Noordhoek, Cape Town

Noordhoek is a seaside town in the Western Cape, South Africa, located below Chapman's Peak on the west coast of the Cape Peninsula and is approximately 35 kilometres (22 mi) to the south of Cape Town. The name "Noordhoek" was taken from Dutch and literally means "north corner". It is best known for its shoreline and its long, wide, sandy beach, which stretches south to the neighbouring village of Kommetjie. Near the southern end of this beach is the wreck of the steamship "Kakapo", which ran aground in 1900, when the captain mistook Chapmans' Peak for the Cape of Good Hope and put the helm over to port.[2]

Noordhoek
Noordhoek Beach from Chapman's Peak Drive with Kommetjie in the distance.
Noordhoek Show map of Western Cape Noordhoek Show map of South Africa
Coordinates: 34.104°S 18.360°E / -34.104; 18.360
Country	South Africa
Province	Western Cape
Municipality	City of Cape Town
Area [1]
• Total	29.05 km2 (11.22 sq mi)
Population  (2011)[1]
• Total	31,980
• Density	1,100/km2 (2,900/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011) [1]
• Black African	67.3%
• Coloured	2.3%
• Indian/Asian	0.4%
• White	24.6%
• Other	5.4%
First languages (2011) [1]
• Xhosa	47.4%
• English	28.5%
• Afrikaans	4.8%
• Sotho	1.1%
• Other	18.2%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
PO box	7979

Noordhoek can be accessed either from the scenic coastal road, Chapman's Peak Drive, which leads out of Hout Bay or via the mountain road Ou Kaapse Weg which cuts through the Silvermine Nature Reserve - now part of the Table Mountain National Park. Noordhoek is a small scattered community of houses, often with sea views and has a large horse population as riding on the long sandy beach is common. Many artists live in Noordhoek.