16 °C (61 °F). The region can get uncomfortably hot when theBerg Wind, meaning "mountain wind", blows from theKaroointerior. Spring and summer generally feature a strong wind from the south-east, known locally as the south-easter or theCape Doctor, so called because it blows air pollution away. This wind is caused by a persistenthigh-pressure systemover theSouth Atlanticto the west of Cape Town, known as theSouth Atlantic High, which shifts latitude seasonally, following the sun, and influencing the strength of the fronts and their northward reach. Cape Town receives about 3,100 hours of sunshine per year.
Water temperatures range greatly, between 10 °C (50 °F) on the Atlantic Seaboard, to over 22 °C (72 °F) inFalse Bay. Average annual ocean surface temperatures are between 13 °C (55 °F) on the Atlantic Seaboard (similar to Californian waters, such asSan FranciscoorBig Sur), and 17 °C (63 °F) in False Bay (similar to Northern Mediterranean temperatures, such asNiceorMonte Carlo).
Unlike other parts of the country the city does not have manythunderstorms, and most of those that do occur, happen around October to December and March to April.
A 2019 paper published inPLOS Oneestimated that underRepresentative Concentration Pathway 4.5, a "moderate" scenario ofclimate changewhere global warming reaches ~2.5–3 °C (4.5–5.4 °F) by 2100, the climate of Cape Town in the year 2050 would most closely resemble the current climate ofPerthinAustralia. The annual temperature would increase by 1.1 °C (2.0 °F), and the temperature of the coldest month by 0.3 °C (0.54 °F), while the temperature of the warmest month would be 2.3 °C (4.1 °F) higher.According toClimate Action Tracker, the current warming trajectory appears consistent with 2.7 °C (4.9 °F), which closely matches RCP 4.5.
Moreover, according to the 2022IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, Cape Town is one of 12 major African cities (Abidjan,Alexandria,Algiers, Cape Town,Casablanca,Dakar,Dar es Salaam,Durban,Lagos,Lomé,LuandaandMaputo) which would be the most severely affected by futuresea level rise. It estimates that they would collectively sustain cumulative damages of US$65 billion under RCP 4.5 and US$86.5 billion for the high-emission scenario RCP 8.5 by the year 2050.
Additionally, RCP 8.5 combined with the hypothetical impact frommarine ice sheet instabilityat high levels of warming would involve up to US$137.5 billion in damages,while the additional accounting for the "low-probability, high-damage events" may increase aggregate risks to US$187 billion for the "moderate" RCP4.5, US$206 billion for RCP8.5 and US$397 billion under the high-end ice sheet instability scenario.Since sea level rise would continue for about 10,000 years under every scenario of climate change, future costs of sea level rise would only increase, especially without adaptation measures.
Cape Town's coastal water ranges from cold to mild, and the difference between the two sides of the peninsula can be dramatic. While the Atlantic Seaboard averages annual sea surface temperatures around 13 °C (55 °F), theFalse Baycoast is much warmer, averaging between 16 and 17 °C (61 and 63 °F) annually.
In summer, False Bay water averages slightly over 20 °C (68 °F), with 22 °C (72 °F) an occasional high. Beaches located on the Atlantic Coast tend to have colder water due to the wind driven upwellings which contribute to theBenguela Currentwhich originates off the Cape Peninsula, while the water at False Bay beaches may occasionally be warmer by up to 10 °C (18 °F) at the same time in summer.
In summer False Bay is thermally stratified, with a vertical temperature variation of 5 to 9˚C between the warmer surface water and cooler depths below 50 m, while in winter the water column is at nearly constant temperature at all depths. The development of athermoclineis strongest around late December and peaks in late summer to early autumn.In summer the south easterly winds generate a zone of upwelling nearCape Hangklip, where surface water temperatures can be 6 to 7 °C colder than the surrounding areas, and bottom temperatures below 12 °C.
In the summer to early autumn (January–March), cold water upwelling near Cape Hangklip causes a strong surface temperature gradient between the south-western and north-eastern corners of the bay. In winter the surface temperature tends to be much the same everywhere. In the northern sector surface temperature varies a bit more (13 to 22 °C) than in the south (14 to 20 °C) during the year.
Surface temperature variation from year to year is linked to theEl Niño–Southern Oscillation. During El Niño years the South Atlantic high is shifted, reducing the south-easterly winds, so upwelling and evaporative cooling are reduced and sea surface temperatures throughout the bay are warmer, while in La Niña years there is more wind and upwelling and consequently lower temperatures. Surface water heating during El Niño increases vertical stratification. The relationship is not linear.Occasionally eddies from the Agulhas current will bring warmer water and vagrant sea life carried from the south and east coasts into False Bay.
Located in aConservation Internationalbiodiversity hotspotas well as the uniqueCape Floristic Region, the city of Cape Town has one of the highest levels ofbiodiversityof any equivalent area in the world.These protected areas are aWorld Heritage Site, and an estimated 2,200 species of plants are confined to Table Mountain – more than exist in the whole of theUnited Kingdomwhich has 1200 plant species and 67 endemic plant species.Many of these species, including a great many types ofproteas, are endemic to the mountain and can be found nowhere else.
It is home to a total of 19 differentvegetation types, of which several areendemicto the city and occur nowhere else in the world.It is also the only habitat of hundreds of endemic species,and hundreds of others which are severely restricted or threatened. This enormous species diversity is mainly because the city is uniquely located at the convergence point of several different soil types and micro-climates.
Table Mountain has an unusually rich biodiversity. Its vegetation consists predominantly of several different types of the unique and rich CapeFynbos. The main vegetation type is endangeredPeninsula Sandstone Fynbos, butcritically endangeredPeninsula Granite Fynbos,Peninsula Shale RenosterveldandAfromontane forestoccur in smaller portions on the mountain.
Rapidpopulation growthandurban sprawlhas covered much of these ecosystems with development. Consequently, Cape Town now has over 300threatenedplant species and 13 which are nowextinct. TheCape Peninsula, which lies entirely within the city of Cape Town, has the highest concentration ofthreatened speciesof any continental area of equivalent size in the world.Tiny remnant populations ofcritically endangeredornear extinctplants sometimes survive on road sides, pavements and sports fields.The remaining ecosystems are partially protected through a system of over 30nature reserves– including the massiveTable Mountain National Park.
Cape Town reached first place in the 2019iNaturalist City Nature Challengein two out of the three categories: Most Observations, and Most Species. This was the first entry by Capetonians in this annual competition to observe and record the local biodiversity over a four-day long weekend during what is considered the worst time of the year for local observations.A worldwide survey suggested that the extinction rate of endemic plants from the City of Cape Town is one of the highest in the world, at roughly three per year since 1900 – partly a consequence of the very small and localised habitats and high endemicity.
Cape Town is governed by a 231-member city council elected in a system ofmixed-member proportional representation. The city is divided into 116wards, each of which elects a councillor byfirst-past-the-post voting. The remaining 115 councillors are elected fromparty listsso that the total number of councillors for each party is proportional to the number of votes received by that party.
In the2021 Municipal Elections, the Democratic Alliance (DA) kept its majority, this time diminished, taking 136 seats. The African National Congress lost substantially, receiving 43 of the seats.The Democratic Alliance candidate for the Cape Town mayoralty,Geordin Hill-Lewiswas elected mayor.
Cape Town has nineteen activesister cityagreements
The City of Cape Town has expressed explicit support for Ukraine during the2022 invasion of the country by Russia.To show this support the City of Cape Town lit up the Old City Hall in the colours of theUkrainian flagon 2 March 2022.This has differentiated the city from the officiallyneutral foreign policy positiontaken by the South African national government.
According to theSouth African National Census of 2011, the population of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality – an area that includes suburbs andexurbs– is 3,740,026 people. This represents an annual growth rate of 2.6% compared to the results of theprevious census in 2001which found a population of 2,892,243 people.
Of those residents who were asked about theirfirst language, 35.7% spokeAfrikaans, 29.8% spokeXhosaand 28.4% spokeEnglish. 24.8% of the population is under the age of 15, while 5.5% is 65 or older.Thesex ratiois 0.96, meaning that there are slightly more women than men.
Of those residents aged 20 or older, 1.8% have no schooling, 8.1% have some schooling but did not finish primary school, 4.6% finished primary school but have no secondary schooling, 38.9% have some secondary schooling but did not finishGrade 12, 29.9% finished Grade 12 but have no higher education, and 16.7% have higher education.
Overall, 46.6% have at least a Grade 12 education.Of those aged between 5 and 25, 67.8% are attending an educational institution.Amongst those aged between 15 and 65 the unemployment rate is 23.7%.The average annual household income isR161,762.
The total number of households grew from 653,085 in 1996 to 1,068,572 in 2011, which represents an increase of 63.6%.The average number of household members declined from 3,92 in 1996 to 3,50 in 2011.Of those households, 78.4% are in formal structures (houses orflats), while 20.5% are in informal structures (shacks).
97.3% of City-supplied households have access to electricity,and 94.0% of households useelectricityfor lighting.87.3% of households havepiped waterto the dwelling, while 12.0% have piped water through a communal tap.94.9% of households have regularrefuse collectionservice.91.4% of households have aflush toiletorchemical toilet, while 4.5% still use a bucket toilet.82.1% of households have arefrigerator, 87.3% have a television and 70.1% have a radio. Only 34.0% have a landline telephone, but 91.3% have a cellphone. 37.9% have a computer, and 49.3% have access to the Internet (either through a computer or a cellphone).
In 2011 over 70% of cross provincial South African migrants coming into the Western Cape settled in Cape Town; 53.64% of South African migrants into the Western Cape came from theEastern Cape, the old Cape Colony's former native reserve, and 20.95% came from Gauteng province.
According to the 2016 City of Cape Town community survey, there were 4,004,793 people in the City of Cape Town metro. Out of this population, 45.7% identified as Black African, 35.1% identified as Coloured, 16.2% identified as White and 1.6% identified as Asian.
During the outbreak of theCOVID-19 pandemic in South Africa, local media reported that increasing numbers of wealthy and middle-class South Africans have started moving from inland areas to coastal regions of the country, most notably Cape Town, in a phenomenon referred to as "semigration" – short for "semi-emigration"Declining municipal services in the rest of the country and theSouth African energy crisisare other cited reasons for semigration.
The city's population is expected to grow by an additional 400,000 residents between 2020 and 2025 with 76% of those new residents falling into the low-income bracket earning less thanR13,000 a month.
In the 2015 General Household Survey 82.3% of respondents self identified asChristian, 8% asMuslim, 3.8% as following atraditional African religionand 3.1% as "nothing in particular."
Mostplaces of worshipin the city are Christian churches and cathedrals:Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa (NGK),Zion Christian Church,Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa,Assemblies of God,Baptist Union of Southern Africa(Baptist World Alliance),Methodist Church of Southern Africa(World Methodist Council),Anglican Church of Southern Africa(Anglican Communion),Presbyterian Church of Africa(World Communion of Reformed Churches),Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Town(Catholic Church),theOrthodox Archbishopric of Good Hope(Greek Orthodox Cathedral of St George) andthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints(LDS Church).
Islamis the city's second largest religion with along history in Cape Town,resulting in a number of mosques and other Muslim religious sites spread across the city,such as theAuwal Mosque, South Africa's first mosque.
Cape Town's significantJewish populationsupports a number of synagogues most notably the historicGardens Shul, the oldest Jewish congregation in South Africa.Marais Road Shulin the city's Jewish hub,Sea Point, is the largest Jewish congregation in South Africa.Temple Israel(Cape Town Progressive Jewish Congregation) also has three temples in the city.There is also aChabadcentre in Sea Point and aChabad on Campusat theUniversity of Cape Town, catering to Jewish students.
Other religious sites in the city includeHinduandBuddhisttemples and centres.
In recent years, Cape Town has experienced a resurgence in violent crime, particularly driven by gang violence in areas like theCape Flats. This increase in violence is attributed to various factors, including economic inequality, unemployment, and the legacy of apartheid's spatial and social divisions.
Crime in Cape Town is a serious problem which affects thequality of lifeand safety of its residents and visitors. Between 2022 and 2023, Cape Town recorded the highest number of murders in a single year of any city in the world at 2,998, followed byJohannesburgandDurban, an increase of 8.6% year-on-year.Household crimes includingburglaryalso increased in the same period.Mexico’s Citizen Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice ranks it among the most violent cities in the world.While theUK Foreign Officeconsiders Cape Town safe to travel to, it notes the extremely high crime rates and highlights a particular increase on violent attacks and murders on the roads to and fromCape Town International Airport.
At the same time, the economy has grown due to the boom in the tourism and the real estate industries.Since July 2019 widespread violent crime in poorergang dominatedareas of greater Cape Town has resulted in an ongoing military presence in these neighbourhoods.
The minibus taxi industry has been the source of a number ofviolent confrontationsin the city. The northern and eastern sections of the city was the scene of the2021 Cape Town taxi conflict, a violent turf war which led to 83 deaths. The2023 Cape Town taxi strikeresulted in 5 recorded deaths.
The city isSouth Africa's second main economic centre andAfrica's third main economic hub city. It serves as the regional manufacturing centre in the Western Cape. In 2019 the city'sGMPof R489 billion(US$33.04 billion)represented 71.1% of the Western Cape's totalGRPand 9.6% of South Africa's total GDP;the city also accounted for 11.1%of all employed people in the country and had a citywideGDP per capitaof R111,364(US$7,524).
Since theGreat Recession, the city's economic growth rate has mirrored South Africa's decline in growth whilst the population growth rate for the city has remained steady at around 2% a year.Around 80% of the city's economic activity is generated by thetertiary sectorof the economy with the finance, retail, real-estate, food and beverage industries being the four largest contributors to the city's economic growth rate.
In 2008 the city was named as the most entrepreneurial city in South Africa, with the percentage of Capetonians pursuing business opportunities almost three times higher than the national average. Those aged between 18 and 64 were 190% more likely to pursue new business, whilst in Johannesburg, the same demographic group was only 60% more likely than the national average to pursue a new business.
With the highest number of successfulinformation technologycompanies in Africa, Cape Town is an important centre for the industry on the continent.This includes an increasing number of companies in thespace industry.Growing at an annual rate of 8.5% and an estimated worth of R77 billion in 2010, nationwide the high tech industry in Cape Town is becoming increasingly important to the city's economy.A number of entrepreneurship initiatives and universities hosting technology startups such asJumo, Yoco, Aerobotics, Luno,Raintelecommunication and The Sun Exchange are located in the city.
The city has the largest film industry in theSouthern Hemispheregenerating R5 billion (US$476.19 million) in revenue and providing an estimated 6,058 direct and 2,502 indirect jobs in 2013.Much of the industry is based out of theCape Town Film Studios.
Most companies headquartered in the city are insurance companies, retail groups, publishers, design houses, fashion designers, shipping companies, petrochemical companies, architects and advertising agencies.Some of the most notable companies headquartered in the city are food and fashion retailerWoolworths,supermarket chainPick n Pay StoresandShoprite,New Clicks Holdings Limited, fashion retailerFoschini Group,internet service providerMWEB,Mediclinic International,eTV, multinational mass media giantNaspers, and financial services giantSanlamandOld Mutual Park.
Other notable companies includeBelron,Ceres Fruit Juices,Coronation Fund Managers,Vida e Caffè,Capitec Bank. The city is a manufacturing base for several multinational companies including,Johnson & Johnson,GlaxoSmithKline,Levi Strauss & Co.,Adidas,Bokomo Foods, Yoco andNampak.Amazon Web Servicesmaintains one of its largest facilities in the world in Cape Town with the city serving as the Africa headquarters for its parent companyAmazon.
The city of Cape Town'sGini coefficientof 0.58is lower than South Africa's Gini coefficient of 0.7 making it more equal than the rest of the country, including any other major South African city, although still highly unequal by international standards.Between 2001 and 2010 the city's Gini coefficient, a measure of inequality, improved by dropping from 0.59 in 2007 to 0.57 in 2010only to increase to 0.58 by 2017.
The Western Cape is a highly important tourist region in South Africa; the tourism industry accounts for 9.8% of the GDP of the province and employs 9.6% of the province's workforce. In 2010, over 1.5 million international tourists visited the area.Cape Town is not only a popular international tourist destination inSouth Africa, butAfricaas a whole. This is due to its mild climate, natural setting, and well-developed infrastructure.
The city has several well-known natural features that attract tourists, most notablyTable Mountain,which forms a large part of theTable Mountain National Parkand is the back end of theCity Bowl. Reaching the top of the mountain can be achieved either by hiking up, or by taking theTable Mountain Cableway.Cape Pointis the dramatic headland at the end of theCape Peninsula.Many tourists also drive alongChapman's Peak Drive, a narrow road that linksNoordhoekwithHout Bay, for the views of the Atlantic Ocean and nearby mountains. It is possible to either drive or hike upSignal Hillfor closer views of the City Bowl and Table Mountain.
Many tourists also visitCape Town's beaches, which are popular with local residents.It is possible to visit several different beaches in the same day, each with a different setting and atmosphere.
Both coasts are popular, although the beaches in affluentCliftonand elsewhere on the Atlantic Coast are better developed with restaurants and cafés, with a strip of restaurants and bars accessible to the beach atCamps Bay.
The Atlantic seaboard, known as Cape Town'sRiviera, is regarded as one of the most scenic routes in South Africa, along the slopes of the Twelve Apostles to the boulders and white sand beaches ofLlandudno, with the route ending inHout Bay, a diverse suburb with a fishing and recreational boating harbour near a small island with a breeding colony of African fur seals. This suburb is also accessible by road from the Constantia valley over the mountains to the northeast, and via the picturesqueChapman's Peakdrive from the residential suburb Noordhoek in the Fish Hoek valley to the south-east.Boulders BeachnearSimon's Townis known for its colony ofAfrican penguins.
The city has several notable cultural attractions. TheVictoria & Alfred Waterfront, built on top of part of thedocksof the Port of Cape Town, is the city's most visited tourist attraction. It is also one of the city's most popular shopping venues, with several hundred shops as well as theTwo Oceans Aquarium.The V&A also hosts the Nelson Mandela Gateway, through whichferriesdepart forRobben Island.It is possible to take a ferry from the V&A toHout Bay,Simon's Townand theCape fur sealcolonies on Seal and Duiker Islands. Several companies offer tours of theCape Flats, a region of mostly Coloured & Blacktownships.
Within the metropolitan area, the most popular areas for visitors to stay include Camps Bay,Sea Point, theV&A Waterfront, theCity Bowl,Hout Bay,Constantia,Rondebosch,Newlands, andSomerset West.In November 2013, Cape Town was voted the best global city inThe Daily Telegraph'sannual Travel Awards.Cape Town offers tourists a range of air, land and sea-based adventure activities, including helicopter rides,paraglidingandskydiving, snorkelling andscuba diving, boat trips, game-fishing, hiking, mountain biking and rock climbing.Surfingis popular and the city hosts theRed Bull Big Wave Africasurfing competition every year, and there is some local and international recreational scuba tourism.
The City of Cape Town works closely with Cape Town Tourism to promote the city both locally and internationally. The primary focus of Cape Town Tourism is to represent Cape Town as a tourist destination.Cape Town Tourism receives a portion of its funding from the City of Cape Town while the remainder is made up of membership fees and own-generated funds.TheTristan da Cunhagovernment owns and operates a lodging facility in Cape Town which charges discounted rates to Tristan da Cunha residents and non-resident natives.Cape Town's transport system links it to the rest of South Africa; it serves as the gateway to other destinations within the province. TheCape Winelandsand in particular the towns ofStellenbosch,PaarlandFranschhoekare popular day trips from the city for sightseeing andwine tasting.
Most goods are handled through the Port of Cape Town orCape Town International Airport. Most major shipbuilding companies have offices in Cape Town.The province is also a centre of energy development for the country, with the existingKoeberg nuclear power stationproviding energy for the Western Cape's needs.
Greater Cape Town has four major commercial nodes, with Cape Town Central Business District containing the majority of job opportunities and office space.Century City, theBellville/Tygervalley strip andClaremontcommercial nodes are well established and contain many offices and corporate headquarters.
Public primary and secondary schools in Cape Town are run by theWestern Cape Education Department. This provincial department is divided into seven districts; four of these are "Metropole" districts – Metropole Central, North, South, and East – which cover various areas of the metropolis.There are also many private schools, both religious and secular. Cape Town has a well-developed higher system ofpublic universities.
Cape Town is served by three public universities: theUniversity of Cape Town(UCT), theUniversity of the Western Cape(UWC) and theCape Peninsula University of Technology(CPUT).Stellenbosch University, while not based in the metropolitan area itself, has its main campus and administrative section 50 kilometres from the City Bowl and has additional campuses, such as the Tygerberg Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and the Bellville Business Park, north-west of the city in the town ofBellville.
Both the University of Cape Town and Stellenbosch University are leading universities in South Africa. This is due in large part to substantial financial contributions made to these institutions by both the public and private sector. UCT is an English-language tuition institution. It has over 21,000 students and has an MBA programme that was ranked 51st by the Financial Times in 2006.
It is also the top-ranked university in Africa, being the only African university to make the world's Top 200 university list at number 146.Since theAfrican National Congresshas become the country's ruling party, some restructuring of Western Cape universities has taken place and as such, traditionally non-white universities have seen increased financing, which has evidently benefitted the University of the Western Cape.
The Cape Peninsula University of Technology was formed on 1 January 2005, when two separate institutions –Cape TechnikonandPeninsula Technikon– were merged. The new university offers education primarily in English, although one may take courses in any of South Africa's official languages. The institution generally awards theNational Diploma. Students from the universities and high schools are involved in the South AfricanSEDS, Students for the Exploration and Development of Space. This is the South African SEDS, and there are many SEDS branches in other countries, preparing enthusiastic students and young professionals for the growing Space industry.
As well as the universities, there are also severalcollegesin and around Cape Town. Including theCollege of Cape Town, False Bay College and Northlink College. Many students use NSFAS funding to help pay for tertiary education at these TVET colleges.Cape Town has also become a popularstudy abroaddestination for many international college students. Manystudy abroad providersoffer semester, summer, short-term, and internship programs in partnership with Cape Town universities as a chance for international students to gain intercultural understanding.
TheWestern Cape Water Supply System(WCWSS) is a complex water supply system in theWestern Caperegion ofSouth Africa, comprising an inter-linked system of six main dams, pipelines, tunnels and distribution networks, and a number of minor dams, some owned and operated by theDepartment of Water and Sanitationand some by theCity of Cape Town.
The Cape Town water crisis of 2017 to 2018 was a period of severe water shortage in theWestern Caperegion, most notably affecting theCity of Cape Town. While dam water levels had been declining since 2015, the Cape Town water crisis peaked during mid-2017 to mid-2018 when water levels hovered between 15 and 30 percent of total dam capacity.
In late 2017, there were first mentions of plans for "Day Zero", a shorthand reference for the day when the water level of the major dams supplying the city could fall below 13.5 percent."Day Zero" would mark the start of Level 7 water restrictions, when municipal water supplies would be largely switched off and it was envisioned that residents could have to queue for their daily ration of water. If this had occurred, it would have made the City of Cape Town the first major city in the world to run out of water.
The city of Cape Town implemented significant water restrictions in a bid to curb water usage, and succeeded in reducing its daily water usage by more than half to around 500 million litres (130,000,000 US gal) per day in March 2018.The fall in water usage led the city to postpone its estimate for "Day Zero", and strong rains starting in June 2018 led to dam levels recovering.
In September 2018, with dam levels close to 70 percent, the city began easing water restrictions, indicating that the worst of the water crisis was over.Good rains in 2020 effectively broke the drought and resulting water shortage when dam levels reached 95 percent.Concerns have been raised, however, that unsustainble demand and limited water supply could result in future drought events.
Cape Town International Airportserves both domestic and international flights.It is the second-largest airport in South Africa and serves as a major gateway for travellers to the Cape region. Cape Town has regularly scheduled services toSouthern Africa,East Africa,Mauritius,Middle East,Far East,Europe,Braziland theUnited Statesas well as eleven domestic destinations.Cape Town International Airport opened a brand new central terminal building that was developed to handle an expected increase in air traffic as tourism numbers increased in the lead-up to the tournament of the2010 FIFA World Cup.
Other renovations include several large new parking garages, a revamped domestic departure terminal, a new Bus Rapid Transit system station and a new double-decker road system. The airport's cargo facilities are also being expanded and several large empty plots are being developed intooffice spaceand hotels.
Cape Town is one of five internationally recognisedAntarctic gateway citieswith transportation connections. Since 2021, commercial flights have operated from Cape Town toWolf's Fang Runway, Antarctica.The Cape Town International Airport was among the winners of the World Travel Awards for being Africa's leading airport.Cape Town International Airport is located 18 km from theCentral Business District.
Cape Town has a long tradition as a port city, and its role as a re-provisioning stop at the midpoint of theCape Routegained it the nicknames "Tavern of the Seas" and "Tavern of the Indian Ocean".ThePort of Cape Town, the city's main port, is in Table Bay directly to the north of the CBD.
The port is a hub for ships in the southern Atlantic: it is located along one of the busiest shipping corridors in the world, and acts as a stopover point for goods en route to or from Latin America and Asia. It is also an entry point into the South African market.It is the second-busiest container port in South Africa afterDurban. In 2004, it handled 3,161 ships and 9.2 million tonnes of cargo.
Simon's TownHarbour on the False Bay coast of the Cape Peninsula is the main operational base of theSouth African Navy.
Until the 1970s the city was served by theUnion Castle Linewith service to the United Kingdom and St Helena.TheRMSSt Helenaprovided passenger and cargo service between Cape Town andSt Helenauntil the opening ofSt Helena Airport.
The cargo vessel M/VHelena, under AW Shipping Management, takes a limited number of passengers,between Cape Town and St Helena andAscension Islandon its voyages.Multiple vessels also take passengers to and fromTristan da Cunha, inaccessible by aircraft, to and from Cape Town.In additionNSB Niederelbe Schiffahrtsgesellschaft[de]takes passengers on its cargo service to theCanary IslandsandHamburg,Germany.
TheShosholoza Meylis the passenger rail operations ofSpoornetand operates one long-distance passenger rail service from Cape Town as of 2024: a weekly service to and fromJohannesburgviaKimberley. These trains terminate atCape Town railway stationand make a stop atBellville. Cape Town also terminates 2 luxury tourist train routes as of 2024 operated by theCeres Rail Company, traveling from theWaterfronttoSimon's TownandGrabouwrespectively.
Metrorailoperates acommuter railservice in Cape Town and the surrounding area. The Metrorail network consists of 96 stations throughout the suburbs and outskirts of Cape Town.
Cape Town is the origin of threenational roads. TheN1andN2begin in the foreshore area near the City Centre and theN7, which runs North towardNamibia. The N1 runs East-North-East from Cape Town through the towns ofGoodwood,Parow,Bellville,BrackenfellandKraaifonteinbefore continuing towardsPaarl. It connects Cape Town to major cities further inland, namelyBloemfontein,Johannesburg, andPretoriaAn older at-grade road, theR101, runs parallel to the N1 from Bellville.
The N2 runs East-South-East throughRondebosch,Guguletu,Khayelitsha,MacassartoSomerset West. It becomes a multiple-carriageway, at-grade road from the intersection with theR44onward. The N2 continues east along the coast, linking Cape Town with Somerset West and the coastal cities ofMossel Bay,George,Port Elizabeth,East LondonandDurban. An older at-grade road, theR102, runs parallel to the N1 initially, before veering south at Bellville, to join the N2 at Somerset West via the towns ofKuilsrivierandEersterivier. The N7 originates from the N1 at Wingfield Interchange near Edgemead. It begins, initially as a highway, but becoming an at-grade road from the intersection with the M5 onward.
There are also a number ofregional routeslinking Cape Town with surrounding areas. TheR27originates from the N1 near the Foreshore and runs north parallel to the N7, but nearer to the coast. It passes through the suburbs ofMilnerton,Table ViewandBloubergstrandand links the city to the West Coast, ending at the town ofVelddrif. TheR44enters the east of the metro from the north, fromStellenbosch. It connects Stellenbosch to Somerset West, then crosses the N2 toStrandandGordon's Bay. It exits the metro heading south hugging the coast, leading to the towns ofBetty's BayandKleinmond.
Of the three-digit routes, theR300is an expressway linking the N1 atBrackenfellto the N2 nearMitchells Plainand theCape Town International Airport. TheR302runs from the R102 in Bellville, heading north across the N1 throughDurbanvilleleaving the metro toMalmesbury. TheR304enters the northern limits of the metro from Stellenbosch, running NNW before veering west to cross the N7 atPhiladelphiato end atAtlantisat a junction with theR307. This R307 starts north ofKoebergfrom the R27 and, after meeting the R304, continues north toDarling. TheR310originates fromMuizenbergand runs along the coast, to the south of Mitchell's Plain and Khayelitsha, before veering north-east, crossing the N2 west of Macassar, and exiting the metro heading to Stellenbosch.
Cape Town, like most South African cities, usesMetropolitanor "M" routes for important intra-city routes, a layer below National (N) roads and Regional (R) routes. Each city's M roads are independently numbered. Most are at-grade roads. TheM3splits from the N2 and runs to the south along the eastern slopes of Table Mountain, connecting the City Bowl withMuizenberg. Except for a section between Rondebosch and Newlands that has at-grade intersections, this route is a highway. TheM5splits from the N1 further east than the M3, and links the Cape Flats to the CBD. It is a highway as far as the interchange with the M68 at Ottery, before continuing as an at-grade road. Cape Town has the worst traffic congestion inSouth Africa.
Golden Arrow Bus Servicesoperates scheduled bus services in the Cape Town metropolitan area. Several companies run long-distance bus services from Cape Town to the other cities in South Africa.
Cape Town has a public transport system in about 10% of the city, running north to south along the west coastline of the city, comprising Phase 1 of the IRT system. This is known as the MyCiTi service.
MyCiTi Phase 1 includes services linking the Airport to the Cape Town inner city, as well as the following areas:Blouberg/Table View,Dunoon,AtlantisandMelkbosstrand,Milnerton, Paarden Eiland,Century City,Salt RiverandWalmer Estate, and all suburbs of theCity BowlandAtlantic Seaboardall the way toLlandudnoandHout Bay.
The MyCiTi N2 Express service consists of four routes each linking the Cape Town inner city andKhayelitshaandMitchells Plainon theCape Flats.
The service use high floor articulated and standard size buses in dedicated busways, low floor articulated and standard size buses on the N2 Express service, and smaller 9 m (30 ft)Optarebuses in suburban and inner city areas. It offersuniversal accessthrough level boarding and numerous other measures, and requires cashless fare payment using theEMVcompliant smart card system, called myconnect. Headway of services (i.e. the time between buses on the same route) range from three to twenty minutes in peak times to an hour in off-peak times.
Cape Town has various kinds of taxis available, including those obtained through ride-hailing services such asBoltandUber.
Taxis are eithermetered taxisorminibus taxis. Metered taxis can be found at transport hubs as well as other tourist establishments, while minibus taxis can be found at taxi ranks, and, commonly, travelling along main streets.Minibus taxis can be hailed from the road.
Cape Town metered taxi cabs mostly operate in the city bowl, suburbs and Cape Town International Airport areas. Large companies that operate fleets of cabs can be reached by phone and are cheaper than the single operators that apply for hire from taxi ranks andVictoria and Alfred Waterfront. There are about one thousand meter taxis in Cape Town. Their rates vary from R8 per kilometre to about R15 per kilometre. The larger taxi companies in Cape Town are Excite Taxis, Cabnet and Intercab and single operators are reachable by cellular phone. The seven seated Toyota Avanza are the most popular with larger Taxi companies. Meter cabs are mostly used by tourists and are safer to use than minibus taxis.
Minibus taxis are the standard form of transport for the majority of the population who cannot afford private vehicles.Although essential, these taxis are often poorly maintained and are frequently not road-worthy. These taxis make frequent unscheduled stops to pick up passengers, which can cause accidents.With the high demand for transport by the working class of South Africa, minibus taxis are often filled over their legal passenger allowance. Minibuses are generally owned and operated in fleets.
Cape Town is noted for its architectural heritage, with the highest density ofCape Dutchstyle buildings in the world. Cape Dutch style, which combines the architectural traditions of the Netherlands, Germany, France and Indonesia, is most visible inConstantia, theold government buildingsin the Central Business District, and alongLong Street.
The annualCape Town Minstrel Carnival, also known by its Afrikaans name ofKaapse Klopse, is a largeminstrelfestival held annually on 2 January or"Tweede Nuwe Jaar"(Second New Year). Competing teams of minstrels parade in brightly coloured costumes, performingCape Jazz, either carrying colourful umbrellas or playing an array of musical instruments. TheArtscape Theatre Centreis the largest performing arts venue in Cape Town.The city was named theWorld Design Capitalfor 2014 by theInternational Council of Societies of Industrial Design.
The city also encloses the 36 hectareKirstenbosch National Botanical Gardenthat contains protected natural forest andfynbosalong with a variety of animals and birds. There are over 7,000 species in cultivation at Kirstenbosch, including many rare and threatened species of theCape Floristic Region. In 2004 this Region, including Kirstenbosch, was declared a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site.
Whale watchingis popular amongst tourists:southern right whalesandhumpback whalesare seen off the coast during the breeding season (August to November) andBryde's whalesandorcacan be seen any time of the year.The nearby town ofHermanusis known for its Whale Festival, but whales can also be seen in False Bay.Heaviside's dolphinsare endemic to the area and can be seen from the coast north of Cape Town;dusky dolphinslive along the same coast and can occasionally be seen from the ferry to Robben Island.
The only complete windmill in South Africa isMostert's Mill,Mowbray. It was built in 1796 and restored in 1935 and again in 1995.
Food originating from or synonymous with Cape Town includes the savoury sweet spiced meat dishBobotiethat dates from the 17th century. TheGatsby, a sandwich filled withslap chipsand other toppings, was first served in 1976 in the suburb ofAthloneand is also synonymous with the city.Thekoe'sisteris a traditionalCape Malaypastry described as a cinnamon infused dumpling with a cake-like texture, finished off with a sprinkling of desiccated coconut.
Malva pudding(sometimes known as Cape Malva pudding) is a sticky sweet dessert often served with hot custard is also associated with the city and dates back to the 17th century.A related dessert dish,Cape Brandy Pudding, is also associated with the city and surrounding region.Cape Town is also the home of theSouth African wineindustry with the first wine produced in the country being bottled in the city; a number of notable wineries still exist in the city includingGroot ConstantiaandKlein Constantia.
Several newspapers, magazines and printing facilities have their offices in the city.Independent News and Mediapublishes the major English language papers in the city, theCape Argusand theCape Times.Naspers, the largest media conglomerate in South Africa, publishesDie Burger, the major Afrikaans language paper.
Cape Town has many local communitynewspapers. Some of the largest community newspapers in English are theAthlone NewsfromAthlone, theAtlantic Sun, theConstantiaberg BulletinfromConstantiaberg, theCity VisionfromBellville, theFalse Bay Echofrom False Bay, theHelderberg SunfromHelderberg, thePlainsmanfrom Michell's Plain, theSentinel Newsfrom Hout Bay, theSouthern Mailfrom the Southern Peninsula, theSouthern Suburbs Tatlerfrom theSouthern Suburbs,Table Talkfrom Table View andTygertalkfrom Tygervalley/Durbanville. Afrikaans language community newspapers include theLandbou-Burgerand theTygerburger.Vukani, based in the Cape Flats, is published inXhosa.
Cape Town is a centre for major broadcast media with several radio stations that only broadcast within the city.94.5 Kfm(94.5MHzFM) andGood Hope FM(94–97 MHzFM) mostly playpop music. Heart FM (104.9 MHz FM), the former P4 Radio, playsjazzandR&B, whileFine Music Radio(101.3 FM) playsclassical musicand jazz, and Magic Music Radio(828kHzMW) plays adult contemporary and classic rock from the '80s, '90s and '00s.Bush Radiois a community radio station (89.5 MHz FM). TheVoice of the Cape(95.8 MHz FM) andCape Talk(567 kHzMW) are the majortalk radio stationsin the city.Bokradio (98.9 MHz FM) is an Afrikaans music station.TheUniversity of Cape Townalso runs its own radio station,UCT Radio(104.5 MHz FM).
TheSABChas a small presence in the city, with satellite studios located atSea Point.e.tvhas a greater presence, with a large complex located at Longkloof Studios inGardens.M-Netis not well represented with infrastructure within the city.Cape Town TVis a local TV station, supported by numerous organisation and focusing mostly on documentaries. Numerous productions companies and their support industries are located in the city, mostly supporting the production of overseas commercials, model shoots, TV-series and movies.The local media infrastructure remains primarily in Johannesburg.
Cape Town's most popular sports by participation arecricket,association football,swimming, andrugby union.In rugby union, Cape Town is the home of theWestern Provinceside, who play atCape Town Stadiumand compete in theCurrie Cup. In addition, Western Province players (along with some from Wellington'sBoland Cavaliers) comprise theStormersin theUnited Rugby Championshipcompetition. Cape Town has also been a host city for both the1995 Rugby World Cupand2010 FIFA World Cup, and annually hosts the Africa leg of theWorld Rugby 7s.It has hosted the2023 Netball World Cup.
Association football, which is mostly known assoccerin South Africa, is also popular. Oneclubfrom Cape Town plays in thePremiership, South Africa's premier league,Cape Town City F.C.Cape Town was also the location of several of the matches of the2010 FIFA World Cupincluding a semi-final,held in South Africa. The Mother City built a new 70,000-seat stadium (Cape Town Stadium) in the Green Point area.
Incricket, theCape Cobrasrepresent Cape Town at theNewlands Cricket Ground. The team is the result of an amalgamation of theWestern Province CricketandBoland Cricketteams. They take part in theSupersportandStandard Bank Cup Series. The Newlands Cricket Ground regularly hosts international matches.
Cape Town has had Olympic aspirations. For example, in 1996, Cape Town was one of the five candidate cities shortlisted by theIOCto launch official candidatures to host the2004 Summer Olympics. Although the Games ultimately went toAthens, Cape Town came in third place. There has been some speculation that Cape Town was seeking the South African Olympic Committee's nomination to be South Africa's bid city for the2020 Summer Olympic Games.That was quashed when theInternational Olympic Committeeawarded the 2020 Games to Tokyo.
The city of Cape Town has vast experience in hosting major national and international sports events. TheCape Town Cycle Touris the world's largest individually timedroad cycling race– and the first event outside Europe to be included in theInternational Cycling Union's Golden Bike series. It sees over 35,000 cyclists tackling a 109 km (68 mi) route around Cape Town. TheAbsa Cape Epicis the largest full-service mountain bike stage race in the world. Some notable events hosted by Cape Town have included the1995 Rugby World Cup,2003 ICC Cricket World Cup, and World Championships in various sports such as athletics, fencing, weightlifting, hockey, cycling, canoeing, gymnastics and others.
Cape Town was also a host city to the2010 FIFA World Cupfrom 11 June to 11 July 2010, further enhancing its profile as a major events city. It was also one of the host cities of the2009 Indian Premier Leaguecricket tournament. The Mother City has also played host to theAfrica legof the annualWorld Rugby 7sevent since 2015; for nine seasons, from 2002 until 2010, the event was staged inGeorgein the Western Cape, before moving toPort Elizabethfor the2011 edition, and then to Cape Town in 2015. The event usually takes place in mid-December, and is hosted at theCape Town Stadiumin Green Point.
There are several golf courses in Cape Town. The Clovelly Country Club and Metropolitan Golf Club have 18 holes.
The coastline of Cape Town is relatively long, and the varied exposure to weather conditions makes it fairly common for water conditions to be conducive to recreational scuba diving at some part of the city's coast. There is considerable variation in the underwater environment and regional ecology as there are dive sites on reefs and wrecks on both sides of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay, split between two coastal marine ecoregions by the Cape Peninsula, and also variable by depth zone.
False Bay is open to the south, and the prevailing open ocean swell arrives from the southwest, so the exposure varies considerably around the coastline. The inshore bathymetry near Cape Point is shallow enough for a moderate amount of refraction of long period swell, but deep enough to have less effect on short period swell, and acts as a filter to pass mainly the longer swell components to the Western shores, although they are significantly attenuated.
The eastern shores get more of the open ocean spectrum, and this results in very different swell conditions between the two sides at any given time. The fetch is generally too short for southeasterly winds to produce good surf. There are more than 20named breaks in False Bay. The north-wester can have a long fetch and can produce large waves, but they may also be associated with local wind and be very poorly sorted. The Atlantic coast is exposed to the full power of the South-westerly swell produced by the westerly winds of the southern ocean, often a long way away, so the swell has time to separate into similar wavelengths, and there are some world class big wave breaks among the named breaks of the Atlantic shore.
In the 1950s the city was part of four editions of the famousAlgiers-Cape Town Rally, during the pioneer years of trans-Africa rallying and motor exploration. The closing of the road to the newly foundedZairecaused the city to be dropped from the traject.