Cape Town from Table Mountain
The Water Front
The seals of Seal Island
The pinguins of Boulders
SOUTH AFRICA

The South African Republic is situated in the southmost end of Africa, and is between two oceans: the Indian Ocean in the east, influenced by the warm current from Mozambique, and Atlantic Ocean in the west, with the cold Benguela current, coming from South Pole. The surface of S.A. is 1.223.226 sq.Km., which corresponds to the sum of Italy, France, Germany, Holland and Belgium (almost 4,5 times Italy). S.A. is split up into 9 different provinces: Gauteng, North-West, Northern Province, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Western Cape e Northern Cape. Very little countries in the world can compete with S.A. for the beauty and the veriety of the landscapes, and also for the facilities of a high international standard and for the many other surprises of the demanding tourist.
The population of S.A. is about 43 millions inhabitants, of which 35 millions black (mainly Zulu, Xhosa and belonging to other 7 ethnic groups), 5 millions white people, 2 millions mestizos and 1 million indians. The political and social structures have emphasized for decades the separation between the different groups; this tendence has been reversed for the search of common values and symbols. The history and the time have finally showed that southafricans share the same destiny and their futures are tight bound, in order to continue to build together a single country!!


Cape Town

Known with the name of "Pearl of Africa", Cape Town is certainly one of the most fascinating and attracting towns of all the african continent. Founded in 1652 by the dutch Jan Van Riebeck, Cape Town was for many years an important supplying base for the Dutch Company of Indes, serving as landing place for its ships sailing to the East. Nowadays, Cape Town is a cosmopolitan town with over 3 millions inhabitants, facing the Atlantic Ocean, dominated by the impressive landscape of the Table Mountain, symbol of Cape Town. The mountain is 1087 meters high and it owes the name to the plate top. It is not rare, on the contrary, to see the top covered by a thick blanket of clouds that flow down to the sides. This is the result of cold atlantic currents collision with the more humid ones of the Indian Ocean. In the nearby is located the romantic region of the vineyards of the Cape. Therefore, mountain and hill in a single town; not by chance Cape Town is known as "mother town".
Cape Town offers many hints of cultural interest as: the Parliament Palace, the Castle, the famous Museum of natural history, that marks out the cultural history of homo-sapiens starting from the time of Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, the less known Bo-Kaap Museum or the oldest hebrew synagogue. The nature lovers will surely be repaid by the unforgettable landscapes of Chapman's Peak Drive, 10 Km. of road, cut between steef slopes and layers of sedimentary rocks with brilliant colours, that winds parallel of the wonderful bay; by the ascent to the lighthouse of the panoramic reserve of Cape of Good Hope; by the amusing excursion by boat to Seal Island or by an unexpected visit to a colony of dwarf pinguins in Boulders. The lovers of nature will be surprised by the magnificent Kirstenbosch Botanic Garden, main botanic garden in the world that offers charming walks and pleasant occasions of relax, and with the romantic vineyards of the Cape, from where excellent white, rosè and red wines are obtained.


The Boulders

Nestled in a sheltered cove between Simon's Town and Cape Point, Boulders has become world famous for its thriving colony of African Penguins and magnificent wind sheltered, safe beaches. Although set in the midst of a residential area, it is one of the few sites where this vulnerable bird (Spheniscus demersus) can be observed at close range, wandering freely in a protected natural environment.
From just two breeding pairs in 1982, the penguin colony has grown to about 3.000 in recent years. This is partly due to the reduction in commercial pelagic trawling in False bay, which form part of the penguins' diet. Bordered mainly by indigenous bush above the highwater mark on one side, and the clear waters of False Bay on the other, the area comprises a number of small sheltered bays, partially enclosed by granite boulders that are 540 millions years old.
The most popular recreational spot is Boulders Beach, but the penguins are best viewed from Foxy Beach, where newly-constructed boardwalks take visitors to within a few meters of the birds. Boulders forms part of the Cape Penisula National Park (CPNP), which incorporates Table Mountain and the Peninsula Mountain chain from Signal Hill to Cape Point.