Cape Town Travel Guide

Cape Town is the second largest city in South Africa and is the capital of the Western Cape Province, as well as being the legislative capital of South Africa (the Houses of Parliament are here). It is located in the south-west corner of the country near the Cape of Good Hope, and is the most southern city in Africa. It is a stone's throw from South Africa's world-famous Cape Winelands around Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek. Cape Town is also known as the Mother City in South Africa. The Cape Town metropolitan area covers a large area, from Durbanville and Somerset West in the east to Cape Point in the south and Atlantis in the north. The city centre itself is located in a relatively small area between Table Mountain (Table Mountain Webcam) and Table Bay. For thousands of years, Cape Town was inhabited by the Strandlooper(an ancestor of Kalahari Bushmen). Cape Town's European history began in 1652, when Jan van Riebeeck established a trading post there on behalf of the VOC (Dutch East Indies Company). The first European settlers were mainly Dutch and German, with some French Huguenots that had to flee from their home country. The first settlers soon explored the inland and founded the cities of Stellenbosch and Paarl in today's Cape Winelands. The Voortrekkers (Pioneers of European descent) started from here to explore and settle the rest of South Africa's inland. Today Cape Town is the legislative capital of South Africa. It is a world-class cosmopolitan city with numerous sites of historical significance, and a lively night-life, as well as a big gay community. Climate Climate Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec High(°C) 25 26 25 22 20 18 17 17 18 21 23 24 Low(°C) 15 15 14 12 10 9 9 8 9 11 13 14 The summer months are from December to March or April. Days are usually very hot, but the humidity is low, so it is not uncomfortable. You should stay inside or in the shade during the mid...
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