Fun facts about Cape Town
1. CAPE TOWN’S NICKNAME IS THE MOTHER CITY.
Legend has it that in the 1930s a local Cape Town newspaper claimed that Cape Town was the only city in South Africa that could justly call itself a metropolis. The public took to this description and because the word metropolis is taken from the Greek derivative of meter or metros meaning mother and polis meaning city, the nickname of “Mother City” was born. Although some people joke everything in Cape Town goes at a slower pace compared to Johannesburg – everything takes nine months.
2. ROMANCE ON TOP OF TABLE MOUNTAIN.
Table Mountain is 1,860 meters high and it is estimated that every month at least two couples get engaged on top of Table Mountain.
3. HOW THE NAME LIONS HEAD CAME ABOUT
Contrary to popular belief, the popular hiking spot was not given its name because it resembles a lion. Rather, the folklore suggests that 17th century Dutch settlers once named Signal Hill as Leeuwen Staart (Lion’s Tail). Together with what is currently known as Lion’s Head, it was thought that the space between the two peaks resembled a crouching lion. Thus, the settler’s named the top as Leeuwen Kop.
4. TWO COUPLES GET HITHED ON TABLE MOUNTAIN EVERY MONTH
Our precious flat-topped mountain began forming around 280 million years ago, and today, it’s still evolving! The cableway, on the other hand, was erected in 1929 and was originally constructed from wood and steel (sounds pretty dangerous to us, but there have been no accidents on it as of yet). Another fun fact: it’s estimated that two couples get hitched on the mountain every month. Wowzers! And did we mention that the Table Mountain National Park, which spans an area of 22 000 hectares, boasts more plant species than the British Isles or New Zealand?