Welcome to our Deep Dive Blog Series. Throughout this series, we will look at different locations around the globe to analyze some of the aspects that make them ideal candidates for the installation of our seasteading communities. These seasteads will be designed to withstand different forces and pressures from natural and man-made environments. Each location has been identified by Arktide as a place that would be strategic and fundamental in connecting our seasteading communities to existing global networks.
With that being said, let us introduce you to Cape Town, South Africa.
Cape Town lies at the southwestern tip of South Africa on the Cape Peninsula and is the capital of the Western Cape province. The city of Cape Town had its origin in 1652 when the Dutch East India Company established a refreshment station for its ships on the shores of Table Bay. Cape Town was the gateway to Europe’s penetration of the South African interior, and close ties with continental Europe were maintained. The city covers an area of 116 square miles (300 square kilometers) and parts of the city and its suburbs wind about the steep slopes of Table Mountain.
There are 11 official languages in Cape Town including English, Afrikaans, Xhosa, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, Swati, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, and Zulu. English is spoken everywhere you go. English is the language of the cities, commerce, and banking, government, and official documents. All road signs and official forms are in English and at any hotel, Bed and Breakfast, or Guest House, the service staff will speak to you in English.
Cape Town was South Africa’s economic base until the discovery and exploitation of minerals in the interior. Today it is one of the nation’s most important industrial centers and a major seaport. About nine-tenths of the fish eaten in South Africa is distributed through Cape Town, and Table Bay is one of the world’s largest fruit-exporting harbors. A petroleum refinery and chemical, fertilizer, cement, and automobile-assembly factories are situated in the metropolitan area. In the city, the basic industries relate to ship repair and maintenance, food processing, winemaking, and with the manufacture of clothing, plastics, and leather goods. Tourism is of growing importance. Although it is a major political and economic center, Cape Town’s reputation still rests on its beautiful situation between mountain and sea, its cosmopolitan population, and the liberal outlook of many of its citizens. With such a diverse economy and population, it is much easier for someone migrating to this city to incorporate.
Cape Town’s port is very popular and along the busiest trade routes in the world. The port progressed steadily over the centuries and consists today of two ‘docks’ – the larger Ben Schoeman Dock which houses the container terminal, and the older Duncan Dock containing the multi-purpose and fruit terminals as well as a dry dock, repair quay and tanker basin. The port handles some five million tons of cargo annually. They do not admit ships of more than 40-foot draft at low tide, but it’s repair facilities and dry dock are important to interoceanic traffic. Fishing has a significant place in the economic activity of the port, affecting the ship repair industry, with large fishing fleets using Cape Town as a transshipment logistics and repair base for much of the year. The emerging oil industry in West Africa has also become a significant factor for the port’s repair and maintenance facilities. Plans are ongoing to build a new passenger terminal at Cape Town in a more suitable location for passengers and visitors. This port offers a great opportunity for Arktide as Cape Town is already highly involved in the fish industry which couple potentially facilitate our exploration of aquaculture. We can also work together with Cape Town Authorities to materialize the idea of a new passenger dock. A seasteading dock.
The climate in Cape Town is Mediterranean in type. It is locally modified by the mass of Table Mountain and by the cold Benguela Current of the South Atlantic Ocean. The average high temperature is 70° F (21° C), in January and February, and the average low is 55° F (13° C). Temperatures are cooler on the mountain slopes and the coast. On average, rain falls on 69 days of the year. About half of the 26 inches (660 millimeters) of annual rainfall occurs between June and August, the southern winter. The amount of rainfall varies with proximity to the mountain, with areas close to the slopes receiving as much as twice the precipitation of areas farther away.
Cape Town port city with amazing scenery, diverse culture, and consistent weather offering opportunities in different industries. It is also a strategic location as it is on the past of one of the busiest trade routes in the world. Cape Town is also a city that continues to expand and grow. All of these are reasons why we believe Cape Town to be a candidate to pursue our ideal of creating sustainable seasteading communities.
Sources
https://www.britannica.com/place/Cape-Town
http://capetownattractions.com/cape-town-guide/general-information-cape-town
