CAPE OF GOOD HOPE 



1168 



CAPE OF GOOD HOPE 



Sheep, goats and cattle are the principal 

 sources of wealth. Vast flocks of Angora goats 

 are kept by natives and Boer farmers, and 

 produce mohair of very fine quality. The 

 Cape of Good Hope is one of the world's most 

 important wool-exporting countries, the value 

 of the wool crop being exceeded only by the 

 export of diamonds. 



Mineral Wealth. Although the diamond is 

 the most important source of wealth, it by no 

 means represents the country's only mineral 

 resource. Coal is extensively mined, and gold, 

 iron, lead and copper are found in quantities 

 sufficient to justify mining. The Cape of Good 

 Hope is the most famous diamond country in 

 the world and exports stones to the value of 

 over $30,000,000 every year. Kimberley, in 

 the district of Griqualand West, is the center 

 of the diamond industry, controlled by the 

 De Beer's Company. In less than forty years 

 the mines of Kimberley have produced dia- 

 monds to the value of over $500,000,000. This 

 was the result of the accidental finding of a 

 diamond in the bank of the Vaal River in 

 1867 by a Boer farmer who did not even know 

 that diamonds were valuable. 



Inhabitants. The total population of the 

 province was 2,564,965 in 1910. Of these 19,763 

 were. Malays, 415,282 of mixed races, 582,377 

 Europeans and the remainder Kaffirs, Hotten- 

 tots, Bechuanas, Zulus and Basutos. The orig- 

 inal inhabitants are generally supposed to 

 have been Bushmen, small numbers of whom 

 still exist. They are small, almost pygmies, 

 living by hunting and with no knowledge of 

 agriculture. They were conquered by more 

 warlike tribes from the north, belonging to 

 Bantu stock. The colored races have freely 

 intermingled and have proved quicker and 

 more intelligent in adopting civilized pursuits 

 than the more northerly tribes. The white 

 inhabitants are chiefly Dutch and English. 

 See BUSHMEN. 



Ostrich Farming. An industry that is stead- 

 ily growing in importance is ostrich farm- 

 ing. This is a source of considerable revenue, 

 as hundreds of thousands of birds are owned, 

 and feathers to the value of more than $6,000,- 

 000 are annually exported, under normal con- 

 ditions in the world. The ostrich farms are 

 mostly in the southwestern sections. Rais- 

 ing alfalfa is an important part of ostrich 

 farming and has proved peculiarly adapted to 

 the soil and climate. 



Transportation. There are no navigable 

 rivers in South Africa, and the question of 



transportation has always been one of great 

 importance. All the larger towns are now con- 

 nected by railroads, and Cape Town is the ter- 

 minus of the Cape-to-Cairo Railway, which 

 runs through the province from north to south. 

 -There are many districts, however, which are 

 far from the railroads, the nearest market be- 

 ing distant several days' journey by ox wagon. 

 The roads have been greatly improved during 

 recent years, but travel in the rainy season 

 becomes difficult. The chief vehicles used are 

 light, two-wheeled, hooded carriages called 

 Cape carts, and the heavy farm wagons are 

 drawn by spans of six or eight mules or six- 

 teen oxen. In calculating distances in the 

 country the time taken for the journey is 

 usually stated, six miles an hour being the 

 usual rate of travel; thus a place thirty-six 

 miles away would be "six hours" distant. 



Cities. Cape Town, the capital, a beautiful 

 city at the foot of Table Bay, is the most im- 

 portant port of South Africa, with excellent 

 docks and railway facilities. It had in 1910 

 a population of 149,461, including suburbs. 

 Port Elizabeth, with 30,688, is the center of 

 the ostrich-feather industries. Kimberley, the 

 world's diamond market, had 29,525 inhabitants 

 in 1911. East London, an important and 

 thriving port, has a population of about 21,- 

 000. Other towns include Graaff-Reinet, Cra- 

 dock, Worcester, Oudtshoorn, Uitenhage, Bea- 

 consfield, Paarl and King William's Town. 

 The more important cities are described else- 

 where in these volumes. 



Animal Life. The settling of the country 

 has made such changes that animals that were 

 plentiful only a few years ago have now nearly 

 disappeared. Lions are occasionally seen in 

 the extreme north, and the hippopotamus is 

 found in some parts of the Orange River coun- 

 try. Antelopes, hyenas, jackals, baboons and 

 monkeys abound. There is also a wild dog, 

 known as the Cape hunting dog, which, how- 

 ever, is fast being exterminated. 



History. Towards the end of the fifteenth 

 century Vasco da Gama opened up a sea route 

 to India by sailing round the Cape of Good 

 Hope. Although many vessels sought shelter 

 in South African waters, no attempt was made 

 to occupy any territory on that continent for 

 nearly two centuries. The first settlers were 

 Dutch, driven out of their own land in search 

 of religious freedom. They were followed by 

 French Huguenots, and from 1652 to 1806 the 

 colony thrived under Dutch rule. In 1806, 

 however, the British seized the territory and 





