All language subtitles for Aerial.Africa.Series.1.4of6.Western.Cape.1080p.HDTV.x264.AAC.MVGroup.org

♪

AT THE SOUTHERN TIP OF AFRICA,
TWO OCEANS VIOLENTLY COLLIDE...

WHILE AN ICONIC LANDMARK
STANDS GUARD

OVER A RICHLY DIVERSE METROPOLIS
OF CULTURES AND PEOPLE.

HERE WILD ANIMALS
STILL ROAM FREE...

AND RUSHING RIVERS RUN WILD.

IT’S A LAND DISCOVERED
BY BOLD EXPEDITION...

AS VENTURING SHIPS
BECAME VICTIMS

OF ITS TREACHEROUS SHORES.

TODAY, MOVIE STUDIOS STAND
WHERE NATIVE TRIBES ONCE RULED.

AND THE MOUNTAINS FORMED
BY ANCIENT SEAS

SHED WATER
ON IDYLLIC FIELDS OF GREEN.

THIS IS A PLACE WHERE THE HUNT
FOR DIAMONDS HAS MADE MAN RICH

WHILE LEAVING MAN-MADE SCARS
ACROSS THE LAND.

BUT THE MEDITERRANEAN-LIKE
CLIMATE...

ENDLESS STRETCHES
OF WHITE SANDY BEACH...

MAJESTIC MOUNTAINS SOARING HIGH
ABOVE VERDANT VALLEYS...

AND A GLISTENING MOTHER CITY--
THE NATION’S CROWNING JEWEL--

MAKE THE WESTERN CAPE

SOUTH AFRICA’S MOST SPECTACULAR
AND ALLURING PROVINCE.

♪

♪

NESTLED BETWEEN
THE ATLANTIC OCEAN

AND A SPECTACULAR
FLAT-TOPPED MOUNTAIN

IS SOUTH AFRICA’S FIRST CITY.

THIS IS CAPE TOWN...

THE "MOTHER CITY."

MOST CITIES ARE KNOWN
BY THEIR SKYLINES...

CAPE TOWN IS KNOWN
BY ITS MOUNTAIN.

FRAMING THE CITY WITH
ITS AWE-INSPIRING PRESENCE,

TABLE MOUNTAIN IS NAMED AFTER
ITS DISTINCTIVE APPEARANCE.

THE IMPRESSIVE
2-MILE-WIDE PLATEAU

LOOKS OUT OVER CAPE TOWN

FROM MAJESTIC CLIFFS THAT ROCKET
3,500 FEET INTO THE SKY.

BUT THAT’S NOT THE ONLY THING
SOARING HERE.

CAPE TOWN IS A BOOMING
ECONOMIC HUB

AND AN INCREASINGLY POPULAR
TRAVEL DESTINATION.

OVER 2 MILLION TOURISTS
FLOCK HERE EACH YEAR,

MORE THAN ANY CITY
IN SOUTH AFRICA.

BUT THE FIRST VISITORS TO SET
SIGHT ON THIS FAMED LANDSCAPE

WEREN’T HERE FOR VACATION.

THEY WERE ON A MISSION.

SAILING DOWN THE WEST COAST
OF AFRICA IN 1487,

THE PORTUGUESE EXPLORER
BARTHOLOMEW DIAZ

WAS HOPING TO FIND A ROUTE
TO THE SPICE MARKETS OF INDIA.

NO EUROPEAN SHIP HAD EVER
NAVIGATED THE TURBULENT SEAS

AT THE SOUTHERN TIP OF AFRICA,

WHERE THE ATLANTIC
AND INDIAN OCEANS COLLIDE.

THE FOUR-MONTH VOYAGE

TOOK ITS TOLL ON THE CREW.

SCURVY WAS RIFE,

AND WITH LITTLE FRESH FOOD
OR WATER,

THE MEN WERE WEAK.

THEN, A VIOLENT STORM
HIT THE VESSEL,

THROWING IT
600 MILES OFF COURSE...

DRIFTING AIMLESSLY
WITHOUT LAND IN SIGHT.

BUT BY SOME STROKE OF LUCK,

A WEST WIND FILLED THEIR SAILS,

AND THE BATTERED SHIP
CONTINUED ITS VOYAGE

AROUND THE TIP OF AFRICA,

BACK ON COURSE TO INDIA.

THEY HAD FOUND
THE TRADE WINDS--

THE ENGINE THAT PROPELLED THEM
ON AN OCEANIC HIGHWAY,

OPENING TRADE BETWEEN EUROPE
AND THE FAR EAST--

WITH SOUTH AFRICA IN BETWEEN.

DIAZ CALLED THIS REGION
THE CAPE OF STORMS.

TODAY WE KNOW IT
AS THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.

GETTING THERE IS NO LONGER
A LIFE-OR-DEATH ESCAPADE

AS IT WAS
FOR MANY HAPLESS SAILORS.

IT’S AN EASY ONE-HOUR BUS RIDE
FROM THE CENTER OF CAPE TOWN.

THE ENTIRE CAPE POINT PENINSULA

HAS BEEN DESIGNATED
A NATIONAL PARK.

ITS TOWERING
630-MILLION-YEAR-OLD CLIFFS

DRAW TOURISTS
FROM AROUND THE WORLD

TO EXPERIENCE
BREATHTAKING VISTAS

FROM 1,000 FEET
ABOVE THE CHURNING SEAS.

THE MOST POWERFUL LIGHTHOUSE
ON THE SOUTH AFRICAN COAST

HELPS GUIDE SHIPS SAFELY
THROUGH THESE PERILOUS WATERS.

IT DIDN’T TAKE LONG FOR OTHER
SHIPS TO FOLLOW IN DIAZ’S WAKE.

♪

TRADE BETWEEN EUROPE
AND THE FAR EAST

WAS BEGINNING TO BOOM,

AND SHIPS NEEDED A PLACE
TO RESUPPLY.

IN 1652,

THE DUTCH EAST INDIA COMPANY
FOUNDED THE CAPE COLONY.

A DUTCH ADMINISTRATOR FOR
THE COMPANY, JAN VAN RIEBEECK,

CHOSE THE SITE
BENEATH TABLE MOUNTAIN

BECAUSE IT WOULD BE SHIELDED

FROM THE STRONG
SOUTHEASTERN WINDS.

ONE OF THE FEW
SURVIVING FEATURES

OF THAT FIRST SETTLEMENT

IS THE DUTCH EAST INDIA
COMPANY’S GARDENS.

THE EARLY DUTCH SETTLERS
PLANTED VEGETABLES HERE

TO SUPPLY SHIPS
ON THE TRADE ROUTE.

WITHIN A FEW YEARS
THE GARDENS GREW TO BE 45 ACRES.

TODAY IT’S
A PEACEFUL GREEN OASIS

IN THE MIDDLE OF A VIBRANT CITY.

BUT THIS SERENE SETTING
HARBORS A DARK STORY.

THE INDIGENOUS KHOI
AND SAN PEOPLE

WHO LIVED IN THIS REGION
BEFORE THE DUTCH ARRIVED

WERE OVERPOWERED AND ENSLAVED.

THEY WERE PUT TO HARD LABOR
TENDING TO THE COMPANY GARDENS

AND BUILDING
THIS STAR-SHAPED FORT.

IT IS KNOWN
AS THE CASTLE OF GOOD HOPE.

COMPLETED IN 1679,

IT WAS ORIGINALLY BUILT TO SERVE
AS A DEFENSE FORTRESS

AFTER TENSIONS ROSE

BETWEEN THE DUTCH
AND BRITISH COLONIAL POWERS

AMID RUMORS OF WAR.

THE CASTLE OF GOOD HOPE

IS THE OLDEST EXISTING COLONIAL
BUILDING IN SOUTH AFRICA,

AND THE BEST-PRESERVED EXAMPLE

OF THE DUTCH EAST INDIA
COMPANY’S EARLY INFLUENCE

IN THE REGION.

IN OCTOBER 1679, THE CAPE’S
FIRST GOVERNOR ARRIVED--

SIMON VAN DER STEL.

VAN DER STEL WAS A PIONEER,

DEVELOPING CAPE TOWN
AND THE SURROUNDING FARMLANDS.

THE GOVERNOR HAD A PASSION
FOR AGRICULTURE

AND A TASTE FOR GOOD WINE.

HE WAS GRANTED THIS ESTATE,
WHICH HE NAMED CONSTANTIA,

WHICH MEANS "STEADFAST."

HE GREW GRAPEVINES
AND OAK TREES ON THE ESTATE,

WHICH ARE STILL HERE TODAY.

AS VAN DER STEL EXPLORED INLAND,

HE FOUND A FERTILE VALLEY WHERE
THE WATERS WERE COOL AND CLEAN

AND EVERYTHING SEEMED TO GROW
IN ABUNDANCE...

A PERFECT ENVIRONMENT
FOR VINEYARDS.

THIS IS WHERE HE ESTABLISHED
STELLENBOSCH,

A SETTLEMENT HE NAMED
AFTER HIMSELF.

THE VINEYARDS HE PLANTED

MARKED THE BEGINNING
OF SOUTH AFRICA’S WINE INDUSTRY.

PRODUCTION
IN THE STELLENBOSCH REGION

WOULD GET ANOTHER BOOST IN 1688,

WHEN 200 FRENCH PROTESTANTS,
KNOWN AS THE HUGUENOTS,

MOVED HERE TO ESCAPE
RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION IN EUROPE.

THEY SETTLED 20 MILES
FROM STELLENBOSCH

IN THIS VALLEY,

CALLED THE FRENCH CORNER,
OR FRANSCHHOEK.

THESE FAMILIES HAILED FROM
THE FINEST FRENCH WINEMAKERS,

AND SIMON VAN DER STEL SAW TO IT

THAT THEY WERE SETTLED
ON EXCELLENT FARMLANDS.

THEIR HERITAGE IS MEMORIALIZED
BY THE HUGUENOT MONUMENT

WHICH STANDS AT THE END OF TOWN.

THEY ALSO SETTLED ON FARMS

AROUND THE NEARBY TOWN
OF PAARL...

PLANTING ORCHARDS,
VEGETABLE GARDENS,

AND ABOVE ALL, VINEYARDS.

STELLENBOSCH, FRANSCHHOEK
AND PAARL FORM A REGION

THAT TODAY IS CELEBRATED
THROUGHOUT THE WORLD

FOR ITS FINE WINES.

PAARL IS NAMED
AFTER THE PEARL MOUNTAIN.

DISCOVERED BY SETTLERS IN 1657,

THE MOUNTAIN GLISTENED
LIKE A WET PEARL

IN THE SUN AFTER RAIN.

THIS HUGE, SINGLE GRANITE ROCK
HAS THREE ROUNDED OUTCROPS

AND IS THE SECOND LARGEST
GRANITE FORMATION IN THE WORLD.

♪

TUCKED INTO THE CREST
OF THIS OVERHANG

IS A CAVE WITH A SHADY PAST.

REPUTEDLY, IT WAS ONCE USED
BY A RUNAWAY MURDERER

AS A HIDEOUT

UNTIL THE SMOKE FROM HIS
COOKING FIRES BETRAYED HIM.

LEGEND CLAIMS HE WAS LATER
CAPTURED AND HANGED,

BUT LOCALS SAY A WISP OF CLOUD

STILL LINGERS
IN THE MORNING AIR,

REMINDING PAARL’S RESIDENTS

OF THE SMOKE THAT FLUSHED OUT
THE KILLER.

STANDING IN THE SHADOW
OF PAARL MOUNTAIN

IS THE AFRIKAANS LANGUAGE
MONUMENT.

AFRIKAANS SPRUNG UP
FROM A MIXTURE OF LANGUAGES

SPOKEN IN THE EARLY
DUTCH COLONY:

A MISH-MASH OF EUROPEAN,
AFRICAN AND MALAYSIAN DIALECTS.

THE MONUMENT SYMBOLIZES
WESTERN EUROPE

MIXING WITH AFRICA
TO FORM A BRIDGE TO THE FUTURE.

JUST 18 MILES AWAY

THIS MODERN RESERVOIR
DAMS UP THE BERG RIVER.

NUTRIENT-RICH WATER

RUNNING OFF THE SURROUNDING
DRAKENSTEIN MOUNTAINS

COLLECTS HERE.

IT IS A VITAL RESOURCE

FOR THE PRODUCTION
OF WINE AND TABLE GRAPES.

♪

THE BERG RIVER THEN SNAKES
183 MILES TO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN

WHERE ANOTHER TASTY INGREDIENT
FOR FINE DINING IS PRODUCED.

♪

THIS IS ST. HELENA BAY.

IT’S WHERE THE BERG RIVER
MEETS THE ATLANTIC OCEAN.

JUST 90 MILES NORTH
OF CAPE TOWN,

THIS BAY IS KNOWN FOR HAVING
THE FINEST SAILING CONDITIONS

ON THE SOUTH AFRICAN COASTLINE,

WITH ITS PREVAILING
SOUTHEAST WINDS.

♪

THE RESIDENTIAL MARINA,
PORT OWEN,

IS A 2-MILE-LONG WATERWAY LINED
WITH VACATION HOMES AND YACHTS.

BUT THE ECONOMY HERE
ISN’T DRIVEN BY WIND.

ITS ENGINE IS THE SEA ITSELF.

SALT IS BIG BUSINESS HERE.

THE DRY SUMMERS AND LOW RAINFALL
IN THIS AREA

MAKE IT IDEAL FOR EXTRACTING
SALT FROM SEAWATER.

LARGE PONDS PUMPED FULL OF WATER

RELY ON THE SUN AND WIND
FOR EVAPORATION.

THIS RAISES
THE CONCENTRATION OF SALT

TO A LEVEL
THAT PRODUCES CRYSTALS.

IT’S HARVESTED AND DRIED
FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION.

THE SALT IS ALSO USED
BY ANOTHER LOCAL INDUSTRY

THAT’S KEEPING
THIS REGION AFLOAT.

♪

THIS IS THE HEART OF
SOUTH AFRICA’S FISHING INDUSTRY.

ST. HELENA BAY IS
THE LARGEST CONCENTRATION

OF FISH PROCESSING FACTORIES
IN THE NATION.

MORE THAN HALF THE SEAFOOD
PRODUCED IN SOUTH AFRICA

COMES FROM HERE.

♪

THE BAY TEEMS WITH ANCHOVY,
SARDINES, HERRING, MACKEREL,

HAKE AND SOLE.

♪

THE REEFS ARE FAMOUS
FOR ABALONE,

A LARGE SEA SNAIL THAT THRIVES

IN THE COLD WATER
AND ROCKY HABITAT

OF THE CAPE’S WESTERN COAST,

WHERE ALGAE IS
A PLENTIFUL FOOD SOURCE.

ABALONE IS SO POPULAR FOR ITS
FLESH AND MOTHER-OF-PEARL SHELL

THAT THE ECOSYSTEM
WAS BEING HEAVILY DAMAGED

BY BLACK MARKET TRADERS
HARVESTING THE VALUABLE MOLLUSK.

TO HELP MEET DEMAND--
AND PROTECT THE DELICATE REEFS--

THE SEAFOOD INDUSTRY HAS CREATED
A WAY TO FARM ABALONE.

THESE POOLS ARE HATCHERIES
FILLED WITH SEAWATER.

IT TAKES THREE YEARS
FOR ABALONE TO GROW

FROM EGG TO MARKETABLE SIZE,

BUT IT’S WORTH THE WAIT.

SOUTH AFRICAN ABALONE FARMERS

REAP MORE THAN $50 MILLION
ANNUALLY.

THE SEA HAS ALWAYS BEEN
A BIG PART OF LIFE

ON THE WESTERN CAPE.

IN 1653,

DUTCH EAST INDIA COMPANY
ADMINISTRATOR JAN VAN RIEBEECK

SENT A SHIP UP THE COAST
FROM CAPE TOWN TO SALDANHA BAY

TO HUNT WHALES.

THE BOATS ARRIVED
IN SOUTH AFRICA’S SUMMER--

WHEN THE WHALES HAD ALREADY LEFT

ON THEIR ANNUAL MIGRATION
TO ANTARCTICA.

BUT THE MISSION
WAS NOT A FAILURE.

THE DUTCH DISCOVERED
BIRDS AND EGGS

TO FEED THEIR HUNGRY CREWS,

AND THE PLANKTON-RICH WATERS

PROVIDED A BOUNTY OF FRESH FISH
AND OYSTERS.

TODAY, SALDANHA BAY

IS SOUTH AFRICA’S
LARGEST OYSTER FARM,

PRODUCING 30,000 OF THEM
A MONTH.

OYSTER CAGES LIE HIDDEN
JUST BELOW THE SURFACE,

SUSPENDED FROM THESE
COLORFUL PLASTIC BUOYS.

THE BOTTOM OF THIS BAY
IS LITTERED

WITH 30 MILLION TONS
OF ANCIENT OYSTER SHELLS.

THESE OYSTER BOATS
MAINTAIN THE CAGES,

MONITORING THE SEED OYSTER
GROWTH RATE.

COCKTAIL OYSTERS ARE READY
AFTER 8 MONTHS,

PACKED ON ICE AND SHIPPED
TO RESTAURANTS

ALONG AMERICA’S
ATLANTIC SEABOARD.

GIANT OYSTERS NEED
A FULL 20 MONTHS TO MATURE.

THESE LARGER SPECIMENS
ARE THE SIZE OF A MAN’S HAND,

WEIGH MORE THAN
A QUARTER POUND EACH,

AND ARE MORE POPULAR
IN THE ASIAN MARKETS.

♪

WHILE THE DUTCH MAY HAVE SETTLED
FOR OYSTERS THAT SUMMER,

WHALING EVENTUALLY DID BECOME
BIG BUSINESS AT SALDANHA BAY.

THE FIRST WHALING STATION
WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1909

HERE AT DONKERGAT.

THE MOST POPULAR WHALE TO HUNT
WAS THE SOUTHERN RIGHT WHALE.

THEY WERE KNOWN
AS THE "RIGHT" WHALE TO HUNT

BECAUSE THEY WERE SLOW SWIMMERS
AND CURIOUS ABOUT SHIPS.

THEY WERE HUNTED
TO THE BRINK OF EXTINCTION.

TODAY THIS FEMALE AND HER BABY
CAN SWIM UNDISTURBED.

SOUTH AFRICA BANNED
WHALE HUNTING IN 1979

AND NOW PROVIDES
THE PERFECT REFUGE

FOR THESE GRACEFUL GIANTS.

THEIR NUMBERS HAVE BOUNCED BACK
FROM A FEW HUNDRED INDIVIDUALS

TO AROUND 5,000 WHALES.

THEY CAN GROW AS BIG AS 90 TONS.

THOUGH NOT FULLY UNDERSTOOD,

SOUTHERN RIGHTS HAVE STRONG
MATERNAL CONNECTIONS

WITH THE LOCATIONS AND
GENE POOLS THEY WERE BORN IN,

RETURNING TO THEIR PLACE
OF BIRTH EVERY THREE YEARS.

RESEARCHERS FROM
THE UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA

TAKE AERIAL SURVEYS
TO MONITOR THEIR POPULATION.

THEY PHOTOGRAPH
THE WHALES’ HEADS AND BACKS,

DOCUMENTING SKIN PATTERNS THAT
CAN IDENTIFY EACH INDIVIDUAL.

OVER 1,200 KNOWN WHALES
ARE RECORDED EACH YEAR.

♪

ANOTHER MAGNIFICENT
MARINE GIANT,

THE HUMPBACK WHALE,

IS ALSO FLOURISHING
SINCE THE BAN ON WHALING.

TODAY, THEY ARE THE SECOND
MOST COMMON WHALE SPECIES

IN THESE WATERS.

HUMPBACKS ARE KNOWN
FOR THEIR ACROBATIC DISPLAYS

AND SONG-LIKE VOCALIZATIONS.

♪

SLAPPING PECTORAL FINS
IS ANOTHER WAY TO COMMUNICATE.

♪

BUT IT’S RARE TO SEE
A YOUNG CALF

PRACTICING A PECTORAL SLAP--

PERHAPS LEARNING
FROM ITS MOTHER.

THESE WATERS ARE ALSO HOME
TO ANOTHER SEA CREATURE

KNOWN FOR THE SHEER SIZE
OF ITS NUMBERS.

♪

THIS CAPE SEAL COLONY
AT KLEINZEE IN THE NORTHERN CAPE

IS A SEETHING MASS

OF HALF A MILLION ROARING,
GROWLING AND HONKING SEALS.

♪

THEY CROWD THE BEACHES

AND PRODUCE 60 TO 80,000 PUPS
A YEAR.

MALES CAN GROW
AS LARGE AS 800 POUNDS

AND WILL FIGHT VIOLENTLY
TO PROTECT THEIR HAREM.

WITH NO NATURAL PREDATORS LIVING
IN THE ADJOINING SCRUBLANDS,

THIS SEAL COLONY
CONTINUES TO GROW.

THE ONLY DANGER?

HUNGRY SHARKS
LURKING IN THE SEA.

♪

LOCATED AT THE ENTRANCE
TO SALDANHA BAY,

MALGAS ISLAND IS HOME TO ANOTHER
SOUTH AFRICAN NATIVE--

CAPE GANNETS.

OVER 140,000 CAPE GANNETS
FLOCK HERE,

REPRESENTING 25%
OF THE WORLD POPULATION.

♪

THEY’RE EXPERT FISHERS WHO CAN
DIVE 30 FEET UNDER WATER

AND CAPTURE THEIR MEALS
WITH PINPOINT PRECISION.

[SQUAWKING]

THE ENTIRE WESTERN CAPE
COASTLINE

TEEMS WITH MARINE LIFE,

FROM MINUTE SEA CREATURES
TO TITANIC WHALES.

♪

BUT THE WATERS CAN BE DEADLY,

AND THE CAPE SHORES ARE LITTERED
WITH THE SKELETONS

OF A DIFFERENT KIND
OF SEAFARING GIANT.

♪

SINCE THE TIME BARTHOLOMEW DIAZ
FIRST ROUNDED THE CAPE

IN HIS WOODEN GALLEON,

THE WILD CAPE COASTLINE HAS
CLAIMED MORE THAN 2,500 VESSELS.

IT HAS BECOME FAMOUSLY KNOWN
AS THE GRAVEYARD OF SHIPS.

ONE OF THEM,

A BRAZILIAN CARGO SHIP,
THE S.S. PIRATINY,

BECAME SOMETHING
OF A LOCAL LEGEND.

IN 1943, IT RAN AGROUND
WHILE EN ROUTE TO CAPE TOWN,

300 MILES NORTH
OF ITS DESTINATION.

SOME SAY IT WAS DRIVEN
AGAINST THE ROCKS

WHEN ITS ENGINE
SPUTTERED AND DIED.

OTHERS BELIEVE A NAZI SUBMARINE
TORPEDO SANK IT.

THE CREW SCRAMBLED TO SHORE
AND WERE RESCUED.

BUT THEY LEFT BEHIND
A CARGO OF SHOES,

ROLLS OF CLOTHING FABRIC,
AND EVEN CANNED SARDINES.

FOR MANY YEARS, CHILDREN
IN SURROUNDING VILLAGES

WORE CLOTHES MADE
FROM THE ABANDONED MATERIAL

AND SHOES THEY FOUND
ON THE BEACH.

SOME OLD-TIMERS ATE
SO MANY SARDINES

THAT THEY LOST THEIR APPETITE
FOR THE SALTY FISH.

STRETCHING INLAND
FROM THIS DESERTED COAST

IS AN ARID REGION KNOWN
AS NAMAQUALAND.

EACH SPRING, THE SCRUBLAND
EXPLODES INTO LIFE.

A KALEIDOSCOPE
OF BRILLIANT COLORS

CARPETS THE VALLEY FLOORS

WITH BEAUTIFUL SPECIES
LIKE PURPLE VYGIES

THAT COVER AN AREA
OF 170,000 SQUARE MILES.

THESE SHOWY PLANTS CARRY WATER
IN TINY SACKS ON THEIR LEAVES,

ALLOWING THEM TO SURVIVE
IN THIS HARSH ENVIRONMENT.

♪

50 MILES INLAND FROM THE COAST,

THE CEDERBERG MOUNTAIN AREA
IS FAMOUS

FOR ITS RUGGED LANDSCAPES
AND DRAMATIC ROCK FORMATIONS.

♪

THIS AREA WAS SHAPED
BY MIGHTY GLACIERS

MANY MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO,

CARVING OUT DEEP VALLEYS
AND GORGES.

ONE OF CEDERBERG’S
NOTABLE LANDMARKS

IS THIS ROCK FORMATION--
WOLFBERG ARCH.

WATER, WIND AND BLOWING SAND

CREATED THIS 160-FOOT-LONG
SANDSTONE FORMATION

AND CARVED ITS AWE-INSPIRING
40-FOOT-HIGH ARCHWAY.

NUTRIENT-RICH WATER FLOWING
FROM THE CEDERBERG MOUNTAINS

FEEDS THE OLIFANTS RIVER.

♪

RURAL RESIDENTS
LIVING ALONG ITS BANK

RELY ON IT AS A RESOURCE
FOR FRESH FISH...

♪

AS DO OVER 60
WATER BIRD SPECIES...

INCLUDING LARGE FLOCKS
OF FLAMINGOS WHO COLOR THE SKY

AS THEY FLY IN
TO NEST AND FEED HERE.

♪

SOME 200 MILES NORTH OF
THE BETTER-KNOWN STELLENBOSCH,

VREDENDAL IS A PROSPEROUS
AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY

THAT SITS IN THE OLIFANTS
RIVER VALLEY.

IT IS HOME TO THE LARGEST
WINE COOPERATIVE

IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE--
THE NAMAQUA WINERY.

THIS WINERY PRODUCES

ALMOST 24 MILLION GALLONS
OF WINE A YEAR.

BUT IT ISN’T EASY.

VREDENDAL LIES
RIGHT ON A CLIMATE BOUNDARY,

BETWEEN THE MILD MEDITERRANEAN
WEATHER TO THE SOUTH

AND THE DRY DESERT CONDITIONS
FURTHER NORTH.

HOT, DRY SUMMERS
ARE A CONSTANT CHALLENGE.

THE HARSHER SUN
CAN EASILY DAMAGE GRAPES,

SO THE VINEYARDS
NEED TO BE PROTECTED.

TO PULL THIS OFF, LEAF CANOPIES
ARE CAREFULLY PRUNED

TO SHADE THE CROPS
AND BOOST PRODUCTIVITY.

♪

WITH SO LITTLE RAIN,
THE GROWERS TURN

TO THE OLIFANTS RIVER
FOR IRRIGATION.

BUT THE TOUGH CONDITIONS
ACTUALLY MAKE FOR BETTER WINE.

LIMITED MOISTURE YIELDS

GREATER FLAVOR CONCENTRATION
IN THE GRAPES.

THE HARD WORK AND DEDICATION
TO THE WINEMAKING CRAFT

HAS PAID OFF.

TODAY, WINES FROM THE REGION

ARE ENJOYING
INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION,

AND THE WESTERN CAPE WINEMAKERS

HAVE BECOME
SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTORS

TO THE SOUTH AFRICAN ECONOMY,

GENERATING OVER $3 BILLION
OF REVENUE EVERY YEAR.

THE WINEMAKERS AREN’T
THE ONLY ONES CASHING IN.

ANCIENT TREASURES LIE BURIED
IN THE WATERS HERE.

♪

CUTTING THROUGH
THE VERY NORTHERN PART

OF THE CAPE PROVINCE,

THE ORANGE RIVER IS THE LONGEST
RIVER IN SOUTH AFRICA...

RUNNING 1,400 MILES
EAST TO WEST.

IT’S A RIVER
OF RECREATION AND RICHES.

KANONEILAND IS THE LARGEST
INLAND ISLAND IN SOUTH AFRICA.

SURROUNDED BY THE ORANGE RIVER,

IT’S 2 MILES WIDE
AND 9 MILES LONG.

THE NAME "KANON"--
OR "CANNON"--ISLAND

STEMS FROM THE 1870s

WHEN RIVER PIRATES
LIVED ON THE ISLAND

AND HID IN THE DENSE FOLIAGE.

IN 1879, 80 POLICEMEN
ATTACKED THE PIRATES.

THEY FIRED BACK WITH A CANNON

MADE FROM THE HOLLOWED-OUT TRUNK
OF A SPONGY QUIVER TREE--

NATIVE TO THE REGION.

IT BACKFIRED SPECTACULARLY!

WHEN THE SMOKE CLEARED,

SIX OF THEM LAY DEAD
AMONG THE DEBRIS.

♪

THE ORANGE RIVER CONTINUES
ON ITS WILD RIDE WEST

THROUGH THE AUGRABIES FALLS
NATIONAL PARK.

TEMPERATURES HERE IN SUMMER
OFTEN TOP 100 DEGREES.

ANIMALS LIKE THIS ELAND
HAVE HAD TO ADAPT TO SURVIVE.

GIRAFFES HERE
ARE A LIGHTER SHADE

TO THEIR DISTANT COUSINS

ON THE EASTERN SIDE
OF THE CONTINENT.

THIS ADAPTATION IN PIGMENTATION
AND AN ABUNDANCE OF RIVER WATER

HELPS THEM STAY COOL.

AT AUGRABIES FALLS,

THE ORANGE RIVER THUNDERS
OVER 200 FEET DOWN,

MAKING IT THE WORLD’S
FIFTH HIGHEST WATERFALL.

ITS ROAR IS SO DEAFENING

IT’S KNOWN AS THE PLACE
OF GREAT NOISE.

DURING THE FIRST DOWNPOUR
OF THE RAINY SEASON,

OVER 2 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER

CAN CASCADE OVER THE FALLS
EVERY SECOND,

WHICH EXCEEDS THE ALL-TIME
RECORD SET AT NIAGARA FALLS

OF 1.8 MILLION GALLONS
PER SECOND.

LEGEND HAS IT THAT THE BIGGEST
CACHE OF DIAMONDS IN THE WORLD

LIES IN THE SWIRL-HOLE
AT THE FOOT OF THE WATERFALL.

BUT DON’T GO DIVING IN JUST YET.

THE FORCE OF WATER
FALLING FROM THE TOP

WOULD CRUSH A HUMAN,

AND SOME BELIEVE
THAT THE POOL IS HOME

TO SOUTH AFRICA’S OWN
LOCH NESS MONSTER.

DOWNSTREAM, THE RIVER
CONTINUES ITS PATH

THROUGH AN 11-MILE-LONG,
800-FEET-DEEP GORGE

FLOWING OUT
INTO A MARTIAN LANDSCAPE

KNOWN AS THE RICHTERSVELD.

♪

IT’S A LAND
OF EXTREME TEMPERATURES

CHARACTERIZED
BY A HARSH, DRY LANDSCAPE.

IT’S THE MOST UNDEVELOPED
AND INACCESSIBLE WILDERNESS

IN SOUTH AFRICA.

THIS SECLUSION FROM HUMANS
HAS PRESERVED

AN ASTONISHING VARIETY
OF PLANTS, BIRDS AND WILDLIFE.

♪

THIS IS A QUIVER TREE, A TALL,
BRANCHING SPECIES OF ALOE.

THE SOFT TISSUE INSIDE ITS TRUNK
HOLDS LARGE QUANTITIES OF WATER,

MAKING THEM AN IMPORTANT SOURCE
OF MOISTURE

FOR ANIMALS IN THE REGION.

THE RICHTERSVELD
IS A WONDER TO BEHOLD,

AND THE BEST WAY TO SEE IT
IS BY CANOE.

♪

CANOEISTS TRAVEL
20 MILES PER DAY

THROUGH NARROW, STORMY RAPIDS,

AND WIDE SERENE SECTIONS

WHERE THE ORANGE RIVER CALMS
TO AN EVEN FLOW.

♪

THE LOWER REACHES OF THE RIVER
ARE MOST POPULAR

BECAUSE OF
THE SPECTACULAR VIEWS.

♪

EVEN IN THIS HARSH ENVIRONMENT,

AGRICULTURE MANAGES
TO FIND A FOOTHOLD.

IRRIGATED FIELDS AND VINEYARDS

STRETCH ALONG THE BANKS
OF THE RIVER

FOR OVER 180 MILES.

ABUNDANT SUNNY SKIES
AND THE NEARBY RIVER

MAKE THE VALLEY A PRIME LOCATION
FOR FARMING.

THIS MAN IS HARVESTING
WATER REEDS

THAT CAN BE USED FOR FENCING
AND THATCH ROOFS.

SKILLED ORANGE RIVER GUIDES

LEAD GROUPS DOWNSTREAM
TOWARDS THE COAST.

20 MILES BY CANOE IS EASY,

BUT IN THE DRY WINTER MONTHS,
WHEN WATER LEVELS DROP,

IT’S A BUMPY, ROCK-SCRAPING RIDE

TO THE OVERNIGHT CAMPS
ALONG THE BANKS.

AS THE ORANGE NEARS THE OCEAN,

THE ERNEST OPPENHEIMER BRIDGE
SPANS THE RIVER,

LINKING THE TOWN OF ORANJEMUND
TO ALEXANDER BAY.

OVER THE LAST 80 MILLION YEARS

THE SEA LEVEL HAS RETREATED
AND ADVANCED SEVERAL TIMES,

LEAVING DEPOSITS BOTH ON LAND
AND UNDERWATER.

IT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE MUCH TODAY,

BUT IN 1867 SOMETHING WAS
DISCOVERED IN THE ORANGE RIVER

THAT WOULD BECOME
ONE OF SOUTH AFRICA’S

MOST FAMOUS
AND VALUABLE EXPORTS--

DIAMONDS!
LOTS AND LOTS OF DIAMONDS.

♪

THE DIAMOND STORY HERE

BEGINS AND ENDS WITH ONE NAME--
DE BEERS.

IN 1888 BRITISH BUSINESSMAN
CECIL RHODES

SECURED FUNDING
FROM THE ROTHSCHILD FAMILY

TO BUY ANY PIECE OF LAND

THAT HINTED AT HAVING
DIAMOND DEPOSITS.

SOON THE COMPANY
BECAME SOLE OWNER

OF ALL DIAMOND MINING OPERATIONS
WITHIN THE COUNTRY.

RHODES NAMED THE COMPANY
DE BEERS,

AFTER A FAMILY
WHO OWNED THE FARM

WHERE DIAMONDS
WERE FIRST DISCOVERED.

♪

TODAY, DIVERS TRY THEIR LUCK
LOOKING FOR DIAMONDS

ON THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA.

THESE ARE DIAMOND BOATS.

THEY FILTER SAND
THROUGH LARGE SUCTION HOSES

THAT ARE CAST OUT
BEHIND THE VESSEL.

DIVERS SINK DOWN
TO THE OCEAN FLOOR

AND SHOVE THE HOSES
INTO THE SAND AND GRAVEL,

WHICH IS SUCKED UP
TO THE SURFACE

TO BE SORTED AND SCREENED.

THE WORK IS DANGEROUS
AND GRUELING.

VERY FEW DIAMONDS REMAIN,

BUT DIVERS CONTINUE
TO EKE OUT A LIVING HERE,

HOPING TO STRIKE IT BIG.

DIAMONDS MADE CECIL RHODES
ONE OF THE RICHEST MEN ON EARTH.

HE BECAME PRIME MINISTER
OF THE CAPE COLONY IN 1890,

WHERE HIS INFLUENCE WOULD BE
FELT FOR GENERATIONS TO COME--

FOR BETTER AND FOR WORSE.

♪

IN 1893, CAPE COLONY
PRIME MINISTER CECIL RHODES

BOUGHT THE GROOTE SCHUUR ESTATE,

A PLOT OF LAND ORIGINALLY OWNED
BY THE DUTCH EAST INDIA COMPANY.

TODAY, THE CECIL RHODES MEMORIAL
STANDS ON THE PROPERTY,

IN WHAT HE CLAIMED
WAS HIS FAVORITE SPOT--

THE SLOPES OF DEVIL’S PEAK,
NEXT TO TABLE MOUNTAIN.

THE MONUMENT IS BUILT
LIKE A GREEK TEMPLE,

WITH 49 STEPS SYMBOLIZING
HIS 49 YEARS OF LIFE--

YEARS THAT STILL SHAPE
SOUTH AFRICA TODAY.

NOT FAR BELOW THE MEMORIAL,

ANOTHER STATUE OF RHODES
STOOD FOR MANY YEARS,

ON THE STEPS OF THE UNIVERSITY
OF CAPE TOWN.

BEFORE HIS DEATH,
RHODES’ DIAMOND MINES

HAD HELPED HIM ACCUMULATE

A STAGGERING $1 BILLION
IN WEALTH.

HIS MONEY AND POWERFUL INFLUENCE

HELPED ESTABLISH WHITE MINORITY
RULE IN SOUTH AFRICA.

HIS GOVERNMENT RESTRICTED
THE RIGHTS OF BLACK AFRICANS

BY ALTERING LAWS
ON LANDOWNERSHIP AND VOTING,

PREPARING THE WAY FOR APARTHEID.

♪

ON THE 9th OF MARCH 2015,

BLACK STUDENTS LAUNCHED
A CAMPAIGN ON SOCIAL MEDIA

CALLED "RHODES MUST FALL."

THE PEACEFUL PROTESTS
SENT SHOCKWAVES

THROUGH THE EDUCATION SYSTEM,
DIVIDING PUBLIC OPINION.

EXACTLY ONE MONTH
AFTER THE PROTESTS STARTED,

THE STATUE WAS REMOVED.

♪

JUST NORTH OF THE UNIVERSITY,

THE GROOTE SCHUUR
ACADEMIC HOSPITAL

HOLDS A PROUD PLACE
IN CAPE TOWN’S HISTORY.

THE FIRST HUMAN HEART TRANSPLANT
WAS CONDUCTED HERE IN 1967.

A DOCTOR NAMED
CHRISTIAAN BARNARD

PREFORMED THE COMPLEX PROCEDURE.

WHILE THIS MIRACLE OF MEDICINE
WAS CELEBRATED AROUND THE WORLD,

A BLACK SOUTH AFRICAN
WITH A HEART OF GOLD

WAS PLANNING THE BIGGEST
POLITICAL OPERATION

IN THE COUNTRY’S HISTORY.

FOR NEARLY 400 YEARS
ROBBEN ISLAND WAS A PLACE

OF BANISHMENT, EXILE
AND ISOLATION.

JUST 5 MILES OFFSHORE FROM
CAPE TOWN’S CAREFREE BEACHES,

THIS PRISON COMPLEX HELD CAPTIVE

MANY LEADERS OF SOUTH AFRICA’S
ANTI-APARTHEID MOVEMENT...

INCLUDING ONE OF THE WORLD’S

MOST NOTABLE
POLITICAL ACTIVISTS,

NELSON MANDELA.

MANDELA SPENT A MAJORITY OF HIS
27 YEARS AS A PRISONER HERE,

WHERE HE FACED ROUTINE BEATINGS
AND HARD LABOR.

THE TORTURE WAS MEANT
TO BREAK MANDELA’S SPIRIT.

INSTEAD HE PERSEVERED,

IN SUPPORT OF HIS PEOPLE’S
RIGHTS TO FREEDOM.

WHEN HE WAS FINALLY RELEASED
ON FEBRUARY 11, 1990,

SOUTH AFRICA UNITED TO CELEBRATE
MANDELA’S LONG WALK TO FREEDOM.

JUST HOURS AFTER HIS RELEASE,

NELSON MANDELA MADE
HIS FIRST PUBLIC SPEECH

HERE AT CAPE TOWN CITY HALL.

CROWDS CHEERED AS HE SPOKE
OF FREEDOM FROM THE BALCONY.

BLACK SOUTH AFRICANS
HAD FINALLY BROKEN THE CYCLE

OF COLONIAL RULE.

MANDELA’S RELEASE
WAS WELCOMED BY THE WORLD.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE SANCTIONS
WERE LIFTED,

AND SOUTH AFRICA BECAME PART
OF THE GLOBAL ECONOMY.

♪

ITS STUNNING LOCATIONS
AND LONG SUMMER DAYS

OFFER THE PERFECT SETTING

FOR FASHION PHOTOGRAPHERS
AND MOVIE PRODUCERS.

IN RECENT YEARS,
THE WESTERN CAPE

HAS BECOME A FAVORITE LOCATION

FOR FILMMAKERS
FROM AROUND THE WORLD.

MICHAEL BAY SHOT THE PIRATE
ADVENTURE SERIES "BLACK SAILS"

HERE AT CAPE TOWN STUDIOS.

THE PRODUCERS BUILT SETS
TO REFLECT A CARIBBEAN WORLD,

INCLUDING DEEP SEA TANKS,
A BEACH AND PIRATE SHIPS.

OTHER BIG-BUDGET HOLLYWOOD
PRODUCTIONS SHOT IN THE REGION

INCLUDE THE TV DRAMA "HOMELAND"
AND "MAD MAX, FURY ROAD,"

WITH TOM HARDY

AND SOUTH AFRICAN-BORN
CHARLIZE THERON.

BUT MAKING MOVIES WOULDN’T BE
POSSIBLE WITHOUT POWER,

AND TODAY CAPE TOWN’S
PRIMARY ENERGY SOURCE IS THIS...

SOUTH AFRICA’S LARGEST
NUCLEAR REACTOR.

KOEBERG IS AN 1,800-MEGAWATT
NUCLEAR PLANT

THAT SUPPLIES MORE THAN HALF
THE ELECTRICITY DEMAND

OF THE WESTERN CAPE.

BUT EVEN KOEBERG CAN’T POWER

ALL OF THE CAPE’S
EVER EXPANDING CITIES.

AS SOUTH AFRICA’S
ELECTRICITY DEMANDS INCREASE,

SCIENCE IS LOOKING TO THE SKIES
FOR SOLUTIONS.

KHI SOLAR ONE,

AFRICA’S FIRST CONCENTRATED
SOLAR POWER PROJECT,

PRODUCES 50 MEGAWATTS
OF POWER A DAY.

4,200 GPS-CONTROLLED MIRRORS
REFLECT SUNLIGHT

TO THE TOP
OF THE 673-FOOT TOWER,

WHERE WATER IS BOILED
FOR THE GENERATOR.

SOUTH AFRICA’S SUNNY WEATHER

IS ONE OF THE BEST
SOLAR RESOURCES IN THE WORLD.

THAT SUN, THE SEA, AND
THE STRONG SOUTHEASTERLY WIND,

KNOWN AS THE "CAPE DOCTOR"

BECAUSE IT HELPS RID THE AIR
OF POLLUTION,

MAKE BLOUBERG BEACH

ONE OF THE TOP KITE SURFING
DESTINATIONS IN THE WORLD.

TOURISTS COME FROM ALL OVER
TO HARNESS ITS POWER.

AS THE WIND MAKES LANDFALL,
IT HEATS UP, GATHERING SPEED.

IT STRIKES THE WIND TURBINES
AT THE SERE WIND FARM,

GENERATING 100 MEGAWATTS
OF ELECTRICITY,

ENOUGH TO SUPPLY 124,000 HOMES.

IT’S ONE OF THE LARGEST
WIND FARMS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA

AND COST $375 MILLION
TO BUILD...

BUT IT WILL CUT CARBON EMISSIONS
BY SIX MILLION TONS

OVER THE NEXT 20 YEARS.

BY 2030 SOUTH AFRICA
AIMS TO MEET

42% OF ITS NATIONAL DEMAND
FOR POWER

USING RENEWABLE
ENERGY SOURCES...

WITH CAPE TOWN LEADING THE WAY.

♪

CAPE TOWN HAS BECOME
A MODEL CITY

AND THE GREENEST
IN ALL OF AFRICA.

TODAY, THE MOTHER CITY

IS ALSO A BOOMING EPICENTER
OF GLOBAL COMMERCE...

AND MANY MULTINATIONAL COMPANIES
CALL CAPE TOWN HOME.

WITH BUSINESS COMES PLEASURE.

THE MEDITERRANEAN-LIKE CLIMATE,

PICTURESQUE BEACHES
AND SPECTACULAR SETTING

MAKE CAPE TOWN THE MOST POPULAR
TOURIST DESTINATION

IN ALL OF AFRICA.

♪

SAILORS ARRIVING
IN THE WESTERN CAPE

CONFUSED THIS BODY OF WATER
WITH CAPE TOWN’S TABLE BAY

AND NAMED IT FALSE BAY.

IT LIES ON THE EASTERN SIDE
OF THE CAPE PENINSULA.

IN 1882 THIS RAILWAY LINE
CONNECTED CAPE TOWN TO THE BAY,

TO SERVICE SHIPS ANCHORED HERE.

THE STATION WAS BUILT WITH ROCK

BLASTED FROM
THE SURROUNDING CLIFFS.

THE STONE WAS ALSO USED BY
GOLD AND DIAMOND MINING MAGNATES

VISITING THE BAY.

THEY BUILT OPULENT HOMES
ALL ALONG THE BEAUTIFUL COAST.

TODAY THE METRORAIL FERRIES
PEOPLE TO AND FROM CAPE TOWN.

TOURISTS JUMP ABOARD TO VIEW

THE PALATIAL VICTORIAN HOMES,
ART GALLERIES,

AND STOP TO EAT
AT SEASIDE RESTAURANTS.

FALSE BAY’S BIGGEST DRAW
IS MUIZENBERG BEACH,

KNOWN AS THE EPICENTER
OF SURF CULTURE

SINCE THE 1960s.

THE LONG, SHALLOW BEACH
AND STEADY BREAK

MAKES IT ONE OF THE BEST
SURFING BEACHES ON EARTH

FOR NOVICE AND
EXPERIENCED SURFERS.

THE EARTH WAVE
GLOBAL SURF CHALLENGE

TOOK PLACE HERE IN 2009.

443 SURFERS PADDLED
INTO THE ICY WATER,

THEN 103 RODE BACK IN
ON ONE WAVE,

BREAKING THE WORLD RECORD.

IT’S BECOME A GLOBAL EVENT--
DEDICATED TO OCEAN CONSERVATION.

THE IDEA WAS BORN IN CAPE TOWN,

WHICH IS FAMOUS
FOR ITS OUTDOOR LIFESTYLE.

♪

AND IN 2010,
ALL EYES WERE ON THE CITY

AS IT HOSTED SEVERAL MATCHES
OF THE FIFA WORLD CUP

IN THE NEW 70,000-SEAT
CAPE TOWN ARENA.

♪

FROM THE BAY, TABLE MOUNTAIN
LOOKS VIRTUALLY THE SAME

AS WHEN JAN VAN RIEBEECK
FIRST SET EYES

ON ITS MAJESTIC PROFILE
WAY BACK IN 1652.

AN ICONIC, STEADFAST SYMBOL
OF THE CAPE--

BUT WHILE NOTHING HAS CHANGED
GEOGRAPHICALLY...

CULTURALLY AND POLITICALLY,
THE REGION HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED.

NOW ITS ENDLESS BEACHES,
BOUNTIFUL VINEYARDS

AND WIDE OPEN SPACES

CAN ONCE AGAIN BE CALLED HOME
TO NATIVE AFRICANS,

WHO ARE NOW INTEGRATED INTO
THE MODERN COSMOPOLITAN REGION,

WHERE CULTURAL HERITAGE

RIVALS THE DIVERSITY
OF ITS VARIED LANDSCAPES...

AND WHILE ICONS OF COLONIAL RULE

REMIND US
OF THE BRUTAL STRUGGLE,

A NEW DEMOCRACY IS BUILT
ON THE FOUNDATIONS

OF EQUALITY AND FREEDOM FOR ALL.

♪

♪

♪