Welcome to Cape Town, South Africa
Cape Town is the third most populous city in South Africa and its legislative capital as well as capital of the Western Cape province. The city lies at the foot of Table Mountain (3,570 feet, 1,090 meters), so named after its flat top, and on the shore of Table Bay. Cape Town is a commercial and industrial center; oil refining, food, chemical, and fertilizer processing, and the manufacture of automobiles, leather and plastic goods, and clothing are the chief industries. An important port, Cape Town exports mainly gold, diamonds, and fruits. With one of the world’s largest drydocks, ship repairing is an important industry. Cape Town is famous for its gorgeous natural harbor, as well as its location near the Cape of Good Hope. Much of the former dock area is now a commercial and tourist waterfront area with museums, craft markets, and restaurants. Because of its location and natural beauty, Cape Town is the tourism capital of South Africa, receiving the largest number of tourists of any South African city. The area is also famous for its unique plant life: fynbos (an Afrikaans word meaning “fine bush”), a shrubby vegetation type similar to other winter rainfall shrublands, in which proteas are prominent and characteristic Lastly, it is famous for the fine wines produced in the areas of Stellenbosch, Paarl and Robertson.
table mountain
Hike up Table Mountain for an unforgettable view. The cable car is such an obvious and popular attraction you might have difficulty convincing yourself that it’s worth the trouble and expense… it is. The views on the way up and from the top of Table Mountain are phenomenal, and there are some good easy walks on the summit. The mountain is home to over 1400 species of flowering plants. For an adrenalin rush like no other consider doing the abseil. It’s also possible to walk up the mountain from either the City Bowl side or the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens side.
wine country
The oldest vineyards in the world, outside of Europe and the Middle East, are in South Africa. Since 1659 grapes have been pressed at the Cape and several of today’s top wine estates have been producing wine for more than 300 years. Today there are over 2100 different wines to choose from in South Africa. Most of the wines made are white wines in the German style from dry to semi-sweet. One characteristic of South African wines is the higher alcohol content due to the sunny climate. Apart from these white table wines, there are exceptional sherry-style wines. Cabernet Sauvignon is the best red wine followed by Shiraz, Pinot Noir, Merlot and many blends of these. A crossing of Pinot Noir and Cinsaut was invented in the Cape and made headlines in 1959. This richly flavored, full-bodied wine, called Pinotage, is at its best after at least ten years’ bottle maturation, as is an absolute must for the discriminating connoisseur. Until recently, South African wines have been a relatively well-kept secret. Now, with increasingly positive competitive exposure and a growing reputation among travelers and wine connoisseurs, these wines are building a world-class stature. Strict control is exercised by inspectors to ensure that what’s on the label is definitely what’s in the bottle. Wines carry a small ‘Wines of Origin’ sticker on the neck of the bottle, which tells if the label has been certified for a particular type of grape, a particular year, or a particular wine region. Colored horizontal stripes – green, red, and blue – relate the information. A wine can be certified for any one of these descriptions or all three.
posted by Hills @ 9:01 AM
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