WESTERN CAPE
INFORMATION
The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of 129,449 square kilometres (49,981 sq mi), and the third most populated, with an estimated 6.5 million inhabitants in 2017. About two-thirds of these inhabitants live in the metropolitan area of Cape Town, which is also the provincial capital. The Western Cape was created in 1994 from part of the former Cape Province.
LOCATION AND GEOGRAPHY
The Western Cape Province is roughly L-shaped, extending north and east from the Cape of Good Hope, in the southwestern corner of South Africa. It stretches about 400 kilometres (250 mi) northwards along the Atlantic coast and about 500 kilometres (300 mi) eastwards along the South African south coast (Southern Indian Ocean). It is bordered on the north by the Northern Cape and on the east by the Eastern Cape. The total land area of the province is 129,462 square kilometres (49,986 sq mi), about 10.6% of the country’s total. It is roughly the size of England. Its capital city and largest city is Cape Town.
The Western Cape is the southernmost region of the African continent with Cape Agulhas as its southernmost point, only 3800 km from the Antarctic coastline.
CAPITAL OF THE WESTERN CAPE
Cape Town
AIRPORT
Cape Town International Airport
CLIMATE
Western Cape Weather and Climate. Overall, the Western Cape climate is typically Mediterranean, with warm, dry summers and mild, moist winters and low summer rainfall prevail. Near the coast, summer’s temperature rises from a pleasant low of 15º C to a heart warming 27º C. Inland temperatures are some 3-5º C higher.
Cape Town: Annual Weather Averages. February is the hottest month in Cape Town with an average temperature of 23°C (73°F) and the coldest is June at 13°C (55°F) with the most daily sunshine hours at 11.05 in December. The wettest month is July with an average of 100mm of rain.
POPULAR PLACES OF INTEREST
Cape Town – Capital of the Western Cape
Paarl – Winelands area
Stellenbosch – Winelands area
George – The Garden Route
The Garden Route and the Overberg are popular coastal tourism areas.
