Cape Town
| |
|---|---|
 Logo | |
| Nicknames: Mother City, Tavern of the Seas (archaic) | |
| Motto: Spes Bona (Latin for "Good Hope") | |
  Cape Town  Cape Town  Cape Town | |
| Coordinates: 33°55′31″S 18°25′26″E / 33.92528°S 18.42389°E | |
| Country |  South Africa |
| Province |  Western Cape |
| Municipality | City of Cape Town |
| Founded | 6 April 1652 |
| Municipal government | 1839 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Metropolitan municipality |
| • Mayor | Geordin Hill-Lewis (DA) |
| • Deputy Mayor | Eddie Andrews (DA) |
| Area | |
| • Capital city (legislative branch) | 2,461 km2 (950 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 1,590.4 m (5,217.8 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Rank | 13th in Africa 2nd in South Africa |
| • Urban (2011) | 433,688 |
| • Urban density | 1,083.47/km2 (2,806.2/sq mi) |
| • Metro (2022) | 4,770,313 |
| • Metro density | 1,529.68/km2 (3,961.9/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Capetonian |
| Racial makeup (2022)[5] | |
| • Black | 45.7% |
| • Coloured | 35.1% |
| • White | 16.2% |
| • Indian/Asian | 1.6% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Afrikaans | 34.9% |
| • Xhosa | 29.2% |
| • English | 27.8% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| Postal codes (street) | 7400–8099 |
| PO box | 7000 |
| HDI | 0.82[7] – very high |
| GMP (2020) | US$121 billion[8] |
| GMP per capita (2011) | US$19,656[9] |
| Website | capetown.gov.za |
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Cape Town[a] is the legislative capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa.[12] It is the country's second-largest city, after Johannesburg, and the largest in the Western Cape.[13] The city is part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality.
The city is known for its harbour, its natural setting in the Cape Floristic Region, and for landmarks such as Table Mountain and Cape Point. In 2014, Cape Town was named the best place in the world to visit by The New York Times,[14] and was similarly ranked number one by The Daily Telegraph in both 2016 and 2023.[15][16]
Located on the shore of Table Bay, the City Bowl area of Cape Town is the oldest urban area in the Western Cape, with a significant cultural heritage. It was founded by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) as a supply station for Dutch ships sailing to East Africa, India, and the Far East. Jan van Riebeeck's arrival on 6 April 1652 established the VOC Cape Colony, the first permanent European settlement in South Africa. 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 metropolitan area has a long coastline on the Atlantic Ocean, which includes False Bay, and extends to the Hottentots Holland mountains to the east. The Table Mountain National Park is 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.
- ^ "City of Cape Town announces new city manager". News24. 26 April 2018. Archived from the original on 15 August 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
- ^ a b "Community survey 2016 – City of Cape Town" (PDF). Survey 2016. Statistics South Africa. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 April 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ^ "Cape Town, Main Place 199041 from Census 2011". Census 2011. Archived from the original on 31 July 2014. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ Community Survey 2016: Provincial profile: Western Cape (PDF) (Report). Statistics South Africa. 2018. p. 7.
- ^ Census 2022: Provincial profile: Western Cape (Report). Statistics South Africa. 2018. p. 7.
- ^ "StatsSA". Archived from the original on 12 August 2016.
- ^ "HDIs FOR CAPE TOWN AREAS" (PDF). Western Cape Government. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
- ^ "Richest cities in the world in 2020 by GDP". City Mayors. Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- ^ "Global city GDP 2011". Brookings Institution. Archived from the original on 5 June 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
- ^ withbeyond.com. "The Mother City Cape Town". Skylife. Archived from the original on 26 November 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
- ^ "10 SA city nicknames, and why they're called that". News24. 4 June 2015. Archived from the original on 24 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
- ^ "Western Cape | province, South Africa". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 8 May 2017. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
- ^ "Discover the 9 Provinces of South Africa and their Capital Cities". Archived from the original on 14 June 2017. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
- ^ "14 Fun Facts You Didn't Know About Cape Town – Interesting & Amusing Things about the Mother City". Cape Town Magazine. Archived from the original on 26 June 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
- ^ Bruyn, Pippa de (5 February 2016). "The world's best cities". Telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- ^ Leadbeater, Chris (12 July 2023). "The 10 best cities on Earth (according to you)". The Telegraph. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
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