One of the nine new provinces established by the South African constitution of 1994, in SW South Africa; several mountain ranges along the Great Escarpment; capital, Cape Town (also legislative capital of South Africa); pop (2000e) 4 332 000; area 129 386 km²/49 943 sq mi; chief languages, Afrikaans (63%), English (20%), Xhosa; tourism (Table Mountain, Robben I, Cape of Good Hope, Cape Agulhas); South Africa's richest province; business services, textiles, publishing, wines, sheep, wheat, fishing.
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| Capital | Cape Town | |||
| Largest city | Cape Town | |||
| Premier | Ebrahim Rasool | |||
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Area - Total |
Ranked 4th 129,370 km² |
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Population - Total (2001) - Density |
Ranked 5th 4,524,335 35/km² |
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| Elevation |
Highest point: Seweweekspoort Peak at 2325 meters (7628 feet) Lowest point: sea level |
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| Languages |
Afrikaans (55.3%) Xhosa (23.7%) English (19.3%) |
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| Ethnic composition |
Coloured (53.9%) Black (26.7%) Caucasian (18.4%) Asian (1.0%) |
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The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the huge (and now defunct) Cape Province. Prior to the formation of the Union of South Africa in 1910, it was called the Cape Colony (see the History of Cape Colony).
Law and Government
The capital of the Western Cape Province is the City of Cape Town.
The Constitution of the Western Cape was adopted in 1998 and is available in the official languages of the province: Afrikaans, English and Xhosa.
The Western Cape Provincial Legislature is responsible for creating laws within its responsibilities as set out by the South African Constitution.
The Western Cape Provincial Administration had a 2004 budget of R16.4 billion (US$2.8 billion).
Geography
Western Cape Province is bordered on the north by the Northern Cape Province, on the east by the Eastern Cape Province, on the south by the Indian Ocean, and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. The capital is Cape Town and other major cities include Stellenbosch, Worcester, Paarl, and George.
The Western Cape is exceptionally topographically diverse. Most of the province falls within the Cape Fold Belt, a range of sandstone folded mountains of Permian to Carboniferous age that range in height from 1000m to 2300m. The Western Cape is also the southernmost region of the African continent with Cape Agulhas as its southernmost point, only 3800km from the Antarctic coastline.
Vegetation is also extremely diverse, with one of the world's seven floral kingdoms almost exclusively endemic to the province, namely the Cape Floral Kingdom or Fynbos (Afrikaans: Fine Bush).
Municipalities
The Western Cape Province is made up of five District Municipalities subdivided into 24 Local Municipalities, along with one Metropolitan Municipality.
City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality West Coast District Municipality Matzikama Local Municipality Cederberg Local Municipality Bergrivier Local Municipality Saldanha Bay Local Municipality Swartland Local Municipality Cape Winelands District Municipality Witzenberg Local Municipality Drakenstein Local Municipality Stellenbosch Local Municipality Breede Valley Local Municipality Breede River/Winelands Local Municipality Overberg District Municipality Theewaterskloof Local Municipality Overstrand Local Municipality Cape Agulhas Local Municipality Swellendam Local Municipality Eden District Municipality Kannaland Local Municipality Hessequa Local Municipality Mossel Bay Local Municipality George Local Municipality Oudtshoorn Local Municipality Bitou Local Municipality Knysna Local Municipality Central Karoo District Municipality Laingsburg Local Municipality Prince Albert Local Municipality Beaufort West Local MunicipalityClimate
The Western Cape is also diverse climatologically, with many distinct micro- and macroclimates created by the varied topography and the influence of both the Indian (warm water) and Atlantic (cold water) oceans.
Economy
The Western Cape Province’s total GDP is the third-highest contribution to the country’s total, at 14.6%.
The province has recently grown a massive tourism industry, with the majority of international tourist arrivals visiting the province, with Cape Town, Garden Route and the Winelands being popular tourist destinations. Communications
The Western Cape has an excellent network of highways comparable with any first-world country. The primary highways are the N1 (from Cape Town to Three Sisters), N2 (from Cape Town to Bloukrans River), N7 (from Cape Town to Bitterfontein) and N12 (from George to Three Sisters). Limited access motorways are limited to the Cape Metropolitan Area, Winelands and Garden Route, however due to the low population density of the remainder of the province, the highways remain efficient and high-speed, except during peak holiday travel seasons, when travel can be slow-going in places due to heavy traffic.
Demographics
As of the census of 2001, there are 4,524,336 people and 1,173,302 households residing in the Western Cape.
In the province the population is spread out with 27.3% under the age of 15, 19.4% from 15 to 24, 32.9% from 25 to 44, 15.2% from 45 to 64, and 5.2% who are 65 years of age or older.
In the province 55.3% of residents speak Afrikaans at home, 19.3% speak English, 0.0% speak IsiNdebele, 23.7% speak IsiXhosa, 0.2% speak IsiZulu, 0.0% speak Sepedi, 0.7% speak Sesotho, 0.1% speak Setswana, 0.0% speak SiSwati, 0.0% speak Tshivenda, and 0.0% speak Xitsonga.
5.7% of residents aged 20 and over have received no schooling, 15.2% have had some primary school, 7.9% have completed only primary school, 36.5% have had some high school education, 23.4% have finished only high school, and 11.2% have an education higher than the high school level.
The median annual income of working adults aged 15-65 in the Western Cape is R 18,703 (US$2,811). The annual income distribution is:
No income 2.0% R 12 – R 4,800 (US$2 - $721) 6.5% R 4,812 – R 9,600 (US$723 - $1,443) 17.7% R 9,612 – R 19,200 (US$1,445 – $2,886) 25.1% R 19,212 – R 38,400 (US$2,888 - $5,772) 20.1% R 38,412 – R 76,800 (US$5,774 - $11,543) 15.2% R 76,812 – R 153,600 (US$11,545 - $23,087) 8.3% R 153,612 – R 307,200 (US$23,089 - $46,174) 3.3% R 307,212 – R 614,400 (US$46,176 - $92,348) 1.1% R 614,412 or more (US$92,350+) 0.7%Statistics South Africa Census 2001
Important cities and towns
Population 1,000,000+ (urbanized area)
Cape TownPopulation 50,000+ (urbanized area)
George Oudtshoorn Paarl Stellenbosch Swellendam WorcesterPopulation 10,000+ (urbanized area)
Bredasdorp Ceres Hermanus Knysna Malmesbury Montagu Plettenberg Bay Robertson Tulbagh WellingtonPopulation < 10,000
Arniston Elim Napier StruisbaaiEducation
The Western Cape is the most highly educated province with a very skilled workforce in comparison to any other African region. The province also boasts two internationally acclaimed universities, namely Stellenbosch University and the University of Cape Town.
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