SOUTH AFRICA

Cape Town (Kaapstad), the oldest city in South Africa, was founded in 1652 by a Dutch expedition under the command of Jan van Riebeeck. The fleet, composed of five ships had been sent by the powerful Dutch East India Company (VOC, Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie) in order to establish a permanent settlement near the Cape of Good Hope in order to supply ships along the route that led from Europe to the East. The first building was a little wooden fort, replaced in 1666 by a more robust strong stone fort called Castle of Good Hope ("Kasteel van Goede Hoop"). Around the fort, still existing, developed Cape Town, which is now the third largest city population of South Africa and the capital of the province of the Western Cape and also the legislative capital of South Africa, home of the South African parliament. The city is famous for being inserted in a beautiful and impressive natural landscape, which makes it one of the most beautiful cities in the world, it is located on the peninsula of Cape of Good Hope, along a large bay dominated by the famous Table Mountain, which is over 1000 meters high. Cape Town is the most popular tourist destination in South Africa, thanks to the numerous natural attractions such as the Table Mountain; the Peninsula of Cape of Good Hope with Cape Point; the famous scenic road Chapman's Peak Drive; the many beautiful beaches as Boulders Beach near Simon's Town where it is possible to admire a colony of penguins; the magnificent botanical gardens of Kirstenbosch. Among the historical attractions not to miss the ancient Dutch Fort; the sadly famous Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned during the years of imprisonment; very interesting are the Dutch-style architectures (Cape Dutch) of many houses in the city center; the characteristic Malaysian Bo-Kaap district; the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront is the most popular shopping center, wisely inserted in the old city port, where there is also the Two Oceans Aquarium.

Climate: The climate of Cape Town is a pleasant Mediterranean climate with clearly defined seasons, the winter runs from May to September it's the rainy period and presents maximum temperatures between 20°C and 18°C, while the minimum vary between 9°C and 7°C. The summer is from November to March is hot and dry with maximum temperatures ranging between 25°C-27°C and minimum between 13°C-16°C.

Cape Town	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average Maximum (°C)	26	27	25	23	20	18	18	18	19	21	24	25	22
Average Minimum (°C)	16	16	14	12	9	8	7	8	9	11	13	15	11
Average Precipitations (mm)	15	17	20	41	69	93	82	77	40	30	14	17	515
Rainy days (>= 1 mm)	6	5	5	8	11	13	12	14	10	9	5	6	103

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Cape Town from Table Mountain, South Africa

Entrance gate to the Dutch Fort of Cape Town, South Africa

Kirstenbosch Garden, Cape Town, South Africa

The wild coast of the peninsula of Cape of Good Hope, Cape Town, South Africa

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