TABLE BAY

bay of the Atlantic Ocean near the southern tip of Africa forming the harbour of Cape Town. Extending north from Cape Town to Melkbosstrand, the bay is 12 mi (19 km) long and 8 mi wide; it contains Robben Island (q.v.) and is overlooked by Table Mountain. Portuguese navigators were the first Europeans to see the bay (c. 1500). Although it was less well sheltered than other bays along the coast, it was favoured by the availability of fresh water and therefore became a place of call for ships voyaging to India and the East. The shore was permanently settled (1652) by the Dutch.