The Khoi and other African tribes settled southern Africa more than 12,000 years before European settlers arrived. The Dutch sailors who first landed in present-day South Africa had good relations with the indigenous people.
Geography
Dutch settlers established themselves on the southwest coast of South Africa, along the Atlantic Ocean, in what is today Cape Town. The settlements were rest stops for ships heading into the Cape of Good Hope.
Time Frame
The Portuguese began sailing around the tip of Africa in the late 15th century, but Dutch settlers did not colonize the land for another 150 years, in the mid-17th century.
History
The first Europeans to live in southern Africa were shipwrecked Dutch sailors. They lived for a year among the Khoi, from 1647 to 1648, developing trade relations for the Dutch East India Company.
Settlement
Five years later, on April 6, 1652, Jan van Riebeeck, under orders from the Dutch East India Company, established the first colony at Table Bay. The settlers built Fort Duijinhoop, which was replaced by the much more formidable Cape Town Castle in 1666.
Significance
The British captured Cape Town in 1795, simultaneously keeping it out of French hands and securing passage to their colonies in India and Australia. White settlement of South Africa led to apartheid. Cape Town is the second biggest city in South Africa.
Fun Fact
A wild almond hedge ordered planted by van Riebeeck still stands at the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden.
Tags: Cape Town, South Africa, Dutch East, Dutch East India, Dutch sailors