Cape Town, South Africa
Cape Town (Afrikaans: Kaapstad; Xhosa: iKapa) is the second most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the metropolitan municipality of the City of Cape Town. It is the provincial capital of the Western Cape, as well as the legislative capital of South Africa, where the National Parliament and many government offices are located. Cape Town is famous for its harbor as well as its natural setting in the Cape floral kingdom, including such well-known landmarks as Table Mountain and Cape Point. Cape Town is one of the most popular South African destinations for tourism.
 Panoramic view of central Cape Town
Located on the shore of Table Bay, Cape Town was originally developed by the Dutch East India Company as a victualling (supply) station for Dutch ships sailing to Eastern Africa, India, and the Far East. Jan van Riebeeck's arrival on 6 April 1652 established the first permanent European settlement in South Africa. Cape Town quickly outgrew its original purpose as the first European outpost at the Castle of Good Hope, becoming the economic and cultural hub of the Cape Colony. Until the Witwatersrand Gold Rush and the development of Johannesburg, Cape Town was the largest city in South Africa.
As of 2007 the city had a population of 3.5 million. Cape Town's land area of 2,455 square kilometers (948 sq mi) is larger than other South African cities, resulting in a comparatively lower population density of 1,425 inhabitants per square kilometer (3,690 /sq mi).
History
The earliest known remnants in the region were found at Peers cave in Fish Hoek and date to around 12,000 years ago. Little is known of the history of the region's first residents, since there is no written history from the area before it was first mentioned by Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias in 1486. Vasco da Gama recorded a sighting of the Cape of Good Hope in 1497, and the area did not have regular contact with Europeans until 1652, when the Netherlands' Jan van Riebeeck and other employees of the Dutch East India Companywere sent to the Cape to establish a way-station for ships traveling to the Dutch East Indies. A labor shortage prompted the city to import slaves from Indonesia and Madagascar. Many of these became ancestors of the first Cape Coloured communities.
 Cape Town City Hall
The discovery of diamonds in Griqualand West in 1869, and the Witwatersrand Gold Rush in 1886, prompted a flood of immigrants to South Africa. Conflicts between the Boer republics in the interior and the British colonial government resulted in the Second Boer War of 1899-1901, which Britain won. In 1910, Britain established the Union of South Africa, which unified the Cape Colony with the two defeated Boer Republics and the British colony of Natal. Cape Town became the legislative capital of the Union, and later of the Republic of South Africa.
In the 1948 national elections, the National Party won on a platform of apartheid (racial segregation). This led to the Group Areas Act, which classified all areas according to race. Formerly multi-racial suburbs of Cape Town were either purged of unlawful residents or demolished.
Cape Town was home to many leaders of the anti-apartheid movement. On Robben Island, a former penitentiary island 10 kilometers from the city, many famous political prisoners were held for years. In one of the most famous moments marking the end of apartheid, Nelson Mandela made his first public speech in decades on 11 February 1990 from the balcony of Cape Town City Hall hours after being released. His speech heralded the beginning of a new era for the country, and the first democratic election was held four years later, on 27 April 1994.
Since 1994, the city has struggled with problems such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, a surge in violent drug-related crime and more recent xenophobic violence. At the same time, the economy has surged to unprecedented levels due to the boom in the tourism and the real estate industries.
Geography and climate
 Lion's Head
The peninsula consists of a dramatic mountainous spine jutting southwards into the Atlantic Ocean, ending at Cape Point. There are over 70 peaks above 1,000 feet (300 m) within Cape Town's official city limits. Many of the suburbs of Cape Town are on the large plain of the Cape Flats, which joins the peninsula to the mainland.
The Cape Peninsula has a Mediterranean climate with well-defined seasons. In winter, which lasts from May to September, large cold fronts come across from the Atlantic Ocean with heavy precipitation and strong north-westerly winds. The winter months are cool, with an average minimum temperature of 7 °C (45 °F). Summer, which lasts from November to March, is warm and dry. Most of the city's annual rainfall occurs in wintertime, but due to the mountainous topography of the city, rainfall amounts for specific areas can vary dramatically. The suburb of Newlands which is to the south of the city is the wettest place in South Africa. The Peninsula gets frequent strong winds from the south-east, known locally as the Cape Doctor, because it blows away pollution and cleans the air.
Economy
Cape Town is the economic centre of the Western Cape and serves as the regional manufacturing centre. It also has the primary harbor and airport in the Western Cape. The large government presence in the city, both as the capital of the Western Cape and the seat of the National Parliament, has led to increased revenue and growth in industries that serve the government. Cape Town hosts many conferences, particularly in the new Cape Town International Convention Centre, which opened in June 2003.
 International Convention Centre
Cape Town has four major commercial nodes, with Cape Town Central Business District containing the majority of job opportunities and office space. Century City, the Bellville/Tyger Valley strip and Claremont commercial nodes are well established and contain many offices and corporate headquarters as well. Most companies headquartered in the city are insurance companies, retail groups, publishers, design houses, fashion designers, shipping companies, petrochemical companies, architects and advertising agencies.
Much of the produce is handled through the Port of Cape Town or Cape Town International Airport. Most major shipbuilding companies have offices and manufacturing locations in Cape Town. The Province is also a centre of energy development for the country, with the existing Koeberg nuclear power station providing energy for the Western Cape's needs. Recently, oil explorers have discovered oil and natural gas off the coast in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Western Cape is an important tourist region in South Africa; the tourism industry accounts for 9.8% of the GDP of the province and employs 9.6% of the province's workforce. In 2004, over 1.5 million international tourists visited the area.
The mining industry in Cape Town has been booming for the last 6 years. 6000 miners are now employed in the mining industry since 2002.
The city was recently named as the most entrepreneurial city in South Africa, with the percentage of Capetonians pursuing business opportunities almost three times higher than the national average. Those aged between 18-64 were 190% more likely to pursue new business, whilst in Johannesburg; the same demographic group was only 60% more likely than the national average to pursue a new business.
Transportation
Air
Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) serves both domestic and international flights. It is the second-largest airport in South Africa and serves as a major gateway for travelers to the Cape region. CTIA handled 8,320,000 passengers in 2007, showing a massive increase of 15.1% over 2006 figures. Cape Town has direct flights to most cities in South Africa as well as a number of international destinations. It is a hub for South African Airways.
As of June 2006. Cape Town International Airport is being upgraded to handle an expected increase in air traffic as tourism numbers will increase in the lead-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The renovations include several large new parking garages, a revamped domestic departure terminal and a new international terminal plus a new double-decker road system. The airport's cargo facilities are also being expanded and several large empty lots are being developed into office space and hotels.
The Cape Town International Airport was among the winners of the World Travel Awards for being Africa's leading airport.
Sea
Cape Town has a long tradition as a port city. The Port of Cape Town, the city's main port, is located in Table Bay directly to the north of the central business district. The port is a hub for ships in the southern Atlantic: it is located along one of the busiest shipping corridors in the world. It is also a busy container port, second in South Africa only to Durban.
During the 2005/06 financial year, the Port of Cape Town handled 3,400 vessels for a gross tonnage of 48.778 million. Total cargo handled at the port (excluding containers) was 3.718 million tonnes; container tonnage is estimated at 9.948 million tonnes.
Simon's Town Harbour on the False Bay coast of the Cape Peninsula is the main base of the South African Navy.
To learn more about Cape Town and the rest of South Africa, please visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Town
Nuuk, Greenland - Follow-up
The December 2008 edition of the AIT eNewsletter featured the city of Nuuk, Greenland and mentioned the planned December referendum for independence from Denmark; the following Associated Press article announced the results:
Greenlanders vote for expanding autonomy
Greenland voters overwhelmingly approved a plan to seek more autonomy from Denmark and take advantage of oil reserves that may lie off the glacial island, official results showed Wednesday.
The Arctic island's election commission said 76 percent of voters supported the referendum, which sets new rules on splitting future oil revenue with Denmark. The vote was seen as a key step toward independence for the semiautonomous territory, which relies on Danish subsidies.
The referendum supported by Denmark calls for the small, mostly Inuit population to take control over the local police force, courts and coast guard and to make Greenlandic, an Inuit tongue, the official language.
Voters turned up at voting stations in 18 municipalities across the island, from the capital, Nuuk, just below the Arctic Circle to the remote northern outpost of Siorapaluk, where 24-hour darkness reigns during wintertime. About 72 percent of Greenland's nearly 40,000 voters turned out despite subfreezing temperatures in many places.
The plan is now expected to be approved by the Danish and Greenlandic parliaments and go into effect on June 21, the giant island's national day.
"The tears are running down my cheeks," said Greenland Premier Hans Enoksen, who put his fists up in the air in a sign of victory as it became clear the referendum would win. "We have said 'yes' to the right of self-determination, and with this we have accepted a great responsibility."
Drilling for oil and gas in the deep ocean off Greenland's west coast resumed in 2001, three decades after a previous effort failed to find petroleum. Exploration so far has been unsuccessful, but other countries in the northern region are staking their claims to natural resources exposed by the melting of the Arctic ice cap.
The plan is meant to allow the eventual phasing-out of an annual Danish subsidy of about 3.5 billion kroner ($588 million), which accounts for two-thirds of the island's economy. It would give Greenland the first 75 million kroner ($12.6 million) of annual oil revenue. Any income beyond that would be shared equally between Greenland and Denmark.
The current agreement states that the first 500 million kroner ($84 million) of oil revenue should be shared equally, and that the division of any amount beyond that must be negotiated.
"The Greenland people have yesterday given a clear 'yes' to self-determination within the (Danish) realm," Fogh Rasmussen said.
The Associated Press
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
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