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If three pyramids are the symbol of Africa's far north, then a flat-topped mountain is the symbol of its far south. Inner Cape Town nestles in the curve of Table Mountain at the start of the hook-shaped Cape Peninsula, which ends in the needle-point cliffs of Cape Point.
The erroneous belief that this is the meeting point of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans persists. This is actually further south at Cape Agulhas, but certainly the waters of the eastern bay of the peninsula are warmer than the Benguela-chilled western waters.
The Peninsula, world-renowned for its beauty and home to the major urban concentration, is in the province's far south-west but may reasonably be regarded as its heart.
At a total area of 129 370 square kilometres, this is the country's fourth-largest province but is dealt with here in third place for the convenience of keeping the three Cape provinces together. It is slightly smaller than the Free State although each occupies about 10.6% of South Africa's land area.
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Like the Eastern Cape, the Western Cape is topographically and climatically varied. It has a temperate southern coastline fringed with mountains; here the typical vegetation, especially in the western section, is the famed fynbos. To the north it stretches deep into the Karoo plateau; its western coast is extremely dry.
The winter rainfall of the Peninsula and its mountainous neighbouring inland area provides ideal conditions for the cultivation of grapes, with numerous vineyards producing excellent wines. Other fruit and vegetables are also grown here, and north and east of Cape Point wheat is an important crop.
The southern coastal area is also fertile; fishing is the most important industry along the western coast. Sheep farming is the mainstay of the Karoo, and other forms of husbandry take place in the better watered parts of the province.
While various industries are active, particularly in the Cape of Good Hope area, tourism is extremely important economically.
Saldanha and Port Nolloth are the main towns on the west coast; Malmesbury, Worcester, Paarl and Stellenbosch are among those in the wine region; inland, Beaufort West (in the north-east) is the major Karoo town and Oudtshoorn (in the south-east) is the centre of the ostrich-farming area and the site of the spectacular Cango Caves.
The southern coastline's major centres include Mossel Bay, George and Knysna, all of which benefit from the tourist attraction of a beautiful coastal strip that includes a lake area. This southern coast has year-round rainfall. |
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