, Table Mountain -- 2024 -- 2794%2B96%2B98%2B2800%2B01.jpg?width=1200)
Quick answerCape Town is the capital of South Africa, with 4,772,846 people inside the city limits in 2022. The wider metropolitan area had about 4.6 million people in 2022. It is best known for the Table Mountain, the Robben Island and the V&A Waterfront. Its official languages include Afrikaans, English and 10 others, and its currency is the South African rand.
Cape Town is the legislative capital of South Africa, home to Parliament, and its oldest city, founded in 1652. The metropolitan municipality had about 4.8 million people in the 2022 census. Table Mountain rises above the city bowl, and Robben Island lies in Table Bay.
Key facts
| Country | South Africa |
|---|---|
| Population (city) | 4,772,846 (2022) |
| Population (metro) | 4,618,000 (2022) · Cape Town urban agglomeration (UN World Urbanization Prospects, 2020) |
| Time zone | Africa/Johannesburg |
| Language | Afrikaans, English, Southern Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tswana, Tsonga, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu, South African Sign Language |
| Currency | South African rand (ZAR, R) |
| Coordinates | 33.9253° S, 18.4239° E |
Overview
Cape Town is the legislative capital of South Africa, home to Parliament, and the oldest city in the country. The City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality had 4,772,846 residents in the 2022 census, while the urban agglomeration held about 4,618,000 people in the United Nations estimate for 2020. The city sits on a peninsula at the south-western tip of Africa, between Table Mountain and the Atlantic Ocean.
Cape Town was founded in 1652, when Jan van Riebeeck of the Dutch East India Company set up a supply station for ships sailing to Asia. It grew into the Cape Colony, passed to Britain in the 19th century, and became the seat of the Cape Parliament. Robben Island, in Table Bay, held political prisoners under apartheid, including Nelson Mandela for 18 of his 27 years in prison.
Today Cape Town is South Africa's best-known tourist city. The cable car up Table Mountain, the V&A Waterfront, the Kirstenbosch botanical garden and the beaches of the Cape Peninsula draw visitors from around the world, and the city is also the centre of the country's wine industry. Cape Agulhas, about 170 kilometres to the south-east, is the southernmost point of Africa.
What Cape Town is known for
- Table Mountain
- Robben Island
- V&A Waterfront
- Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden
- Legislative capital of South Africa
- Cape Peninsula
Landmarks
- Table Mountain
- Robben Island
- V&A Waterfront
- Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
- Cape of Good Hope
- District Six Museum
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Cape Town?
The City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality had 4,772,846 people in the 2022 census, according to Statistics South Africa. The urban agglomeration held about 4,618,000 people in the United Nations estimate for 2020. The municipality covers a wider area than the built-up city, which is why the two figures differ.
Where is Cape Town and what is it known for?
Cape Town is in the south-west of South Africa, in the Western Cape, on a peninsula between Table Mountain and the Atlantic Ocean. It is the legislative capital, home to Parliament, and is known for Table Mountain, Robben Island, the V&A Waterfront and the Kirstenbosch botanical garden.
Quick quiz
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Keep exploring
- South Africa — the country Cape Town is in
- Johannesburg — another city in South Africa
- Durban — another city in South Africa
- Pretoria — another city in South Africa
- All cities in South Africa
- All countries — the full list
Sources & last updated
- Wikipedia — Cape Town
- City Population (Thomas Brinkhoff), citing Statistics South Africa 2022 census
- UN World Urbanization Prospects, via Wikipedia — Urban areas in Africa by population
Last updated: . Figures are shown with their year; where sources disagree, the value is left out rather than estimated.