Western Cape
Western Cape
| |
|---|---|
|
Flag | |
| Motto: Spes Bona (Latin: Good Hope) | |
Map showing the location of the Western Cape in the south-western part of South Africa in red | |
| Coordinates: 34°S 20°E / 34°S 20°E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Established | 27 April 1994 |
| Capital | Cape Town |
| Municipalities | |
| Government | |
| • Type | Parliamentary system |
| • Premier | Alan Winde (DA) |
| • Legislature | Western Cape Provincial Parliament |
| Area | |
• Total | 129,462 km2 (49,986 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 4th in South Africa |
| Highest elevation | 2,325 m (7,628 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2022) | |
• Total | 7,433,020 |
| • Rank | 3rd in South Africa |
| • Density | 57.4147/km2 (148.703/sq mi) |
| • Rank | 4th in South Africa |
| Population groups (2022) | |
| • Coloured | 42.1% |
| • Black | 38.8% |
| • White | 16.4% |
| • Indian or Asian | 1.1% |
| Languages (2022) | |
| • Afrikaans | 41.2% |
| • Xhosa | 31.4% |
| • English | 22.0% |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
| ISO 3166 code | ZA-WC |
| GDP (2023) | R656.27 billion (US$56.3 billion) |
| HDI (2023) | 0.778 high · 1st of 9 |
| Gini (2010) | 0.58 high |
| Website | www |
| Zulu | iNshonalanga Kapa |
|---|---|
| Xhosa | eNtshona-Kapa |
| Afrikaans | Wes-Kaap |
| Sepedi | Kapa Bodikela |
| Swazi | Nshonalanga eKapa |
| Sesotho | Kapa Bophirimela |
| Setswana | Kapa Bophirima |
| Xitsonga | Kapa Vupela-dyambu |
| Venda | Kapa Vhukovhela |
| Southern Ndebele | eTjhingalanga Kapa |
| Khoekhoe | Huri!hub |
The Western Cape (Afrikaans: Wes-Kaap [ˈvɛskɑːp]; Xhosa: eNtshona-Kapa; Khoekhoe: Huri!hub) is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is geographically the fourth largest of the country's nine provinces, with an area of 129,449 square kilometres (49,981 sq mi), and the third most populous, with an estimated 7.43 million inhabitants in 2022.
About two-thirds of the province's residents live in the metropolitan area of Cape Town, which is also the provincial capital, and South Africa's second-largest city. The Western Cape was created in 1994 from part of the former Cape Province. The two largest cities are Cape Town and George.
The Western Cape is generally regarded as the best-run of South Africa's provinces, with a robust system of governance, proactive administration, high quality infrastructure, and strong political and civil accountability. The province also has South Africa's lowest unemployment rate, by a significant margin.
Furthermore, the Western Cape has South Africa's highest secondary education graduation rate. In the 2024 Governance Performance Index (GPI), the Western Cape achieved the highest scores across all categories, by a large degree.
Cape Town, the capital of the Western Cape, has the country's highest household incomes, lowest rate of unemployment, highest level of infrastructure investment, strongest service delivery performance, largest tourism appeal, and most robust real estate market.