Cape Town, South Africa's second largest metropolis after Johannesburg, is Africa's southernmost city, set on the sunny Atlantic coast within the northern Cape Peninsula. Its amazing flavor is formed by Table Mountain, which rises 1100 meters above the historic center, the island peaks of the Devil, Twelve Apostles, Lion's Head and the Cape of Good Hope.
The population of Cape Town is about 3.4 million. The national currency is the South African rand (ZAR).
Cape Town was founded in 1652 when the Dutchman Jan van Riebeeck's expedition established the first European settlement, Capstadt, at the foot of Table Mountain. Under this name, the city gained fame as a key port on the route from Europe to the neck of the Indian Ocean.
Since 1795, Cape Town's development has been linked to the British protectorate: it was at this time that the largest wineries, farming unions and diamond mining enterprises were established here. The Great Trek, the trend for Europeans to move inland, becomes widespread.
Today Cape Town is the region's largest cultural and business center. Business opportunities here are said to be three times higher than the national average.
