Montagu, Western Cape

Montagu is a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa, about 180 kilometres (110 mi) from Cape Town in the Western Little Karoo. It is named after former secretary of the Cape Colony, John Montagu, but was once known as Agter Cogman’s Kloof, Cogman’s Kloof linking the town and railway station. It is situated at the confluence of the Keisie and Kingna rivers.

Montagu
Street in Montagu
Montagu
Montagu
Coordinates: 33°47′S 20°7′E
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceWestern Cape
DistrictCape Winelands
MunicipalityLangeberg
Established1856[1]
Area
 • Total32.71 km2 (12.63 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[2]
 • Total15,176
 • Density460/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
 • Black African6.4%
 • Coloured75.7%
 • Indian/Asian0.5%
 • White16.4%
 • Other1.0%
First languages (2011)
 • Afrikaans91.2%
 • English5.5%
 • Xhosa1.5%
 • Other1.9%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
6720
PO box
6720
Area code023
Websitehttp://www.montagu-ashton.info

Montagu was founded on the farm "Uitvlugt" in 1851, and is known for its hot mineral springs and scenic mountains. It is also an agricultural centre, where orchards and vineyards are in production and local herbs are grown. The farming area, 'Koo', lies north of the town and is famous for the quality of its apples, pears, apricots and peaches. The author Francis Brett Young spent his final years here. Nearby rock formations make it one of the country's major rock climbing venues. The 1266 m high Bloupunt peak overlooks the village and offers several hiking trails, as well as kloofing and mountain biking trails further afield.

Montagu is near the Robertson Wine Valley, and is most easily reached via the Route 62 scenic route.

See also

References
  1. "Chronological order of town establishment in South Africa based on Floyd (1960:20-26)" (PDF). pp. xlv–lii.
  2. "Main Place Montagu". Census 2011.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.