Western Cape

Cliffs in coastal areas are produced by erosion. Steep cliffs, such as these on the Cape Peninsula, in the Western Cape province of South Africa, occur when the sea removes all the material eroded by the waves. In other places, if erosion is rapid but transport is limited, material builds up, and a low-angle slope develops.

Province of the Republic of South Africa from 1994, formerly part of Cape Province; area 129,386 sq km/49,956 sq mi; population (2000 est) 4,178,600. The capital is Cape Town, which is also the legislative capital of the republic. Industries in the province include textiles, footwear, motor vehicles, tyres, oil refining, pharmaceuticals, fertilisers, pesticides, and marine engineering. Agriculture is, however, the leading economic activity of Western Cape. The coastal lowlands, with the advantage of a Mediterranean-type climate, yield large quantities of fruit, including oranges, grapefruit, peaches and apricots, as well as most of the grapes and wine produced in the republic. Separated from the coastal lowlands by mountain ranges, the dry interior plateaus, including the Great Karoo, have sparse natural vegetation, though there is some cattle farming and cultivation of fodder crops, are used mainly for sheep rearing, with a concentration on wool production. Fishing is a major industry along the coast northwards to Namibia and canned fish and fish meal are important products; There is also a substantial tourist industry.

Features include Table Mountain (highest point McClear's Beacon 1,087 m/3,566 ft), Little Karoo, and Great Karoo. Towns and cities include Simonstown,

Stellenbosch, George, Knysna, Beaufort West, Paarl, and Mossel Bay.

Languages spoken in the province are Afrikaans (63%), English (20%), and Xhosa (16%).