Why did Cape Town evolve?

Answer 1

Cape Town was first sighted in 1497 by Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gamma.

It was however uninhabited by colonists until 1652; a number local nomadic indigenous people (like the "Strandloopers" - Khoikhoi "Beachwalkers") lived in the region.

1652 was the year that the Dutch explorer Jan van Riebeeck was sent to Cape Town by the Dutch East India Company to start a goods refreshment station (fresh water, food and fruit) for ships en route to India. During these early years of sea travel many sailors died of scurvy and other disorders related to malnutrition on route to the east. The primary objective was to supply ships owned by the company and reinforce their supply routes to the East.

Dutch settlers were the first Europeans to settle at the Cape, but growth was slow at that time as it was hard to get labour. This prompted the import of slaves from Indonesia, Malaysia and Madagascar with many of those slaves being the ancestors of Cape Town's coloured population.

During the French Revolution, the Netherlands was occupied by France, and Britain captured many Dutch colonies across the world. Cape Town swapped hands many times until 1814 when it formally became part of the British Cape Colony. The population of the Cape was also bolstered at the time by European (French Huguenots) settlers moving to avoid religious persecution

When the original settlers got tired of British rule they trekked inland (The Great Trek). There was a lot of growth during the 1800's. The discovery of diamonds and gold in South Africa fueled an influx of immigrants. Conflict over land between the ancestors of the original settlers (the "Boers" - Afrikaans Farmers) and the British led to the Anglo-Boer wars.

Today people move to Cape Town for leisure. It is a major tourist destination due to its rich wildlife and botanical beauty.