Cape Town is surrounded by broad bays, white-sand beaches and mountains and is considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Having a nickname the Mother City it is the capital of South Africa's Western Cape Province and the seat of South Africa's parliament.
Originally it was a home for the nomadic Khoi people for at least 30,000 years. The peninsula was settled by Dutch sailors led by Jan van Riebeek of the Dutch East India Company in 1652. The Cape was first named 'the Cape of Storms' by Bartholemew Diaz, but the King of Portugal John II later renamed it as 'Cape of Good Hope' due to its geographic position sailing to India and the east via southern Africa.
In 1795 it was colonized by the British Empire. The city represents a mixture of cultures, religions and styles as it has always been the first shelter for European settlers, entrepreneurs, religious refugees, and slaves.
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guide to Cape Town with maps, photos and weather conditions.
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