Property Investment and Lifestyle Information for the Western Cape province, South Africa

<body bgcolor="#ffffff"> <h1>Western Cape <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">:: Useful Information, Books, Frog Property Investment</font></h1> <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">          Western Cape is one of the nine South African provinces; the others are Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, Northern Cape, Limpopo, Northwest Province, the Free State and Gauteng. Western Cape itself divides into six areas - Cape Town, West Coast, Boland (Winelands), Overberg, Eden (Garden Route) and Central Karoo.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">          The total area of the country is just over 1.2m square kilometres of which Western Cape occupies 129,000 square kilometres, roughly 10%. The province's population, at 4m people is a slightly less than 10% proportion; nearly 90% of these Cape people live in urban areas. They enjoy the highest per capita income, life expectancy and the second highest literacy rates and educational achievement levels in South Africa. The unemployment rate is also the lowest in South Africa, at 13%. </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">          The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Western Cape was R81 billion (£8bn) in 1999, 15% of South Africa's total GDP. The major sectors in Western Cape were financial intermediation, insurance, real estate and business services (27%), manufacturing (21%), and wholesale, retail trade, catering and accommodation (15%). These sectors, with general government services, were also the major sectors in South Africa as a whole. Mining and quarrying; and electricity, gas and water were minor sectors in Western Cape, whereas wholesale, retail trade, catering and accommodation; agriculture, forestry and fishing; and electricity, gas and water were minor sectors in South Africa as a whole.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">          The Western Cape is culturally diverse and draws on traditions from Europe, South East Asia, India and Africa. Half the population is categorised as 'coloured', a quarter 'white' and a quarter 'African'. A significantly much greater proportion of the Western Cape population speak English (which is also the overwhelming language of commerce) 'at home' than elsewhere in South Africa. Many people speak Afrikaans.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">          This is a highly developed, modern place; people here have the highest number of hospital beds, the highest proportion of households with mains water and with telephone communications. They also have the lowest levels of childbirth, infant mortality and HIV-Aids infection - by far. More than half the population live less than half a kilometre from the nearest hospital. TB rates are, however, disproportionately high.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">         </font><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Figures from British magazine The Economist confirm that South Africa is now the <b>world’s fastest growing property market</b>. The magazine's global house price index, published in September 2004, showed that South Africa boasted the highest growth of all countries in 2004, with an average increase of 30%. Hong Kong came a close second, with growth of 29%. However, what’s more interesting is that South Africa was also the best performing market over the<b> longer term</b>, boasting growth of 195% in the years between 1997 and 2004. This was followed by Ireland, with a 179% increase over the same period. </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">          South Africa's housing market strength has also placed it in the top spot in ResearchWorldwide.com's 2004 world rankings of the 20 best performing countries  with a 32.6% increase in house prices. It also counted among the ten countries experiencing a rising rate of increase in the second half of 2004, the other countries being Belgium, Canada, China, France, Hong Kong, Israel, Norway, Sweden and the United States. The other ten countries saw a slowing in the rate of increase in house prices during the second half of 2004, easing fears that the worldwide housing boom bubble is about to burst. They are Australia, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom. </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">          South Africa is also one of only four countries worldwide that has managed growth in the real estate sectors of their <b>stock exchanges</b>. Fifteen out of nineteen countries saw this sector decline in value in April 2004 compared with March 2004, says ResearchWorldwide.com. The research group’s Real Estate Performance Benchmark shows that April 2004 may prove to be the watershed month for a commencement in the downswing in real estate stocks worldwide.US stock exchanges recorded the largest fall. With the recent "whiff" of higher inflation, higher interest rates and higher economic growth in the US, stock market investors are now dumping real estate stocks. </font></p> <p><a href="../5_property_information/50-property-frameset.html">Property Market Property Types Investment Options Purchase Processes</a></p> <p><a href="../6_geography_information/60-geog-frameset.html">Places Locations Cape Town West Coast Winelands Boland Overberg Karoo Garden Route Eden</a></p> <p><a href="../7_lifestyle_information/70-lifestyle-frameset.htm">Lifestyle Resources Culture Nature Climate</a></p> <p><a href="../8_recreation_information/80-recreation-frameset.htm">Recreation Sport Leisure Activities Tourism</a></p> <p><a href="90-further-frameset.html">Other Information Books Further Reading Contact Us Index</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.frog-property.com">Frog Property Investment</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.andalucia.ft6.com">Information about Property and Lifestyle in the Costa del Sol, Andalucia, Spain</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.costamap.ft6.com">Map of the Costa del Sol, Andalucia, Spain</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.costatour.ft6.com">Property Guided Tour of the Costa del Sol, Andalucia, Spain</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.grehan.ukhq.co.uk">Voyaging the French canals and rivers in a boat and sailing a yacht in the Mediterranean Spain</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.lapina.co.uk">Self-catering holiday town house apartment to rent by Alhaurin Golf, in the Andalucia countryside, near beach, Costa del Sol, Spain</a></p> <p>They enjoy the highest per capita income, life expectancy and the second highest literacy rates and educational achievement levels in South Africa. The unemployment rate is also the lowest in South Africa, at 13%.</p> <p>apartment, beach, bulgaria, Bulgaria, buy, california, California, camps bay, Camps Bay, Cape Town, cape west, capetown, Capetown, clifton, Clifton, condominium, co-ownership, costa, costa blanca, costa brava, costa del sol, cote d'azur, countryside, croatia, Croatia, culture, data, deal, developer, development, education, emigrate, emigration, estate agent, evidence, farmstead, flat, florida, Florida, Frog, Frog Properties, fund, garden, golf, government, growth, growth fund, guide, healthcare, holiday home, home, house, information, infrastructure, investment, investment fund, land, loan, mortgage, new zealand, New Zealand, newcombe, Newcombe, pension, pension fund, penthouse, plot, price, prices, profit, property, property market, purchase, recreation, reference, relocate, relocation, rent, rental market, retirement, safe, sailing, security, sell, shared ownership, simonstown, South Africa, Spain, spain, sport, st helena, St Helena, statistics, stellenbosch, table mountain, tennis, timeshare, townhouse, vacation, villa, western cape, Western Cape, westerncape, wine, winery</p> <h1>Clear, comprehensive information about the Western Cape</h1> <p>property, investment, reference data, infrastructure resources, lifestyle and geography. No adverts. No selling.</p> <p>The Western Cape or Cape West</p> <p>South Africas Western Cape province is truly one of the most desirable places on earth to live and work. It is like New Zealand or California or Florida or the Spanish Costas. Wonderful climate, and beautiful scenery and geography and beaches. With one of the worlds most attractive cities, Cape Town and its exclusive suburbs Clifton and Camps Bay. Many British people have moved there. It is a safe and secure area with a modern well developed infrastructure of roads and telecommunications. Excellent education system including schools, colleges and universities.</p> <p>This is a great place to buy property or to invest in property, with a stable and rising market and where properties are comparatively cheap compared with other places in the world that are as attractive. The countryside includes wineries and farmsteads. You can play golf and live in one the many lush golf condominiums. Or play tennis, or sail or indulge in one of many watersports. The language spoken is English.</p> <p>You can find and purchase land or plots. Or buy an apartment or a villa to live and work in, or as a holiday home or second home or as a great investment with secure growth potential. Urban, rural or suburban.</p> <p>This website is a guide to the Western Cape, clear comprehensive information about the Western Cape.</p> <p>Apartment, beach, bulgaria, Bulgaria, buy, california, California, camps bay, Camps Bay, Cape Town, cape west, capetown, Capetown, clifton, Clifton, condominium, co-ownership, costa, costa blanca, costa brava, costa del sol, cote d'azur, countryside, croatia, Croatia, culture, data, deal, developer, development, education, emigrate, emigration, estate agent, evidence, farmstead, flat, florida, Florida, Frog, Frog Properties, fund, garden, golf, government, growth, growth fund, guide, healthcare, holiday home, home, house, information, infrastructure, investment, investment fund, land, loan, mortgage, new zealand, New Zealand, newcombe, Newcombe, pension, pension fund, penthouse, plot, price, prices, profit, property, property market, purchase, recreation, reference, relocate, relocation, rent, rental market, retirement, safe, sailing, security, sell, shared ownership, simonstown, South Africa, Spain, spain, sport, st helena, St Helena, statistics, stellenbosch, table mountain, tennis, timeshare, townhouse, vacation, villa, western cape, Western Cape, westerncape, wine, winery.</p> <h1></h1> </body>