Western Cape, South Africa

South Africa is a large country with a population of 46 million. Cape Town and Johannesburg are the two largest population centres, separated by 1500 kilometres of (mostly) Karoo semi desert. Other large cites are Durban, Port Elizabeth and Bloemfontein. The country is the economic colossus of Africa with over 40% of the Continent’s GDP.

The Cape Town area was first settled by Europeans in the 16th Century as a freshwater stopover for ships heading East. As the colony grew, slaves were imported, many from the old Dutch East Indies. The indigenous peoples (Khoisan) were gradually pushed back into the interior by the colonists and many were absorbed into the colonial economy, often interbreeding with the slaves and the Europeans.

Twelve Apostles from
Table Mountain

The British takeover and the end of slavery triggered a migration of the Boers (farmers) into the hinterland, taking their slaves and camp followers with them.

Known amongst Afrikaaners as the Great Trek, these “Voortrekkers” were similar in many ways to the Europeans migrating westwards across the USA in the 1800's. The establishment of the Boer Republics of Transvaal and Orange Free State, combined with the economic destabilisation resulting from the great diamond and gold rushes in the late nineteenth century, ultimately led to the Boer Wars with the British Empire, though these were largely fought far to the north of Cape Town.

Today's incredible kaleidoscope of humanity reflects this turbulent history, with over 50% of the population being of mixed race (Coloured). Their first language is Afrikaans, the European language which evolved from the Dutch spoken by the early settlers.

The other main groups in the region are Europeans, mostly English and Afrikaans speaking, and Africans (Blacks), mainly Xhosa, who have migrated into the region over the past 150 years, particularly since the end of Apartheid, from what today is Eastern Cape Province...

Table Mountain & Cape Town

Today, the Western Cape stretches from Clan William in the North to Cape Point in the South and Mossel Bay in the East. Cape Province (or Western Cape) is one of the most populous of South Africa’s Provinces.

The country has a federal system of government and each Region or Province has its own parliament. Cape Province is both a political entity and a geographical region, with its rugged mountain ranges and unique flora and fauna.

Physically, the region is about the size of France, but with about one tenth of the population. An excellent infrastructure of roads links the various towns and villages. Cape Town, with its population of 3 million, inevitably dominates the economy of the region, though, outside the city itself, the area is largely rural with wine making the dominant agricultural activity. Numerous mountain ranges dominate the area, which is very scenic throughout.

Table Cloth

Typical Mountain Scenery

Above Kirstenbosch