Health
There is no malaria in Cape Town.
Tap water is considered safe to drink. Be careful in some areas and rather consider bottled water.
Population of Cape Town
2.98 million (estimate 2001)
Area of Cape Town
300 square km
Demographics of Cape Town
The racial makeup of the city is 31.68%
Black South African, 48.13%
Coloured, 1.43%
Indian/
Asian, and 18.75%
White.
Age structures in Cape Town
In the city the population is spread out with 26.6% under the age of
15, 20.0% from 15 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 15.0% from 45 to 64, and
5.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 26 years. For
every 100 females there are 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18
and over, there are 89.3 males.
Languages spoken in Cape Town
In the city 41.4% of residents speak Afrikaans at home, 27.9% speak English, 0.0% speak Ndebele, 28.7% speak Xhosa, 0.3% speak Zulu, 0.0% speak Sepedi, 0.7% speak Sesotho, 0.1% speak Setswana, 0.0% speak SiSwati, 0.0% speak Tshivenda, and 0.0% speak Xitsonga. 0.7% of the population speaks a non-official language at home.
Religion in Cape Town
76.6% of residents are Christian, 10.7% have no religion, 9.7% are Muslim, 0.5% are Jewish, and 0.2% are Hindu. 2.3% have other or undetermined beliefs.
Education in Cape Town
4.2% of residents aged 20 and over have received no schooling, 11.8% have had some
primary school, 7.1% have completed only primary school, 38.9% have had some
high school
education, 25.4% have finished only high school, and 12.6% have an
education higher than the high school level. Overall, 38.0% of
residents have completed high school.
Cape Town Airport
Airports Company South Africa,
Private Bag X9002,
Cape Town International Airport,
7525, South Africa
+ 27 (0)21 937 1200
Airport code: CPT
Location: The airport is located 22km (15.5 miles) east of Cape Town
Information desks are located in Arrivals in both the International and
Domestic Terminals.
Transportation from Cape Town Airport: There is no train link or regular bus service from Cape Town International
Airport, but normally
hotels - after notification- pick up their guests from the airport. If this is
not the case, one can rent a car, take a taxi or use the shuttle service of the
many tour operators or transport providers.
Taxis are available from the airport to the city centre (journey time: 20
minutes). When one takes a taxi, always make the price deal in advance to
prevent for paying way too much. One should focus on a price around R150.
Embassies & Consulates in Cape Town
European Union
Office of the European Union,
P.O. Box 2515
Cape Town 8000
+ 27 (0) 21- 423 0305 &
+ 27 (0) 21- 423 0327
Belgium
Belgium Consulate General,
P.O. Box 2717,
Cape Town 8000
+ 27 (0) 21- 419 4690
Canada
Canadian High Commission,
19th floor,
Reserve Bank Building,
St Georges Mall
& Hout Street
+ 27 (0) 21- 405 2400.
France
French Consulate,
P.O. Box 1702,
Cape Town 8000
+ 27 (0) 21- 423 1575 &
+ 27 (0) 21- 424 8470
Germany
Germany Consulate General,
74 Queen Victoria Street,
Gardens,
8001 Cape Town
+ 27 (0) 21- 242 41.
The Netherlands
Dutch Consulate
P.O. Box 346,
Cape Town 8000
+ 27 (0) 21- 421 5660.
Switzerland
Switzerland Swiss Consulate,
P.O. Box 563,
Cape Town 8000
+ 27 (0) 21- 426 1040 & + 27 (0) 21- 423 1606
United Kingdom & Northern Ireland
British Consulate,
15th floor,
Southern Life Centre,
8 Riebeeck St.
+ 27 (0) 21-425 3670.
United States
American Consulate,
4th floor,
Broadway Centre,
Heerengracht Street
+ 27 (0) 21-421 4280)
National emergency number
(ambulance, fire, mountain rescue, etc): 1022
Ambulance: 10177
Police: 10111
Fire: 021 - 535 1100
Sea Rescue (NSRI): 021 - 449 3500.
Automobile Association: + 27 (0) 800-01-0101.
Doctors & Dentists - 02 1 - 671 3634 or 021- 671 2924 (24hrs).
SAA Netcare Travel Clinic - 021 - 419 3172 (Fountain Medical Centre, Adderley St; 24 hrs.)
MTI Medi-Travel International - 021-419 1888 (Clocktower, Waterfront)
Groote Schuur Hospital (Observatory): 021 - 404 9111
Somerset Hospital (Waterfront): 021 - 402 6911
The Chris Barnard Memorial Hospital (City center): 021- 480 6111
St. Claremont Hospital (Constantia): 021 - 674 4050
Taxi's in Cape Town
Cape Town taxis are metered and ordered on demand, although you find
some taxis at night outside clubs and bars. But note: Before hopping
into a taxi, discuss about the price to avoid being ripped off
and paying way too much.
City Buses in Cape Town
The city buses in Cape Town are operated by Golden Arrow buses. They do
not service Cape Town CBD, but they do run for instance to
the V&A waterfront and along the Atlantic Seaboard to Seapoint,
Camps Bay and Hout
Bay, and to other suburbs and townships.
Buses depart from the public
central bus terminus in Strand Street opposite the Railway Station. At
the V&A Waterfront they depart in front of the main entrance.
Surprisingly, they often run on time and apart from rush hour (4-6pm),
are pretty empty.
For information on Golden Arrow: +27 (0) 21-937 8800 or + 27 (0)80- 121 2111.
Long Distance Bus to and from Cape Town
There are three long distance bus companies that run from Cape Town to other parts of
the country as for instance cities as Johannesburg, Durban, Pretoria, Bloemfontein and Port
Elisabeth. They also run along the Garden Route.
- Greyhound - +27 (0) 11-830 1301
- Inter Cape - +27 (0) 21 386 4400
- Translux - +27 (0) 21-449 3333
Minibus taxis
Cape Town minibus taxis are the main form of transportation for local
South Africans who don't own a car. Travelling by minibus is usually
not recommended on most routes to the townships and suburbs far away
from the city centre. The drivers of the battered vans usually, on these routes, drive like
maniacs, while the music pumps through the speakers. They try - and
manage - to get in as many people as possible, sometimes as many as 15.
BUT: The routes to the V&A Waterfront, Sea Point, Greenpoint, up and down Kloof
Street, and through Gardens are different. Especially
when one wants to go to the V&A waterfront travelling by minibus is
not a problem at all, but safe and convenient as they run more frequent than
the buses of Golden Arrow.
You find the mini taxis to the V&A Waterfront close to the large
traffic circle and fountain on Addderley Street, near the Standard Bank
Business centre.
Train - Long Distance
- Shosholoza Meyl: A comfortable and safe rail company that
covers 8 primary routes linking South Africa's largest cities and the
smaller towns along each route: Cape Town to Durban (and back), Cape
Town to Pretoria (and back), Durban to Johannesburg (and back),
Johannesburg to East London (and back), and Johannesburg to
Bloemfontein ( and back).
+ 27 (0) 86 000 8888 / +27 (0)11 774 4555
- Premier Class: This luxury train that runs between Cape
Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria. Premier Classe offers luxury
accommodation, fine dining, friendly and efficient personal assistance
and a memorable overnight rail experience for the whole family.
+27 12 334 8039 / +27 21 449 2252
- The Blue Train: This famous train, South Africa's pride
and joy, combines the luxury of the world's leading hotels with the
charm of train travel, offering scheduled and charter services. The
scheduled services run between Cape Town and Pretoria (Via Kimberley
and Johannesburg), and Cape Town and Port Elizabeth (via George).
Routes that are available for charter are between Pretoria and Victoria
Falls, and Pretoria to Hoedspruit.
+ 27 (0) 12 334 8459
