Beautiful Cape Town is the second most populous city in South Africa with around 3.5 million inhabitants, and it used to be the largest city before Johannesburg was established. Cape Town is the legislative capital of the nation and the South African parliament is located here (Pretoria being the executive and Bloemfontein the judicial capitals of the country). Originally built by the Dutch East India Company as the primary harbor for Dutch ships sailing to India and the East, Cape Town is still well known around the world for its magnificent port making the city the number one African destination for tourists. Well known landmarks of Cape Town include Table Mountain (a flat-topped mountain overlooking the whole city), Cape Point (a promontory at the southeast corner), Robben Island (where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned) and the Constantia Vineyards (South African wine is renowned around the globe). Many tourists also visit Cape Town for its different beaches, and because of the city’s unique geography there is the possibility to visit many beaches in the same day, all with a diverse setting and background.
Cape Town has already been a host to many big sporting events in the past, including the 1995 Rugby World Cup when South Africa despite all odds managed to win the trophy (now a major motion picture called Invictus). For the 2010 Fifa World Cup the city will host 5 group stage matches, 1 game in the round of 16, as well as a quarter finals and a semi finals game. All games will be played in Green Point Stadium, the only stadium hosting World Cup games in Cape Town. Hellenic FC, Ajax, Santos, Ikapa Sporting, FC Cape Town and Hanover Park are some of the professional football teams established in Cape Town.
