Kommetjie
Encyclopedia
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, in the Western Cape
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...
province of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It lies about half way down the west coast of the Cape Peninsula
Cape Peninsula
The Cape Peninsula is a generally rocky peninsula that juts out for 75 km into the Atlantic Ocean at the south-western extremity of the African continent. At the southern end of the peninsula are Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope...
, at the southern end of the long wide beach that runs northwards towards Chapman's Peak
Chapman's Peak
Chapman's Peak is the name of a mountain on the western side of the Cape Peninsula, about 15 kilometres south of Cape Town, South Africa. It is opposite the inlet on which the town of Hout Bay is centred....
and Noordhoek
Noordhoek, Cape Town
Noordhoek is a suburb of Cape Town, South Africa, located below Chapman's Peak on the west coast of the Cape Peninsula, approximately thirty-five kilometres to the south of the city itself. The name "Noordhoek" was taken from Dutch and literally means "north corner"...
.
The village is situated around a small, natural and rocky inlet that resembles a basin. There is some evidence that this basin was used as a fish trap by prehistoric peoples. The area is a popular spot for surfing
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
, since powerful waves from the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
rise up over rocky reefs formed by hard sandstones of the Table Mountain Group. Wherever the bottom is rocky, the shallower waters are thick with giant kelp
Kelp
Kelps are large seaweeds belonging to the brown algae in the order Laminariales. There are about 30 different genera....
forests.
Kommetjie is famous for its excellent crayfishing
Spiny lobster
Spiny lobsters, also known as langouste or rock lobsters, are a family of about 45 species of achelate crustaceans, in the Decapoda Reptantia...
despite recent changes in fishing quotas which have seen a drastic reduction in the daily catch allowed.
Local Business
Kommetjie supports a small number of small enterprises, including a Shell garage (including a Shell Select), a convenience store, a laundromat, a small mail-order computer business, a video shop, a café, and a variety of restaurants.The Kommetjie Post Shoppe, situated in the Village Place, has a SA Post office agency which also offers internet access.
Kommetjie , Afrikaans for “small basin”, is an isolated little town situated below mountains, which supports part of the Cape Peninsula. The town boast with Slangkop Lighthouse, situated on the beach and stands about 33 meters tall. The lighthouse can be seen from the mountain pass “Ou Kaapse Weg” and has been around since 1919. The famous Pick n Pay Argus Cycle Tour passes each year through this small town and is also popular for local and international surfing. Situated on the Atlantic Ocean has cold water and attractive waves for surfing and crayfish and fishing. It is a quite and relaxing town ideal for camping and getaways. Not far from Kommetjie, along Long Beach lies The Kakapo Shipwreck, which ran aground in 1900, near Noordhoek.
Fauna and Flora
Kommetjie hosts a variety of plant and animal species, many of which are endangered. Kommetjie is especially well known for its MilkwoodMilkwood
Milkwood may refer to:Plant species or genera* Alstonia, a widespread genus of evergreen trees and shrubs from the dogbane family Apocynaceae* Sideroxylon inerme, or White Milkwood of southern Africa, a member of the Sapotaceae...
groves, birdwatching
Birdwatching
Birdwatching or birding is the observation of birds as a recreational activity. It can be done with the naked eye, through a visual enhancement device like binoculars and telescopes, or by listening for bird sounds. Birding often involves a significant auditory component, as many bird species are...
and baboon
Baboon
Baboons are African and Arabian Old World monkeys belonging to the genus Papio, part of the subfamily Cercopithecinae. There are five species, which are some of the largest non-hominoid members of the primate order; only the mandrill and the drill are larger...
troops, which frequently come down from their home on the nearby hills to raid for food among the residences.
Kommetjie is also part of the fynbos
Fynbos
Fynbos is the natural shrubland or heathland vegetation occurring in a small belt of the Western Cape of South Africa, mainly in winter rainfall coastal and mountainous areas with a Mediterranean climate...
biome, which boasts the highest number of plant species per square kilometre. Some of the rarest and most sought after plants are found in this biome, but face threat from a variety of aliens, mostly Australian plants, imported in the 1800s. In a twist of irony, some fynbos plants have now become invasive aliens in parts of Australia.