The Western Cape lies at the southernmost point of the African continent, washed by the Atlantic Ocean on its Western shoreline and the Indian Ocean in the south. Its provincial neighbours are the Northern Cape to the north and Eastern Cape to the east. With a total area of 129 370 square kilometres, the Western Cape is roughly the size of Greece.
The provincial capital is Cape Town, an important port city and one of South Africa’s major tourist attractions, with its beautiful scenery, balmy climate, beaches and rich culture. Cape Town is South Africa’s legislative capital, home to the country’s parliament. Other important towns and cities are George in the southeast of the province, the winelands university town of Stellenbosch, and the port town of Saldanha on the west coast.
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, while the west coast is extremely dry.
The Mediterranean climate of the peninsula and the mountainous region beyond it is ideal for grape cultivation, with a number of vineyards producing excellent wines. Other fruit and vegetables are also grown here, and wheat is an important crop to the north and east of Cape Town.
Economy
At 5.7% in 2007, the Western Cape has, like Gauteng, the fastest-growing economy in South Africa, recording a 5.7% GDP increase in 2007, and a 5.8% growth rate in 2006. The province also makes the third-highest contribution (14.5%) to the national economy, with a GDP valued at R291-billion.
The largest industries in the Western Cape economy are the finance, real estate and business services industry, which made up 26.9% of provincial GDP at market prices in 2007, manufacturing (16.4%) and wholesale and retail trade, hotels and restaurants (14.6%). Mining and quarrying made the lowest contribution, at 0.2%
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