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SOUTH AFRICA

Exploring Cape Town

CAPE TOWN WIKI

What if we helped cities express themselves and share their voices?
- City Notebook

What does responsible travel look like in Cape Town?

FLICKR ALBUM: Cape Town

Cape Town is the third most populous city in South Africa.

NATURAL WORLD

Cape Town is famous for its harbor as well as landmarks Table Mountain and Cape Point. Table Mountain (3,051-feet) is accessible via cable car.

CULTURAL WORLD

Cape Town has one of the best displays of gold: Gold of Africa Museum, 96 Strand Street.

HISTORY

Local history dates back thousands of years.

Jan van Riebeeck's arrival in 1652 established the first permanent European settlement in sub-Saharan Africa. Cape Town grew quickly and became the largest city in South Africa until the growth of Johannesburg and Durban.

NEARBY

Across the cape peninsula lies Boulders Coastal Park. The park is home to hundreds of African penguins. Boulders Beach has one of only two land-based African penguin colonies.

An hour away from Cape Town is Darling, home of the Darling Festival, one of the world''s most innovative events.

RESPONSIBLE TOURISM

In 2002, the first international conference on responsible tourism in destinations was held in Cape Town, with the ratified Cape Town Declaration becoming the world's definition for responsible tourism. Since that time, responsible tourism has become the foundation of the City of Cape Town's tourism development framework, and an official policy has been adopted by city council, committing all of the resources and structures of the municipality to adopt a responsible tourism approach. Information on Cape Town’s journey to becoming a responsible destination along with resources to assist and background on the partners involved can be found at www.responsiblecapetown.co.za.

SPORT

The Newlands Cricket Grounds are world famous. The neary Newslands Stadium is used for rugby and is home to the Stormers and to Western Province.

The Green Point Stadium was built for the 2010 World Cup.

Surfing competitions are held during the summer months, and there are spectacular waves at Kommetjie, Noordhoek, Clifton and Rocklands. Consult Wavewatch for live updates on surfing spots.