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West Coast, Western Cape
The West Coast is a region of the Western Cape province in South Africa and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the west and the Swartland region on the east. The region stretches for over 400 km from north to south and is well known for its scenic beauty and fertile fishing grounds. The main towns in this region are Saldanha, Paternoster, Vredenburg, Velddrif, St. Helena Bay, Langebaan, Hopefield, Darling and Yzerfontein. The region's main nature reserve is the West Coast National Park The West Coast National Park lies north of Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The park is found inside of the Cape West Coast Biosphere Reserve, part of the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme. It is bordered by the At .... {{Western Cape Province Landforms of the Western Cape Coasts of South Africa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and the environment (environmental geography). Geographic regions and sub-regions are mostly described by their imprecisely defined, and sometimes transitory boundaries, except in human geography, where Jurisdiction (area), jurisdiction areas such as national borders are defined in law. Apart from the Earth, global continental regions, there are also hydrosphere, hydrospheric and atmosphere, atmospheric regions that cover the oceans, and discrete climates above the land mass, land and water mass, water masses of the planet. The land and water global regions are divided into subregions geographically bounded by large geological features that influence large-scale ecologies, such as plains and features. As a way of describing spatial areas, the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020. About two-thirds of these inhabitants live in the metropolitan area of Cape Town, which is also the provincial capital. The Western Cape was created in 1994 from part of the former Cape Province. The two largest cities are Cape Town and George. Geography The Western Cape Province is roughly L-shaped, extending north and east from the Cape of Good Hope, in the southwestern corner of South Africa. It stretches about northwards along the Atlantic coast and about eastwards along the South African south coast (Southern Indian Ocean). It is bordered on the north by the Northern Cape and on the east by the Eastern Cape. The total land area of the province is , about 10.6% of the country's total. It is roughly the size of England or the S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countries of Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe; and to the east and northeast by Mozambique and Eswatini. It also completely enclaves the country Lesotho. It is the southernmost country on the mainland of the Old World, and the second-most populous country located entirely south of the equator, after Tanzania. South Africa is a biodiversity hotspot, with unique biomes, plant and animal life. With over 60 million people, the country is the world's 24th-most populous nation and covers an area of . South Africa has three capital cities, with the executive, judicial and legislative branches of government based in Pretoria, Bloemfontein, and Cape Town respectively. The largest city is Johannesburg. About 80% of the population are Black South Afri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe and Asia from the "New World" of the Americas in the European perception of the World. The Atlantic Ocean occupies an elongated, S-shaped basin extending longitudinally between Europe and Africa to the east, and North and South America to the west. As one component of the interconnected World Ocean, it is connected in the north to the Arctic Ocean, to the Pacific Ocean in the southwest, the Indian Ocean in the southeast, and the Southern Ocean in the south (other definitions describe the Atlantic as extending southward to Antarctica). The Atlantic Ocean is divided in two parts, by the Equatorial Counter Current, with the North(ern) Atlantic Ocean and the South(ern) Atlantic Ocean split at about 8°N. Scientific explorations of the A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Swartland
The Swartland is a region of Western Cape Province that begins some north of Cape Town and consists of the area between the towns of Malmesbury in the south, Darling in the west, Piketberg in the north, Moorreesburg in the middle and the Riebeek West and Riebeek Kasteel in the east. Jan van Riebeeck called this softly undulating country between the mountain ranges "Het Zwarte Land" (the Black Land) because of the endemic Renosterbos (''Elytropappus rhinocerotis''). After the rains, mainly in winter, the Renosterbos takes on a dark appearance when viewed from the distance in large numbers. This is due to the fine leaf-hairs adhering to the leaves when wet. The wide fertile plain is the bread basket of Cape Town with its wheat fields reaching up to the foot of the mountains, interrupted by wine, fruit, and vegetable farms. In Moorreesburg can be found only one of two museums in the world that shows the history of wheat farming. Viticulture in the Swartland is still comparatively y ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saldanha, Western Cape
Saldanha, also known as Saldanha Bay, is a town of 21,636 people, located north of Cape Town on the northern shore of Saldanha Bay, in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Its situation as a natural sheltered harbour has led to development as a port for the export of iron ore from Sishen in the Northern Cape, which is transported on the Sishen–Saldanha railway line. The port is one of the largest exporting ports of ore in the whole of Africa, and it is able to handle ships as large as 200 000 tons deadweight. Saldanha Bay is named after António de Saldanha, captain of a vessel in Albuquerque's fleet which visited South Africa in 1503. Port The port has handling facilities for both bulk iron ore and crude oil. Ore vessels up to 21.5 metre draft Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paternoster, Western Cape
Paternoster (pronounced ) is one of the oldest fishing villages on the West Coast of South Africa. It is situated 15 km north-west of Vredenburg and 145 km north of Cape Town, at Cape Columbine between Saldanha Bay and St Helena Bay. The town covers an area of 194.8 hectare and has approximately 1883 inhabitants. The origin of the name remains unknown. Many people believe that the name, which means ‘Our Father’ in Latin, refers to prayers said by Catholic Portuguese seamen when they became shipwrecked. It appears as St. Martins Paternoster on an old map of Pieter Mortier so the name may be derived from Paternoster Row in the City of London which is adjacent to St. Martins Court. Other people believe it refers to the beads that the Khoi tribe wore that were called Paternosters. Economy and tourism Paternoster is a tourist destination and is known for lobster and the white-washed fishermen's cottages. The coastline consists of jagged cliffs, white boulders and beache ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vredenburg
Vredenburg is a town of the Cape West Coast in the Western Cape province of South Africa. "Vrede" is Afrikaans for peace. It is the transportation and commercial hub of the West Coast area and administrative centre of the Saldanha Bay Local Municipality. It is located 12 kilometres inland from the coast at Saldanha Bay on the Cape Columbine Peninsula 138 km north of Cape Town. History The town was established in 1875 initially as a Dutch Reformed Church congregation to serve the surrounding communities, as the closest church was in Hopefield. The town's original name was "Twisfontein", which from Afrikaans can be translated as "dispute fountain". This name came about when two competing farmers fought over the only available freshwater spring in the area. The town's name was later changed to "Prosesfontein". The town was renamed as they were discussing the matter of the freshwater spring and were trying to come to an agreement. When this agreement was settled and they have a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Velddrif
Velddrif (the name of the town) or Velddrift (the name of the farm on which the town was established), is a coastal fishing town in the Bergrivier Local Municipality, Western Cape, South Africa. The town had a population 7800 in 2007 and is located on the estuary at which the Berg River flows into St. Helena Bay. Geography and environment Velddrif is located approximately north of Cape Town to which it is connected by the R27 road (South Africa), R27 road. The R27 joins the R399 at Velddrif, which is near the point at which that the meandering Berg River flows into the sea at St. Helena Bay. The estuary is an importanbirdhabitat and is home to around 30,000 birds, including up to 80 species which are endemic to the Cape coast. Well over 350 different species of birds can be seen here, as it is a habitat for sea, river and land birds. Flowers grow in this area, including the ''Euclea racemosa'' (Kersbos), ''Babiana ringens'' (Rotstert), ''Willdenowia incurvata'' (Sonkwas Riet), '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Langebaan
Langebaan is a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa on the eastern shore of Langebaan Lagoon. Langebaan is situated 120 km north of Cape Town, just off the R27, about 28 km from Vredenburg and 20 km from Saldanha Bay. The Lagoon stretches for 17 km from Saldanha Bay, past Langebaan to Geelbek in the South. In places it is up to 4 km wide. History The Langebaan Lagoon was formed by the rising and falling of sea levels during pre-historic times. This is unlike most lagoons which form where fresh water rivers enter the sea. As a result, Langebaan Lagoon is purely a salt water lagoon. As far back as 500 000 years ago, early Homo sapiens were probably present in the area, living in groups and hunting small game, displacing carnivores, such as lions, from their kills and gathering plant foods. They made fire as protection and for cooking and probably made simple shelters from branches. They used animal skins for warmth and clothing, and also made ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hopefield, Western Cape
Hopefield is a settlement in West Coast District Municipality in the Western Cape province of South Africa on the R45 between Malmesbury and Vredenburg. The town is east of Saldanha Bay and Langebaan, southeast of Vredenburg and north of Cape Town. History Hopefield is the oldest town on the Cape West Coast. The Dutch Reformed congregation (Zoute Rivier) was established in December 1851 after farmers donated money towards its construction and the town was founded in 1852 on the farm Langekuil. It became a municipality in 1914., and was named after two people who laid it out, Major William Hope, Auditor-General, and a Mr Field. General The Air Force Base Langebaanweg, west of the town, as well as the West Coast Fossil park west from town, fall within town limits. Another important fossil locality, Elandsfontein, is found about southwest of Hopefield. In earlier years Hopefield was considered the capital of the West Coast, with banks, filling stations and multiple other s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Darling, South Africa
Darling is a small town in a farming area on the west coast region of the Western Cape, about 75 km (46.6 mi) from Cape Town. At the beginning of the 18th century about 29 farmers lived in an area called Groenkloof and on one of these farms, Langfontein, Darling was founded in 1853. It was named after Sir Charles Henry Darling who came in 1851 to the Cape as Lieutenant Governor. The Darling Museum shows the history of the town and the Darling creamery which was established in 1899 by two Swedish settlers, Nils Georg Moller and G. Threnstrom, and was closed in 1950. The museum also holds a collection of large agricultural machines. Darling is famous for its wildflowers and since 1917 the annual Darling Wildflower show is held by the Darling Wildflower Society, founded in 1915 by Mrs. Suzanne Malan and Mr. Frederick Duckitt of Waylands. The Darling Wind Farm is situated between Darling and the coastal town of Yzerfontein and it is operational with plans for expansion. T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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