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Capital: Cape Town
Principal Languages: Afrikaans (55.3%) isiXhosa (23.7%) English
(19.3%)
Population: 4,745,500 (Mid-year Populations Estimates, 2006)
Area (km2): 129,370
Copyright: South African Tourism |
The Western Cape is situated on the
southernmost tip of the African continent. It is a region of
majestic mountains; beautiful valleys; wide, sandy beaches; and
breathtaking scenery, making it one of the South Africa’s prime
tourist destinations.
The cold Atlantic Ocean along the west coast
is a rich fishing area, while the warmer Indian Ocean skirts the
province’s southern beaches.
Visitors to the Western Cape can
disembark at Cape Town International Airport, George Airport or at
the ports of Cape Town, Mossel Bay or Saldanha. A network of roads
also leads to Cape Town, the capital, fondly known as the Mother
City.
Photograph courtesy of South African Tourism
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Other important towns in the province
include Saldanha, a notable harbor for iron exports and the fishing
industry; Worcester and Stellenbosch in the heart of the winelands;
George, renowned for its indigenous timber and vegetable produce;
Oudtshoorn, known for its ostrich products and the world-famous
Cango caves; and Beaufort West on the dry, sheep-farming plains of
the Great Karoo.
The Western Cape boasts one of the
world’s six accepted floral kingdoms. Although it is the smallest of
them all, the Cape Floral Kingdom, which is characterized by fynbos,
contains more plant species than the whole of Europe. These include
the famous proteas and heathers.
The Cape Floristic Region became South
Africa’s sixth world heritage site in 2004. Covering an area of more
than 553,000 hectares, the Cape Floristic Region World Heritage Site
comprises eight separate protected areas stretching from the Cape
Peninsula into the Eastern Cape. The Kirstenbosch National Botanical
Garden is included in this area, which makes it a world-first for
South Africa, since no other world heritage site includes a
botanical garden.
The Knysna-Tsitsikamma region has the
country’s biggest indigenous forests; a fairyland of ancient forest
giants, ferns and colorful birdlife. Products of the forests include
sought-after furniture made from the indigenous yellowwood,
stinkwood and white pear trees.
Tourism
The Western Cape’s natural beauty,
complemented by its famous hospitality, cultural diversity,
excellent wine and colorful cuisine, make the province one of the
world’s greatest tourist attractions.
The tourism industry in the
Western Cape contributes 14% to the total Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) of the province and is the most important growth force in the
province.
Overseas tourists increased from 810,000 in 2000 to 1,535,000 in
2004.
For the second consecutive year in 2006,
provincial growth was at 5.3%, fuelled by good sectoral growth.
The people
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More than 4.7 million people live in the
Western Cape on 129,370 km2 of land (Mid-Year Population Estimates,
2006). Afrikaans is spoken by the majority, with isiXhosa and
English being the other main languages. The Western Cape has the
highest adult-education level in the country, with only 5.7% of
people aged 20 years or older having undergone no schooling (Census
2001). The province has a strong network of Higher Education (HE)
institutions, including the University of Cape Town, Stellenbosch
University, the University of the Western Cape and the Cape
Peninsula University of Technology. A potpourri of diverse cultural
backgrounds gives the province a cosmopolitan ambiance, resulting in
a demographic profile quite different from that of the national
pattern. The profile draws on elements from different parts of
Europe, south-east Asia, India and Africa, which are richly
reflected in the diversity of the area. The official unemployment
figure for the province is 15.9% (Labor Force Survey, March 2006).
This was somewhat lower than the national unemployment rate of 25.6%
in March 2006.
Agriculture and marine fishery
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Copyright: South African Tourism |
The Western Cape is rich in agriculture
and fisheries. Agricultural exports have increased threefold over
the past few years, manifesting in a growth rate of 7,4% in 2005/06.
Primary industries, i.e. agriculture, forestry and fishing, and
mining and quarrying, contributed 4,7% to the GDP of the province in
2004, which translated into R9 321 million (gross domestic product
per region [GDPR], 2004). The sheltered valleys between the
mountains provide ideal conditions for the cultivation of top grade
fruits, such as apples, table grapes, olives, peaches and oranges.
In the eastern part of the Western Cape, a great variety of
vegetables is cultivated.
Copyright: South African Tourism |
The province can be divided into three
climatic regions. The area around the Cape Peninsula and the Boland,
further inland, is a winter-rainfall region with sunny, dry summers.
Towards George, along the south coast, the climate gradually changes
to year-round rainfall, while inland, towards the more arid Great
Karoo, the climate changes to summer rainfall. The Western Cape is
known as one of the world’s finest grape-growing regions. Many of
its wines have received the highest accolades at international
shows, such as the International Wine and Spirit Competition held in
July 2006 in Britain. The wheat-growing Swartland district around
Malmesbury, and the Overberg around Caledon, form the bread basket
of the country.
The inland Karoo region (around Beaufort
West), and the Overberg district (around Bredasdorp),
produce wool and mutton, as well as pedigree Merino breeding stock.
Other animal products include broiler chickens, eggs, dairy
products, beef and pork. The Western Cape is the only province with
an outlet for the export of horses. This earns the country millions
of rands in foreign revenue.
The province has also established itself
as the leading facilitator in the export of ostrich meat to
Europe. In addition to meat, fine leatherware and ostrich feathers
are also exported to destinations all over the world.
The plankton-rich cold
Benguela current flows along the west coast of the province and is
considered to be one of the world’s richest fishing grounds. This resource
is protected from overfishing by foreign vessels by means of a 200-km
commercial fishing zone and a strict quota
system. Snoek, Cape lobster, abalone, calamari, octopus, oysters and mussels
are among the most sought-after piscatorial delights from this region.
Visitors to Cape Town’s Tygerberg Nature
Reserve are now greeted with hiking trails named after plants, animals and
birds, after conservation staff, with the help of the Friends of the
Tygerberg Hills, planned, constructed and placed signboards on the hiking
trails throughout the reserve. With over 20,000 visitors recorded during
2005, the trails are expected to be more accessible and more easily
identifiable for visitors and will enrich and enhance their visit to the
reserve.
Industry
The Western Cape’s
economy has experienced an upswing in recent years, with real growth
in GDP estimated at 5.3 % for 2004/05 and total output for the
province being almost R186.3 billion, or 14.4% of South Africa’s
GDP. Economic growth was expected to drop slightly from 5.3% in
2004/05 to 4.7% in 2006/07.
Many of South
Africa’s major insurance companies and banks are based in the
Western Cape. The majority of the country’s petroleum companies and
the largest segment of the printing and publishing industry are
located in Cape Town.
Information and
communications technology is one of the fastest growing sectors in
the province and operations are being expanded to other countries.
After Gauteng and
KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape’s manufacturing sector is the
third-largest
contributor to the national manufacturing sector.
The clothing and
textile industry remains the most significant industrial source of
employment in the province.
Cape Town remains the
economic hub of the province, encompassing industrial areas such as
Epping, Montagu Gardens, Parow and Retreat. Along the west coast,
the Saldanha Steel Project has led to increased economic activity.
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