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Western Cape is one
of nine provinces in South Africa. It was formed
after the first free elections in 1994 from the
south-western part of the former Cape Province.
With a land mass of 129,370km� it is South Africa's
fourth largest province.
The population of just over 4.5 million is 54%
Coloured, 27% Black, 18% White and 1% Indian.
The first
language of most people is Afrikaans (55%), isiXhosa
(24%) and English (19%)
The major cities and towns
in the Western Cape are Beaufort West, Bellville, Bredasdorp,
Caledon, Cape Town, Ceres,
Clanwilliam, George, Knysna, Malmesbury,
Mossel Bay, Oudtshoom, Paarl, Riversdale,
Swellendam, Vrendenburg, Worcester.
Cape Town, the Mother City, is both the
provincial capital and the nation's legislative
capital.
The Western Cape is bordered on the north by the
Northern Cape, and on the east by the Eastern Cape.
Along its south coast is the Indian Ocean and along
the west west coats is the Atlantic Ocean.
Topographically the Western Cape is
exceptionally diverse. Most of the province
falls within the Cape Fold Belt, a range of
sandstone folded mountains that range in
height from 1,000m to 2300m above sea level.
The valleys between ranges are generally
very fertile.
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Related pages
Beaufort West, Bellville, Bredasdorp,
Caledon, Cape Town, Ceres,
Clanwilliam, George, Knysna, Malmesbury,
Mossel Bay, Oudtshoom, Paarl, Riversdale,
Swellendam, Vrendenburg, Worcester
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The northern interior forms part of the
Karoo Basin and is generally arid and hilly
with a sharp escarpment in the north.
Coastal areas range from sandy beaches
between capes, to rocky or even mountainous
in places.
Vegetation is also extremely diverse,
with one of the world's seven floral
kingdoms almost exclusively endemic to the
province - the Cape Floral Kingdom or
Fynbos. This biome is characterised by
shrubs, thousands of flowering plant species
and some small trees. This diversity means
that there are more plant species on Table
Mountain than in the entire United Kingdom!
The West Coast and Little Karoo are
semi-arid regions and are typified by
succulents, drought-resistant shrubs and
acacia trees.
The Garden Route is extremely lush, with
temperate rainforest covering many areas
close to the coast and along the mountain
ranges.
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