Cape Town is the South African city overlooked by the flat-topped landmark known as Table Mountain.
Table Mountain forms the dramatic backdrop to Cape Town’s City Bowl and is one of the city’s defining geographical features. Its broad plateau is roughly 3 kilometres across and is flanked by Devil’s Peak and Lion’s Head. The mountain’s highest point, Maclear’s Beacon, rises to about 1,086 metres above sea level.
Its unusually level summit is the result of geology and erosion. Hard quartzitic sandstone resisted weathering while softer surrounding layers wore away, leaving a broad, table-like platform. Clouds that spill over the plateau are locally called the “table cloth,” a familiar weather phenomenon when southeasterly winds push moist air up the slopes.
Cape Town is sometimes confused with Pretoria or Johannesburg because all three are major South African cities. Durban is another important coastal city, but Table Mountain is specifically associated with Cape Town. Visitors can reach the summit by cableway or by hiking routes such as Platteklip Gorge.