Table Mountain Confirmed as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature :)

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Gromit

Gromit

Tiger
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[h=1]Table Mountain confirmed as Natural Wonder[/h]2012-05-03 11:41


Table Mountain’s status as one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature has become official after an international audit confirmed the result of a global voting process.

The New7Wonders Foundation based in Switzerland has confirmed that Table Mountain’s “provisional†status after international voting closed on 11 November 2011 has been changed to “officialâ€. The results followed three years of intense campaigning in a contest that drew more than 100 million votes from 220 countries worldwide.

Table Mountain is the 5th site to have its status confirmed, along with Halong Bay, Iguazu Falls, Jeju Island and Puerto Princesa Underground River. The Amazon and Komodo Island remain on the provisional list.

Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille described the title as “a great accolade for a unique wonder of nature that belongs to all the people of Cape Town, South Africa, Africa and the world. The New Seven Wonders title has great long-term marketing value for Cape Town and South Africa. The wonder becomes part of school curricula, it becomes a “must see†and “bucket list†item for travellers and explorers.â€

Sabine Lehmann, chairperson of the Table Mountain official supporters committee (OSC), said the official confirmation would provide a significant boost to the South African tourism industry.

“Visitor numbers to Table Mountain reached record numbers after the mountain was named on the provisional list of seven sites on 11 November 2011, and we expect the official confirmation to further boost visitor interest locally and abroad. This is already the case for the Puerto Princesa Underground River, the New7Wonder site in the Philippines,†Lehmann said.

The Philippines island that is home to the Puerto Princesa Underground River used to have three flights a week and now has 22 flights a week; the site used to attract an average of 150 visitors a day and now has 2 000 visitors a day. “The Island is building a new international airport to cope with the influx of visitors,†Lehmann said.

Lehmann expressed her gratitude to all those who had supported the Vote for Table Mountain campaign including Nobel Peace Prize winners Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and former President FW de Klerk, the Springbok rugby team and countless everyday fans.

“I am very grateful to the people of Cape Town, South Africa and the entire African content for making this wonderful news possible," said Lehmann.

Gary de Kock, regional general manager of SANParks, said: “We value that this award recognizes SANParks’ significant investment in the natural heritage of this beautiful mountain chain and that conservation adds value to the tourism economy.â€

Paddy Gordon, manager of the Table Mountain National Park, also welcomed the news:“It is an honour that Table Mountain is now linked to other new and exciting places and we hope that visitors from those places will now visit us in return, and bring new tourism markets with them.â€

Bernard Weber, Founder-President of New7Wonders, said it was of great significance that Table Mountain was chosen by voters globally to be the representative of Africa's unique natural heritage.

“Along with possessing a biodiversity that is exceptionally important, given its proximity to a major city, Table Mountain is notable for the historic role it played in helping Nelson Mandela cope with his long years of imprisonment," said Weber.

“Through the bars of his cell on Robben Island, the sight of the peak with its table cloth of cloud offered him hope of brighter days to come, and the statement issued by the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory on 8 November last year supporting the call to vote for Table Mountain was both an endorsement of the South African finalist and a tribute to its ability to inspire."

The Table Mountain OSCwillnow planthe official inauguration ceremony. An impressive commemorative plaque will be officially presented by the New7Wonders Foundation to Table Mountain in October.
 
Great!

These photos were taken in December 2009.
PB250276.jpg

PB250266.jpg

Just to add:
  • Although this is the southern tip of Africa, the City of Cape Town faces North, with Table Mountian behind it.
  • The Mountain rises to a height of almost exactly 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) straight out of the sea.
  • There are more flora species on this single mountain than in the whole of the UK.
  • The National Botanical Gardens in Kirstenbosch are on the reverse slope of Table Mountain.
  • The white cloud on top that forms the 'tablecloth' appears mostly in summer.
 
For me, the most stunning view of the mountain is if you're able to sail into CT harbour - the sight of the mountain from the ocean coming into harbour is breath-taking. Imagine how those sailors in the 1600's felt when they rounded the Cape and were met with this incredibly beautiful and natural harbour.
 
Just something else a bit interesting in Cape Town

The Castle of Good Hope is the oldest building in South Africa. Built between 1666 and 1679 by the Dutch East India Company, better known as the VOC (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie), this pentagonal fortification replaced a small clay and timber fort built in 1652 by Commander Jan van Riebeeck, founder of the maritime replenishment station at the Cape of Good Hope.

Read more ....

Map location (check it out in street view) The way I understand it when it was built they had to move the front door to another side as at spring tide the sea would block entry into the fort (I may be speaking under correction here so if anyone can add to this go for it)

castle-of-good-hope.jpg
 
About the 'castle' - my brother-in-law's ancestors, first of his family to come to SA, were 2 of the architects commissioned to build the castle. There's a brass plaque at the castle with their names and titles in tribute.

Their surname is "Steyn" - one of the later forefathers went on to become President Steyn of the Transvaal Republic. My sister and hubby have the original Steyn family bible in their possession listing the entire ancestry of their family in SA, hand-written letters from Pres Steyn to Paul Kruger, letters from the Steyn wive's and sisters declaring their love for the future hubbies. The also have the bible's lecturn hand-carved by Pres Steyn and his 'riempie' chair that he also carved. On occassion, they lend the bible and letters to the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria.
 
The structure, known as the Fort of Good Hope, was abandoned in 1665 when construction began on a new and more substantial building further east that would be able to resist any attack from the sea. It followed a standard plan common in Europe at that time, and was pentagonal with a bastion at each corner, a shape it retains to the present day. Building of the fort was entrusted to engineer Pieter Dombaer, assisted by carpenter Adriaan van Braeckel, and master mason Douwe Steyn. Four cornerstones were laid on 2 January 1666, and it was completed on 26 April 1679 when the old fort was finally evacuated.

Sorry, he was the master mason not the architect. South Africans should recognise the name "Douw Steyn" as the Auto & General insurance guy.
3 Steyn brothers came to SA: Douwe Gerbrandt, Ernst Hendrik and Pieter Martinhuys - Ernst Hendrik is the branch my sister married into, and the Pres connection. It's fairly obvious which brother Douw descended from and the Pieter Martinhuys branch brought forth Francois Steyn, Springbok Rugby player today - but it's a HUGE family and connections have been lost and diminished but the history has been preserved in the family bible.
And in true Afrikaans tradition, they still name their children after the 'father' so there are loads of Steyns all with the same names, generation after generation - but a very old and staunchly proud SAfrican 'settler' family of the earliest order.
 
The Legend of the Table Cloth

There is an old legend about the white cloud that is known as the Table Cloth that sometimes covers the top of Table Mountain and rises behind Cape Town. Many years after the Dutch began the settlement, a fierce pirate called Van Hunks lived in a cottage between the mountain and a hill called devil’s peak. He spent most of his time sitting outside the cottage, puffing on a large pipe. Most people were afraid of him and he had few visitors.
One Day, a stranger came wearing a hat and a fine set of clothes. Very rudely, without introduction the stranger asked for some tobacco. The old pirate invited him to sit down, and then he filled the stranger’s pipe. As they smoked, Van Hunks boasted of the wicked deeds of his pirate days. What’s more, he boasted that no one could smoke as much tobacco as he could.
So the stranger challenged Van Hunks to a smoking contest. They divided the tobacco between them and each man settled down to smoke more than the other. By the next morning the whole mountain was covered in a great cloud of smoke as the stranger and Van Hunks smoked furiously.
At last the stranger gave up. Wiping his brow, he accidentally knocked off his hat to reveal two horns sprouting from his head. The stranger was the devil, and he was very angry at being beaten. With a mighty clap of thunder both he and Van Hunks disappeared. But the cloud remained.
Today when the wind known as the south easter blows, the cloud appears and the people of Cape Town look up and say that the devil and Van Hunks are smoking again.
 

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