Geographic coordinates of Cape Town. Cape Town: which country's capital, interesting facts, history and climate

In what part of the continent is it located? What are the coordinates of the city of Cape Town, and why does it attract tourists?

A city on the shores of two oceans

Cape Town is a unique city. 20 kilometers south of it is the one that separates the two oceans - the Indian and the Atlantic. Thus, the city is located on the banks of two bodies of water on a planetary scale!

Cape Town is one of the three capitals, namely the legislative capital. The country's parliament is located here. In addition, it is the most important economic and financial center of South Africa. It houses the offices of large banks and companies.

The city arose in the middle of the 17th century. The history of its appearance is closely connected with the search for a sea trade route to India. And when it was found, an urgent need arose to organize some kind of “transshipment point” along this route. This is how the port city of Cape Town appeared on the map of Africa. The coordinates fully contributed to this: here merchant ships could replenish their supplies of provisions and water.

Modern Cape Town is home to about 3.7 million people. It is the second most populous city in South Africa. The metropolis is also among the most beautiful and most visited cities on the African continent.

What are the coordinates of Cape Town? You will find the answer to this question further in our article.

Cape Town: geographical coordinates

The city is located in the southwestern part of South Africa, within the Cape Peninsula. A unique and very impressive backdrop is Table Mountain, rising more than a thousand meters above ocean level.

Cape Town is located on the shores of Table Bay - one of the most picturesque in Africa.

The table below shows the exact coordinates of Cape Town:

But degrees are not always used to indicate the geographical location of a particular city on the planet. Therefore, below are the coordinates of Cape Town in so-called decimal fractions.

Cape Town has its own airport. From here there are regular flights to Johannesburg, other major cities in South Africa, as well as some cities in Europe.

Cape Town: interesting facts

To make the story about Cape Town as complete as possible, we bring to your attention the 5 most interesting facts about this city:

  • Cape Town is called the most favorable place in Africa to do private business.
  • It houses the largest aquarium in the Southern Hemisphere.
  • Cape Town's sister cities include French Nice and Russian St. Petersburg. Decent company!
  • Cape Town is the largest (by area) city in South Africa.
  • Cape Town is home to members of the world-famous musical group Die Antwoord, which plays in a rather unusual “rave” style.

Excellent beaches, a fairly large number of architectural and historical monuments, combined with highly developed infrastructure, attract tourists from all over the world. Cape Town is one of the best places in Africa for surfing and shopping. Cape Town's main attractions include the Two Oceans Aquarium, the Cape of Good Hope, Table Mountain, the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, the South African National Gallery, and Robben Island Prison.

Cape Town is an amazing, distant, exotic city that is the capital of South Africa. It is located at the very end of Africa, the next object is Antarctica. Cape Town is the country's second largest city with a population of 3.5 million people. It is probably known to every person, although from the famous song “In the port of Cape Town, with a hole in the side.” Tourism in this city is developing every year, and more and more people want to visit Cape Town.

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Cape Town Wikipedia is a city famous for its many attractions. The brightest and most famous is Table Mountain. There are many other unique objects in Cape Town. In particular, these are the oldest buildings in South Africa, the Cape Town stadium, where the noisiest FIFA World Cup took place in 2010, as well as a huge aquarium, considered the largest in the southern hemisphere.

No less interesting is how the capital of South Africa, Cape Town, developed. Initially, it was simply a transit point so that Dutch sailors could rest while sailing from Europe to the eastern countries. This purpose of the city remained for two long centuries, until the Suez Canal was opened in 1869. Interestingly, the city itself was founded back in 1652 on the initiative of the colonists led by Jan van Riebeeck. Today Cape Town is the largest city in the country, considered the most popular among tourists.

History of Cape Town

Before looking for where Cape Town is located on the world map, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the historical information about its formation. The earliest finds in this area date back over 12 thousand years ago. However, this time in Cape Town is considered virtually unexplored. The famous story has just begun in 1486 from the first written evidence. It was then that Bartolomeu Dias first arrived at the Cape of Good Hope.

Some time later, namely in 1497, Vasco da Gama also circled the same soap. However, regular contacts with Europeans began to be maintained only in 1662, when Riebeck arrived in Cape Town. She worked for the East India Company in Holland, and his arrival in the city was to provide a full-fledged anchorage for European ships. At that time, Hottentots and Xhosa lived here.

Initially, Cape Town grew very slowly. The main reason was the lack of workers. For this purpose, slaves were brought to Cape Town from Madagascar and. Many of them became full participants in colonial society by taking local women as wives. Due to the mixture of Europeans, Indonesians and local people different ethnic groups emerged s – “colored”.

Before the events of 1795, the city was under Dutch rule. However, the Battle of Muizenberg disrupted the calm pace of life in Cape Town. Until 1814 the city passed from Holland to the British Empire, in whose colony he subsequently remained. The British Empire created the Cape Colony with Cape Town as its capital.

In 1869 it began here Golden fever after the discovery of diamond deposits. As a result, immigrants poured into the city in droves. This later became one of the reasons for the Boer War. The winner was the British Empire, which further consolidated control over the city and expanded gold and diamond mining. In 1910, the Union of South Africa was created, and in 1961, the Republic of South Africa. Cape Town retained its position as the capital.

Where is Cape Town located?

Those planning to visit a distant African city are interested in its position. It is located in the northern part of the Cape Peninsula, being at the same time extreme point. The main terrain is Table Mountain with sheer cliffs including Lion's Head and Devil's Peak. Often a “tablecloth” is observed over the mountain, which is a thin cloud. Exact geographical coordinates of Cape Town:

  • 33° 55’ 33″ (33° 55’ 55) south latitude;
  • 18° 25’ 23″ (18° 25’ 39) east longitude.

The peninsula itself has a mountain range on the map. There are over 700 peaks with a height of more than 300 meters each. The peninsula and mainland are connected by the Cape Flats, which also contain numerous urban suburbs. The main landscape of the plain is sandy soil, as these were previously shallows.

Climate in Cape Town

Cape Town climate is a separate topic for those who are planning their own trip to the northern point of Africa. It prevails here subtropical Mediterranean climate. The best time to visit the city is in autumn and spring - October, November, May and April. In summer it is quite hot here, as the temperature does not fall below 25 degrees. The winter period in Cape Town is considered the rainiest and coldest, when the temperature at night reaches +5 degrees.

What to see in Cape Town?

Cape Town has a wide variety of attractions to offer. The main thing remains Table Mountain, which rises majestically above the city. It was given this name because of its steep slopes. The height of the mountain reaches 1087 meters. If you wish, you can climb to its top using a cable car.

Another significant attraction of Cape Town, South Africa - Castle of Good Hope. This is a defensive structure that was erected by the first settlers. In 1936 it turned into a museum and today it is ready to receive visitors. You can also visit the following sites in Cape Town:

Cape Town is an unusual city that at first glance amazes with its exoticism. Interestingly, it even has its own winery. The Vaughan Johnson Wine Shop cellars stock more than 500 brands of wine made in South Africa. It is also worth taking a ride along the Wine Route. In this city, every traveler will find something to his liking that will interest him and make him fall in love with the city.

Cape Town attractions








Airport name: Cape Town (Phalaborwa). The airport is located in the country: South Africa. City location of the airport. Phalaborwa. IATA airport code for Cape Town: PHW. The IATA airport code is a three-letter unique identifier assigned to airports around the world by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). ICAO Cape Town airport code: FAPH. The ICAO airport code is a four-letter unique identifier assigned to airports around the world by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

Geographic coordinates of Cape Town Airport.

The latitude at which the airport is located: -23.940000000000, in turn, the longitude of the airport corresponds to: 31.160000000000. Geographic coordinates of latitude and longitude determine the location of the airport on the earth's surface. To completely determine the position of the airport in three-dimensional space, a third coordinate is also needed - height. The height of the airport above sea level is 436 meters. The airport is located in the time zone: +2.0 GMT. Airplane tickets always indicate the local time of departure and arrival of the airport according to time zones.

Latitude: 33°55′33″ S
Longitude: 18°25′23″E
Height above sea level: 25 m

Coordinates of Cape Town in decimal degrees

Latitude: -33.9258400°
Longitude: 18.4232200°

Coordinates of Cape Town in degrees and decimal minutes

Latitude: 33°55.5504′ S
Longitude: 18°25.3932′E

All coordinates are given in the WGS 84 world coordinate system.
WGS 84 is used in the GPS global positioning and navigation satellite system.
Coordinates (latitude and longitude) determine the position of a point on the Earth's surface. The coordinates are angular values. The canonical form of representing coordinates is degrees (°), minutes (′) and seconds (″). GPS systems widely use the representation of coordinates in degrees and decimal minutes or in decimal degrees.
Latitude takes values ​​from −90° to 90°. 0° - latitude of the equator; −90° - latitude of the South Pole; 90° - latitude of the North Pole. Positive values ​​correspond to northern latitude (points north of the equator, abbreviated N or N); negative - southern latitude (points south of the equator, abbreviated as S or S).
Longitude is measured from the prime meridian (IERS Reference Meridian in the WGS 84 system) and takes values ​​from −180° to 180°. Positive values ​​correspond to east longitude (abbreviated as E or E); negative - western longitude (abbreviated as W or W).
Height above sea level shows the height of a point relative to conventional sea level. We use a digital elevation model

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