Melkbosstrand

Melkbosstrand
Melkbos
Beach at Melkbosstrand
Beach at Melkbosstrand
Melkbosstrand is located in Western Cape
Melkbosstrand
Melkbosstrand
Melkbosstrand is located in South Africa
Melkbosstrand
Melkbosstrand
Coordinates: 33°43′52″S 18°26′31″E / 33.73111°S 18.44194°E / -33.73111; 18.44194
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceWestern Cape
MunicipalityCity of Cape Town
Government
 • CouncillorMagrieta Jansen van Vuuren[1] (DA)
Area
 • Total35.64 km2 (13.76 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[2]
 • Total11,586
 • Density330/km2 (840/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
 • Black African7.8%
 • Coloured10.0%
 • Indian/Asian0.6%
 • White80.5%
 • Other1.0%
First languages (2011)
 • Afrikaans51.5%
 • English43.4%
 • Xhosa1.4%
 • Other3.8%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
7441
PO box
7437
Area code021

Melkbosstrand (Afrikaans for "Milkbush beach") is a coastal town located on the South West Coast of South Africa, 30 km north of Cape Town. It forms part of the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality, the municipality governing Cape Town and its greater metropolitan area.

Named after the species of Euphorbiaceae bushes which grow on the dunes and give off a milky latexlike substance, it is commonly referred to simply as Melkbos. The town and its 7 kilometre stretch of white sand beach is situated on the Atlantic coast with the Blouberg mountain to the east. The beach is popular with surfers.[citation needed] It is one of the landing points for the South Africa-Far East, South Atlantic/West Africa and Equinao submarine cable systems.

Melkbosstrand is along the Blaauwberg region of the City of Cape Town within which it became incorporated when metropolitan boundaries were redrawn, following the advent of democracy in 1994. Its nearest neighbouring towns are Blouberg to the south and Atlantis to the north-east. Melkbos is protected from urban development owing to its location in an expansive nature conservation zone to the South, insulating it from the Blouberg sprawl, and the security buffer zones of Koeberg nuclear power station to the North and today it remains a pristine seaside resort.[3]

  1. ^ "Councillors Online". City of Cape Town. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d "Main Place Melkbosstrand". Census 2011.
  3. ^ "BLAAUWBERG, Cape Town". www.sa-venues.com. Retrieved 2020-07-14.