Montagu | |
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Clockwise from the top: A view down the main street in Montagu, a historic home, Montagu Museum, Great Trek Monument, the Montagu Dutch Reformed Church. | |
Coordinates: 33°47′S 20°7′E / 33.783°S 20.117°E | |
Country | South Africa |
Province | Western Cape |
District | Cape Winelands |
Municipality | Langeberg |
Established | 1856[1] |
Area | |
• Total | 32.71 km2 (12.63 sq mi) |
Population (2011)[2] | |
• Total | 15,176 |
• Density | 460/km2 (1,200/sq mi) |
Racial makeup (2011) | |
• Black African | 6.4% |
• Coloured | 75.7% |
• Indian/Asian | 0.5% |
• White | 16.4% |
• Other | 1.0% |
First languages (2011) | |
• Afrikaans | 91.2% |
• English | 5.5% |
• Xhosa | 1.5% |
• Other | 1.9% |
Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
Postal code (street) | 6720 |
PO box | 6720 |
Area code | 023 |
Website | http://www.montagu-ashton.info |
Montagu is a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa, about 180 kilometres (110 mi) from Cape Town in the Western Little Karoo.
The town is named after former secretary of the Cape Colony, John Montagu, but was once known as Agter Cogman's Kloof, Cogman's Kloof linking the town and railway station. It is situated at the confluence of the Keisie and Kingna rivers.
Montagu was founded on the farm "Uitvlugt" in 1851, and is known for its hot mineral springs and scenic mountains. It is also an agricultural centre, where orchards and vineyards are in production and local herbs are grown. The farming area, 'Koo', lies north of the town and is famous for the quality of its apples, pears, apricots and peaches.