<P> Cape Town (Afrikaans: Kaapstad (ˈkɑːpstat); Xhosa: iKapa; Dutch: Kaapstad) is a coastal city in South Africa . It is the capital and primate city of the Western Cape province . It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality . </P> <P> As the place where the Parliament of South Africa is found, Cape Town is the legislative capital of South Africa . The other two capitals are located in Pretoria (the administrative capital where the President and Cabinet work) and Bloemfontein (the judicial capital where the National Court of Appeal is located). The city is known for its harbour, for its natural setting in the Cape Floristic Region, and for landmarks as Table Mountain and Cape Point . As of 2014, it is the 10th most populous city in Africa and home to 64% of the Western Cape's population . It is one of the most multicultural cities in the world, reflecting its role as a major destination for immigrants and expatriates to South Africa . The city was named the World Design Capital for 2014 by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design . In 2014, Cape Town was named the best place in the world to visit by both The New York Times and The Daily Telegraph . </P> <P> Located on the shore of Table Bay, Cape Town, as the oldest urban area in South Africa, was developed by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) as a supply station for Dutch ships sailing to East Africa, India, and the Far East . Jan van Riebeeck's arrival on 6 April 1652 established Dutch Cape Colony, the first permanent European settlement in South Africa . Cape Town outgrew its original purpose as the first European outpost at the Castle of Good Hope, becoming the economic and cultural hub of the Cape Colony . Until the Witwatersrand Gold Rush and the development of Johannesburg, Cape Town was the largest city in South Africa . </P> <P> The earliest known remnants in the region were found at Peers Cave in Fish Hoek and date to between 15,000 and 12,000 years ago . Little is known of the history of the region's first residents, since there is no written history from the area before it was first mentioned by Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias in 1488 who was the first European to reach the area and named it "Cape of Storms" (Cabo das Tormentas). It was later renamed by John II of Portugal as "Cape of Good Hope" (Cabo da Boa Esperança) because of the great optimism engendered by the opening of a sea route to India and the East . Vasco da Gama recorded a sighting of the Cape of Good Hope in 1497 . In the late 16th century, Portuguese, French, Danish, Dutch and English but mainly Portuguese ships regularly stopped over in Table Bay en route to the Indies . They traded tobacco, copper and iron with the Khoikhoi in exchange for fresh meat . </P>

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