Cape Town is one of the largest cities in South Africa and located in the Western Cape Province. 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 was founded as a trading post by Jan van Riebeeck on account of the VOC (Dutch East Indies Company) in the year 1652 and is therefore often called the Mother City. 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 todays 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 nightlife, as well as a big gay community.



Posted by: Marlene    Source

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