This article needs additional citations for verification .(January 2008) |
Clifton | |
---|---|
Suburb of Cape Town | |
![]() An aerial view of Clifton 4th (furthest out), 3rd, and 2nd beaches (closest to the foreground). | |
![]() Street map of Clifton | |
Coordinates: 33°56′24″S18°22′33″E / 33.93994°S 18.37588°E Coordinates: 33°56′24″S18°22′33″E / 33.93994°S 18.37588°E | |
Country | South Africa |
Province | Western Cape |
Municipality | City of Cape Town |
Main Place | Cape Town |
Government | |
• Type | Ward 54 |
• Councillor | Nicola Jowell (DA) |
Area | |
• Total | 0.61 km2 (0.24 sq mi) |
Population (2011) [1] | |
• Total | 507 |
• Density | 830/km2 (2,200/sq mi) |
Racial makeup (2011) | |
• Black African | 9.6% |
• Coloured | 8.1% |
• Indian/Asian | 2.2% |
• White | 78.0% |
• Other | 2.2% |
First languages (2011) | |
• English | 72.0% |
• Afrikaans | 15.4% |
• Xhosa | 3.2% |
• Sotho | 1.2% |
• Other | 8.3% |
Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
Postal code (street) | 8005 |
Area code | 021 |
Clifton is an affluent suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. It is an exclusive residential area and is home to the most expensive real estate in South Africa, [2] with dwellings nestled on cliffs that have sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean. [3]
Clifton was rated as one of the Top Ten Beaches by the cable and satellite television network Discovery Travel Channel in 2003 and 2004 and has received Blue Flag status. In 2005 and 2006 it was rated by Forbes at number 8 in the Top 10 Topless beaches in the World. Clifton is neighbored by the suburbs of Camps Bay and Bantry Bay.
The area has a set of 4 beaches which are frequently used destinations for both locals and tourists. [4] The beaches, which are named from 1st to 4th from north to south, are separated by groups of granite corestone boulders and have almost pure white quartzite sand. The four beaches of Clifton are one of the few coastal areas of Cape Town well protected from the notorious south-easterly wind, which has a great deal to do with its popularity with bathers. A fifth beach, before First Beach, called Moses Beach (so-called because of the papyrus plants that grow along it), appears and disappears as the sand is washed in and out with the seasons. The water, although chilly (12–16 °C), is used for many watersports, mostly surfing, both board and body. The strongest surf is at First, diminishing to Fourth, where it is the weakest. Fourth beach (to the South), is the most populated and glamorous venue; [5] attracting families. Yachts anchor off Fourth beach, especially on summer weekends. Third beach, the smallest beach, is known as a venue for gay culture. Second beach is populated by students playing beach volleyball and beach bats. First beach, to the north, draws a mixed crowd of locals and surfers. Clifton Beach was noted as one of Discovery's best beaches by region.
Clifton's 4th beach has also been awarded the Blue Flag award in recognition of its environmental, safety and tourist standards.
The small size of the properties on which bungalows are built between Fourth and Second beaches is attributable to the fact that the area was laid out by the City of Cape Town for returning soldiers who had fought in World War I. The original bungalows, now all but replaced by new structures, were built from the packing cases that conveyed imported motor cars during the 1920s and 30s. Narrow flights of stairs run between Victoria Road and the various beaches. These houses now fetch very high prices, despite being only accessible by stairs, and, in most cases, having no garaging.
An interesting feature of Clifton's 4 beaches involves the water temperatures and annual denudation and re-deposit of the bay's sugar-white sands, although for the most part protected in the 'wind shadow' of Lion's Head mountain that stands behind Clifton (on its eastern side).
The strong prevailing south-east wind of summer (October to April), moves the warmer top layer of water offshore – with the result that a compensating upwelling of cold water is set up along the coast. This tends to make water temperatures in summer dip to their lowest levels – sometimes below 10 °C. It also has the effect of re-depositing sand (stripped in winter) onto the beaches, so that by late summer, Clifton's beaches are at their widest, allowing for easy pedestrian movement along the waterline, from beach to beach.
By contrast, winter's north-west gales produce wind waves bringing a net inflow of surface-water into the bay, setting up a compensating outflow of water along the bottom. This water movement tends to cause the bay (and most of the adjacent Atlantic Seaboard) to retain relatively warm Atlantic surface water (10 - 20 °C) during winter – but also strips the sand from the beaches, causing temporary beach erosion that exposes the granite boulder headlands that define the beaches. This peculiarity often startles those unaccustomed to the regular cycle; during these periods, city officials have been known to petition to have sand dumped on the Clifton shore to rectify what they perceive as a defect. But, each summer, Clifton repairs itself with new sand.
Clifton has had just two separate shark attacks. In 1942, Johan Christian Bergh was attacked by a shark 30 meters off the 4th beach. Bergh's body was never recovered. Witnesses report seeing a 6-meter great white shark swim along the surf's backline and take Mr. Bergh in two rapid attacks. The attacks were so swift that Bergh did not have a chance to emit a sound – consequently, few witnessed the event.
On Saturday 27 November 1976, Jeff Spence, an 18-year-old submariner in the S.A. Navy was attacked by a 3.5 meter great white while treading water 100 meters from 4th beach. Spence suffered significant trauma to the left side of his torso – with deep punctures and gouges back and front. Being an extremely hot day, no fewer than 6 doctors were on the beach at that time, and, together with the efforts of volunteer lifesavers from Clifton Lifesaving Club, Spence survived and was airlifted to hospital where he made a full recovery.
The attacks notwithstanding, shark sightings are extremely rare in Clifton and on the Atlantic coast in general. Most supposed sightings turn out to be seals or sunfish.
During the time of apartheid, the suburb and the beach was a racially demarcated area to only white people until early 1990s. [6]
Clifton was originally called Skoenmakers Gat (Cobbler's Cave) after a ship deserter who lived in a cave above second beach.
In 1794 the slave ship, São José Paquete Africa , a Portuguese slaver carrying 400 slaves from Mozambique to Brazil ran aground. Two hundred lost their lives in the wreck and the surviving 200 were sold the following day in the town.
A novel, The Praying Nun, is set in Clifton bay. It details the original 1980s discovery of the José Paquete Africa and dramatizes the sinking event with historical accuracy.
Cape Town is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest. Colloquially named the Mother City, it is the largest city of the Western Cape province, and is managed by the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality. The other two capitals are Pretoria, the executive capital, located in Gauteng, where the Presidency is based, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital in the Free State, where the Supreme Court of Appeal is located.
Ocean City, officially the Town of Ocean City, is an Atlantic resort town in Worcester County, Maryland along the East Coast of the United States. The population was 6,844 at the 2020 U.S. census, although during summer weekends the city hosts between 320,000 and 345,000 vacationers and up to eight million visitors annually. During the summer, Ocean City becomes the second most populated municipality in Maryland, after Baltimore. It is part of the Salisbury metropolitan area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau.
The Oregon Coast is a coastal region of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to its west and the Oregon Coast Range to the east, and stretches approximately 362 miles (583 km) from the California state border in the south to the Columbia River in the north. The region is not a specific geological, environmental, or political entity, and includes the Columbia River Estuary.
Muriwai, also called Muriwai Beach, is a coastal community on the west coast of the Auckland Region in the North Island of New Zealand. The black-sand surf beach and surrounding area is a popular recreational area for Aucklanders. The Muriwai Regional Park includes a nesting site for a large colony of gannets.
The sand tiger shark, gray nurse shark, spotted ragged-tooth shark or blue-nurse sand tiger, is a species of shark that inhabits subtropical and temperate waters worldwide. It inhabits the continental shelf, from sandy shorelines and submerged reefs to a depth of around 191 m (627 ft). They dwell in the waters of Japan, Australia, South Africa, and the east coasts of North and South America. The sand tiger shark also inhabited the Mediterranean, however it was last seen there in 2003 and is presumed extinct in the region. Despite its common names, it is not closely related to either the tiger shark or the nurse shark.
Camps Bay is an affluent suburb of Cape Town, South Africa, and the small bay on the west coast of the Cape Peninsula after which it is named. In summer it attracts many South African and foreign visitors.
Strand is a seaside resort town in the Western Cape, South Africa. It forms part of the Helderberg region of the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality, situated on the north-eastern edge of False Bay and near the foot of the Helderberg Mountains. Its geographical position is between Somerset West and Gordon's Bay, and is about 50 km southeast of Cape Town City Bowl. Strand has a population of approximately 50,000. Strand's main attraction is the beach; 5 km of white sandy beach off False Bay.
Jeffreys Bay is a town of 27,107 inhabitants as of the 2011 census in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It Is the seat of the Kouga municipality and is famous amongst surfers as a surf capital due to the right-hand point break at Supertubes Beach. The town is situated just off the N2 Highway, about 75 kilometres southwest of Port Elizabeth.
Fish Hoek is a coastal town at the eastern end of the Fish Hoek Valley on the False Bay side of the Cape Peninsula in the Western Cape, South Africa. Previously a separate municipality, Fish Hoek is now part of the City of Cape Town. As a coastal suburb of Cape Town, Fish Hoek is popular as a residence for commuters, retired people and holidaymakers alike. The traditional industries of 'trek' fishing and angling coexist with the leisure pursuits of surfing, although nearby Kommetjie is usually favoured, sailing and sunbathing. There is an active lifeguard community who utilise the beach and bay for training.
False Bay is a body of water in the Atlantic Ocean between the mountainous Cape Peninsula and the Hottentots Holland Mountains in the extreme south-west of South Africa. The mouth of the bay faces south and is demarcated by Cape Point to the west and Cape Hangklip to the east. The north side of the bay is the low-lying Cape Flats, and the east side is the foot of the Hottentots Holland Mountains to Cape Hangklip which is at nearly the same latitude as Cape Point. In plan the bay is approximately square, being roughly the same extent from north to south as east to west, with the southern side open to the ocean. The seabed slopes gradually down from north to south, and is mostly fairly flat unconsolidated sediments. Much of the bay is off the coast of the City of Cape Town, and it includes part of the Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area and the whole of the Helderberg Marine Protected Area. The name "False Bay" was applied at least three hundred years ago by sailors returning from the east who confused Cape Point and Cape Hangklip, which are somewhat similar in form.
Muizenberg is a beach-side town in the Western Cape, South Africa. It is situated where the shore of the Cape Peninsula curves round to the east on the False Bay coast. It is considered to be the main surfing spot in Cape Town and is currently home to a surfing community, centered on the popular 'Surfer's Corner'.
Bloubergstrand is a seaside suburb of the City of Cape Town, South Africa, along the shores of Table Bay, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) due north of the city centre of Cape Town. The name Bloubergstrand literally means "blue mountain beach" in Afrikaans, and is derived from Blaauwberg, a nearby hill. Bloubergstrand is mainly a residential area, and attracts large numbers of visitors especially kitesurf enthusiasts. The beach at Bloubergstrand is a popular location for a classic view of Table Mountain across the bay and is one of the world's top kitesurf destinations. Robben Island is located 6.9 kilometres (4.3 mi) west of the coast of Bloubergstrand.
The Cape Metropole has a wide variety of beaches divided into three regions by the Cape Peninsula:
Seal Island is a small land mass located 5.7 kilometres off the northern beaches of False Bay, near Cape Town in South Africa. The island is so named because of the great number of Cape fur seals that occupy it. It is 5 acres in area and home to 64,000 cape fur seals. It is also home to seabirds, and it is likely that non-marine species fly there to breed as well. The island is an outcrop of the Cape granite, and rises no more than about 4 to 6 metres above the high tide mark. The island is long and narrow – 800 by 50 metres. There is no vegetation, soil of any significance, or beach.
Llandudno is a seaside suburb of Cape Town on the Atlantic seaboard of the Cape Peninsula in the Western Cape, South Africa. There are no street lights, shops or commercial activities, and the town has some of the most expensive residential property in South Africa.
The São José Paquete Africa was a slave ship from the Kingdom of Portugal that sank in 1794 off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa. Close to shore, but in deep water, 212 of the 400 to 500 African slaves who were aboard died when the ship sank. In 2015, the Smithsonian's African American History Museum, South Africa's Iziko Museums, the Slave Wrecks Project, and other partners, confirmed discovery of the wreck near where it sank. The ship and its slaves were headed from Portuguese Mozambique to Colonial Brazil, during the height of the international African slave trade. Few other former slave ships have been found, but the São José is the first and only shipwreck discovered, as of June 3, 2015, of a working slave ship, which sank in transit with its human cargo aboard.
The Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area is an inshore marine protected area around the Cape Peninsula, in the vicinity of Cape Town, South Africa. It was proclaimed in Government Gazette No. 26431 of 4 June 2004 in terms of the Marine Living Resources Act, 18 of 1998.
The Betty's Bay Marine Protected Area is part of the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve. It is about 29 km south-east of Gordon's Bay and approximately 37 km north-west of Hermanus on the south-western coast of the Western Cape. It is in the Atlantic Ocean immediately adjacent to the town of Betty's Bay, in the Overstrand Municipal area.
The Helderberg Marine Protected Area is a small marine conservation area on the north-eastern side of False Bay in the Western Cape province of South Africa, It lies between the mouths of the Lourens River in the Strand, and the Eerste River in Macassar.
The Rocherpan Marine Protected Area is a small coastal conservation region on the West Coast of the Western Cape province, in the territorial waters of South Africa. It is about 25 km north of Velddrif on the road to Elands Bay, north of Dwarskersbos.