Stellenbosch from Botmaskop mountain looking towards Cape Town

Stellenbosch (pronounced /ˈstɛlənbɒs/)^[1][2] is the second oldest European settlement in the Western Cape Province, South Africa after Cape Town, and is situated about 50 kilometers (30 mi) away along the banks of the Eerste Rivier. Cape Town (Kaapstad Xhosa: Ikapa) is the second most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the metropolitan municipality of the The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa Cape Town (Kaapstad Xhosa: Ikapa) is the second most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the metropolitan municipality of the A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States The town became known as the City of Oaks or Eikestad in Afrikaans and Dutch due to the large number of oak trees that were planted by the founder to grace the streets and homesteads. Afrikaans is an Indo-European language, derived from 17th century Dutch and classified as Low Franconian Germanic, mainly spoken in Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname The term oak can be used as part of the common name of any of about 400 species of Trees and Shrubs in the Genus Quercus (from Latin ^[3]

The town is home to the University of Stellenbosch. Stellenbosch University ( Afrikaans: Universiteit Stellenbosch) is an internationally recognised University which is situated in the town of Stellenbosch The Technopark is a modern corporate and research complex situated on the southern side of the town near the Stellenbosch Golf Course. Technopark Stellenbosch is a technology focused Office park situated on land previously part of the farm Kleine Zalze which is located to the south of the town Stellenbosch

Stellenbosch is said to be the heart of Afrikanerdom due to the large number of academics and students who have lived and studied there. The term Afrikaner people refers to white Afrikaans -speaking people who have been established in Southern Africa since the 17th century and are mainly of northwestern Stellenbosch University ( Afrikaans: Universiteit Stellenbosch) is an internationally recognised University which is situated in the town of Stellenbosch

History

A typical Cape Dutch style house in Stellenbosch

The town was founded in 1679 by the Governor of the Cape Colony, Simon van der Stel, who named it after himself — Stellenbosch means "(van der) Stel's forest". The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652 with the founding of Cape Town. Simon van der Stel October 14, 1639 – June 24, 1712, was the first Governor of the Cape of Good Hope. It is situated on the banks of the Eerste River ("First River"), so named as it was the first new river he reached and followed when Jan van Riebeeck sent him from Cape Town on an expedition over the Cape Flats to explore the territory towards what is now known as Stellenbosch. Johan Anthoniszoon "Jan" van Riebeeck ( 21 April, 1619 &ndash 18 January, 1677) was a Dutch colonial administrator Cape Town (Kaapstad Xhosa: Ikapa) is the second most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the metropolitan municipality of the The town grew so quickly that it became an independent local authority in 1682 and the seat of a magistrate with jurisdiction over 25 000 square kilometers (9,700 sq mi) in 1685. A magistrate is a judicial officer In Common law systems a magistrate usually has limited authority to administer and enforce the Law. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile.

The Dutch were skilled in hydraulic engineering and they devised a system of furrows to direct water from the Eerste River in the vicinity of Thibault Street through the town along van Riebeeck Street to Mill Street where a mill was erected. The Dutch people ( Dutch:) are the dominant Ethnic group of the Netherlands. This article is about a type of structure For other locational uses see Milldam. ^[4][5] Early visitors commented on the oak trees and gardens. ^[3][6]

Soon after the first settlers arrived, especially the French Huguenots, grapes were planted in the fertile valleys around Stellenbosch and soon it became the centre of the South African wine industry. The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France (or French Calvinists) from the sixteenth to the eighteenth For the Tokyo University supercomputer see Gravity Pipe. GRAPE, or GRA phics P rogramming E nvironment is Wine is an Alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of Grape juice ^[4] The first school had been opened in 1683 but education in the town began in earnest in 1859 with the opening of a seminary for the Dutch Reformed Church and a gymnasium which known as het Stellenbossche Gymnasium was established in 1866. In 1874 some higher classes became Victoria College and then in 1918 University of Stellenbosch. Stellenbosch University ( Afrikaans: Universiteit Stellenbosch) is an internationally recognised University which is situated in the town of Stellenbosch The first men's hostel to be established in Stellenbosch was Wilgenhof. In 1909 an old boy of the school, Paul Roos, captain of the first team to be called the Springboks, was invited to become the sixth rector of the school. Paul Johannes Roos (1878 - 1948 (also known as Oom Polla - Afrikaans for "Uncle Polla" was the first South African Springbok The South Africa national Rugby union team (commonly referred to as the Springboks in English Springbokke in Afrikaans and Amabokoboko He remained rector till 1940. On his retirement the school's name was changed to Paul Roos Gymnasium. Paul Roos Gymnasium is a prestigious State school for boys in the town of Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa.

In the early days of the Second Boer War (1899-1902) Stellenbosch was one of the British military bases, and was used as a 'remount' camp; and in consequence of officers who had not distinguished themselves at the front being sent back to it, the expression 'to be Stellenbosched' came into use; so much so, that in similar cases officers were spoken of as 'Stellenbosched' even if they were sent to some other place. See also First Boer War,, South African Wars (1879-1915 The Second Boer War ( Dutch: Tweede Boerenoorlog, Afrikaans:

Population

Stellenbosch has a population of around 117 713 as of the year 2001, not counting students. This estimate is based on formally housed residents. As such it is almost certainly understated, as the Stellenbosch region also includes a number of informal settlements. A town is a type of settlement ranging from a few to several thousand (occasionally hundreds of thousands inhabitants although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan The population of Stellenbosch is primarily Afrikaans speaking, with large English and Xhosa speaking minorities. Afrikaans is an Indo-European language, derived from 17th century Dutch and classified as Low Franconian Germanic, mainly spoken in English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States See also Xhosa language The Xhosa (ǁʰɔsɑ( people are speakers of Bantu languages living in south-east South Africa, and in the last two The black population mostly speaks Xhosa as their home language, with whites speaking Afrikaans or English, the coloured (mixed-race and khoisan decent) is primarily Afrikaans speaking and are in the majority. See also Xhosa language The Xhosa (ǁʰɔsɑ( people are speakers of Bantu languages living in south-east South Africa, and in the last two Afrikaans is an Indo-European language, derived from 17th century Dutch and classified as Low Franconian Germanic, mainly spoken in Afrikaans is an Indo-European language, derived from 17th century Dutch and classified as Low Franconian Germanic, mainly spoken in

In 1833 the population for the Stellenbosch District was 16137. ^[7] This comprised 8555 slaves, 6066 'Whites', 1220 'Hottentots', and 296 'Free Blacks'. White People is the second album by Handsome Boy Modeling School. A free Negro or free black is the term used prior to the abolition of slavery in the United States to describe African Americans who were not Slaves

Climate and geography

Stellenbosch's eastern suburbs in the winter months. Snow on the Jonkershoek Mountains with the prominent peak "The Twins" (1494m) visible

Stellenbosch is located just 55km to the east of Cape Town. Cape Town (Kaapstad Xhosa: Ikapa) is the second most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the metropolitan municipality of the Stellenbosch is in a hilly region of the Cape Winelands and is sheltered in a valley at an elevation of approximately 100m, flanked on the west by Papegaaiberg (Afrikaans: Parrot Mountain), actually a hill. See also Western Cape wine The Cape Winelands is a region of the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Afrikaans is an Indo-European language, derived from 17th century Dutch and classified as Low Franconian Germanic, mainly spoken in The south and east are high mountains, with Stellenbosch Mountain to the south, and Simonsberg (Afrikaans:Simon's Mountain), Jonkershoek Mountains and Great Drakenstein Mountains to the east and south-east. Simonsberg ( Afrikaans:Simon's Mountain is part of the Cape Fold Belt in the Western Cape province of South Africa and is located between the Afrikaans is an Indo-European language, derived from 17th century Dutch and classified as Low Franconian Germanic, mainly spoken in The Drakenstein Mountains are part of the Cape Fold Belt and are in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The Pieke (1494m) (Afrikaans:The Twins) is a signature peak of the Stellenbosch region, the highest being Victoria Peak (1590m). Afrikaans is an Indo-European language, derived from 17th century Dutch and classified as Low Franconian Germanic, mainly spoken in

The soils are dark alluvial to clay soils and combined with the well-drained, hilly terrain and Mediterranean climate prove ideal for viticulture. A Mediterranean climate is one that resembles the Climate of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, which includes over half of the area with this climate type world-wide Viticulture (from the Latin word for Vine) is the Science, production and study of Grapes which deals with the series of Summers are dry and warm to hot, with some February and March days rising to over 30°C. Winters are cool, rainy and sometimes quite windy, with daytime temperatures averaging 16°C. Snow is usually seen a couple times in winter on the surrounding mountains. Spring and autumn are shoulder seasons and daytime temperatures hover in the 20°C's.

Sport

Cricket is the most popular sport. Cricket is a bat-and-ball team Sport that originated in England and is now played in more than 100 countries Stellenbosch hosted the ICC Women's World Cup Qualifier, which was initially to be played in Pakistan but moved to South Africa due to Security concerns. South Africa's Women's Team came out victorious beating Pakistan in the finals.

Viticulture and winemaking

Vineyards around Stellenbosch

The Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek valleys form the Cape Winelands, the largest of the two main wine growing regions in South Africa. Paarl (derived from Parel, meaning Pearl in Dutch is the third oldest European settlement in the Republic of South Africa (after Cape See also Western Cape wine The Cape Winelands is a region of the Western Cape Province of South Africa. The South African wine industry produces about 1,000,000,000 litres of wine annually. Stellenbosch is the primary location for viticulture and viticulture research. Professor Perold was the first Professor of Viticulture at Stellenbosch University. Abraham Izak Perold, PhD ( 20 October 1880 - 11 December 1941) was a South African chemist and viticulturist The Stellenbosch wine route, established in 1971 is world renowned and popular tourist destination. Tourism is Travel for Recreational or Leisure purposes The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel

The area has a mediterranean-type climate, with dry hot summers, cold wet winters. Summer is one of the four Temperate Seasons Summer marks the warmest time of year with the longest days Winter is one of the four Seasons of Temperate zones Calculated astronomically, it begins on the Solstice and ends on the Equinox It is at the start of the Cape Fold mountains, which have created soil favourable to vines. Grapes are grown primarily for wine, not as table grapes.

Stellenbosch University

Main article: Stellenbosch University

Stellenbosch University is one of South Africa's leading universities. Stellenbosch University ( Afrikaans: Universiteit Stellenbosch) is an internationally recognised University which is situated in the town of Stellenbosch Stellenbosch University ( Afrikaans: Universiteit Stellenbosch) is an internationally recognised University which is situated in the town of Stellenbosch A university is an institution of Higher education and Research, which grants Academic degrees in a variety of subjects This institution has a rich history dating back to 1863 and has 10 faculties, including Engineering, Commerce, Science and Arts. A faculty is a division within a University. The concept of a university with different faculties for different subjects dates back to Al-Azhar University, which had Engineering is the Discipline and Profession of applying technical and scientific Knowledge and Commerce is a division of trade or production which deals with the exchange of goods and services from producer to final consumer Science (from the Latin scientia, meaning " Knowledge " or "knowing" is the effort to discover, and increase human understanding The arts is a broad subdivision of Culture, composed of many expressive disciplines.

The University currently has about 25,000 students. Although the official language of the university is Afrikaans, most post-graduate courses are presented in English. Afrikaans is an Indo-European language, derived from 17th century Dutch and classified as Low Franconian Germanic, mainly spoken in English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States

List of suburbs

• Arbeidslus
• Brandwacht
• Cloetesville
• Dalsig
• De Zalze
• Dennesig
• Die Boord, previously Rhodes Fruit Farms
• Die Rant
• Idas Valley
• Jamestown
• Karindal
• Krigeville
• Kayamandi
• Welbedaght
• La Colline
• Mostertsdrift
• Onderpapegaaiberg, previously known as Voëltjiesdorp
• Paradyskloof
• Plankenberg
• Rozendal
• Simonswyk
• Techno Park
• Tennantville
• Town central
• Uniepark
• Universiteitsoord
• Welgevonden

History of selected suburbs

Kayamandi

Although parts of Kayamandi may currently appear to be an informal settlement it was originally a small suburb reserved for the exclusive use of Xhosas. Kayamandi is a suburb of Stellenbosch in the Western Cape region of South Africa. Rozendal is a residential suburb of Stellenbosch since roughly the early 1970s Kayamandi is a suburb of Stellenbosch in the Western Cape region of South Africa. See also Xhosa language The Xhosa (ǁʰɔsɑ( people are speakers of Bantu languages living in south-east South Africa, and in the last two

Notable entrepreneurs

• Anton Rupert
• Kees Bruynzeel
• Willy Heuer

References

External links

• Stellenbosch writers - a wealth of information
• Official Stellenbosch website - includes a number of photos and maps
• Official Stellenbosch Wine Valley & Tourist information guide
• Cape Winelands Tourism your guide to Winelands accommodation, holiday and visitor information
• Wikitravel article
• [1] Helderberg community site
• Stellenbosch Scenic Pictures