Robben Island
Cape Town
Robben Island is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 kilometres (4.3 mi) west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, north of Cape Town, South Africa. It takes its name from the Dutch word for seals, hence the DutchAfrikaans name Robbeneiland, which translates to Seal(s) Island.
Robben Island is roughly oval in shape, 3.3 kilometres (2 miles) long northsouth, and 1.9 km wide, with an area of 5.08 km2. It is flat and only a few metres above sea level, as a result of an ancient erosion event. It was fortified and used as a prison from the late-seventeenth century until 1996, after the end of apartheid.
Photo: South African Tourism from South Africa (CC BY 2.0); Stephantom (CC BY-SA 3.0); Harvey Barrison from Massapequa, NY, USA (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Robben Island is roughly oval in shape, 3.3 kilometres (2 miles) long northsouth, and 1.9 km wide, with an area of 5.08 km2. It is flat and only a few metres above sea level, as a result of an ancient erosion event. It was fortified and used as a prison from the late-seventeenth century until 1996, after the end of apartheid.
Photo: South African Tourism from South Africa (CC BY 2.0); Stephantom (CC BY-SA 3.0); Harvey Barrison from Massapequa, NY, USA (CC BY-SA 2.0)