Table Bay

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Table Bay
Cape Peninsula, view to the east: Table Bay with the island of Robben Island below left, Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope below right, (Source: NASA)

Cape Peninsula , view to the east: Table Bay with the island of Robben Island below left, Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope below right , (Source: NASA )

Waters South Atlantic
Land mass southern africa
Geographical location 33 ° 53 ′ 0 ″  S , 18 ° 27 ′ 0 ″  E Coordinates: 33 ° 53 ′ 0 ″  S , 18 ° 27 ′ 0 ″  E
Table Bay (Western Cape)
Table Bay
width approx. 9 km
depth approx. 5 km
Islands Robben Island

The Table Bay , Afrikaans Tafelbaai, English Table Bay, is a bay on the southwestern coast of South Africa in the Atlantic . It is around nine kilometers wide and five kilometers deep and served Portuguese and Dutch seafarers as protection against summer south-easterly winds as early as the 16th century , while numerous ships wrecked there in the winter north-west winds, killing many people. It is named after Table Mountain south of the bay.

The port infrastructure (around 1880)

The Dutchman Jan van Riebeeck founded Cape Town in 1652 , which from then on was a supply station for Dutch ships halfway between Amsterdam and Batavia . Before van Riebeeck had a landing stage built, which was used until the 19th century, goods and cargo had to be transported to and from the ships anchored in Table Bay by small boats and shoulder-deep by porters through the Atlantic water, which was also cold here in summer as a result of the Benguela Current be worn.

The port facilities were secured by the Amsterdam Battery , which was established in 1787 and was built near the beach. As a naval base and trading port, the anchorage gained further importance in the late 19th century, was connected to the railway network and received administrative buildings, coal bunkers, workshops, modern shipyards and docks for ship repairs.

The port district of Cape Town and the port in the south of Table Bay were extensively restored after the end of apartheid . The Victoria and Alfred Waterfront has developed into a tourist magnet, but with its diverse leisure, entertainment and shopping opportunities, especially on weekends, it is also used by many Cape Town residents.

From Bloubergstrand , located at the northern end of Table Bay, you have a panoramic view of Cape Town with the mountain range of Devil's Peak , Table Mountain , Signal Hill and Lion's Head .

At the height of Bloubergstrand, around ten kilometers from Cape Town, lies the island of Robben Island , on which numerous political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela , were held.

and display information about the image
View from Table Mountain on Cape Town and Table Bay with Robben Island

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Shipwrecks at blaauwberg.net (English), accessed on June 20, 2017
  2. ↑ History of the Waterfront , accessed June 20, 2017
  3. ↑ Amsterdam Battery at cape-town-heritage.co.za (English), accessed June 20, 2017
  4. ↑ Waterfront at kapstadt.de, accessed on June 20, 2017
  5. ↑ View at tripadvisor.com.br, accessed June 20, 2017