4 similarities between Rio and Cape Town
They may be over 3000 miles apart, but when it comes to Rio de Janiero and Cape Town, they share more than a few things in common. As the second largest cities in Brazil and South Africa respectively, their inclusion on the Clipper Race route is logical.
After racing more than 20,000 nautical miles half-way around the world from London to South East Asia, we reflect on the qualities that both define and unite our first two host cities: Rio de Janeiro and Cape Town.
Portuguese Mountains
Table Mountain is one of Cape Town's most popular tourist attractions with around 800,000 people using the cableway to travel to it every year. It offers views over the city, Table Bay, Robben Island to the north, and the Atlantic seaboard to the west and south. Its uncanny resemblance to a piece of furniture earned the mountain its name, thanks to Portuguese explorer Antonio de Saldanha who became the first man to hike up the mountain and named it Taboa do Cabo (Table of the Cape).
Rio’s Sugar Loaf Mountain or Pão de Açucar, also got its
name from the Portuguese. According to historian Vieira Fazenda, the Portuguese
named the mountain Pão de Açúcar in the 17th century when Brazil was the centre
of the sugar industry. The shape of the mountain resembles the cone-shaped
moulds used to transport sugar from Brazil to Europe. Today it is visited by
over a million tourists every year.
Prison Islands
Robben Island was once home to former South African president Nelson Mandela, who was held in the island’s prison for 18 years. He is one of three former inmates who have gone on to become presidents of South Africa. Kgalema Motlanthe and the current president, Jacob Zuma, being the other two. Today the island is a popular tourist destination that plays a cultural significance in the lives of South Africans.
Apart from housing political prisoners, Robben Island was also used as a leper colony, much like Ilha Grande, Rio’s ‘Big Island’. With its unspoilt tropical beaches, waterfalls, mangroves and sand dunes, it’s hard to imagine this paradise as home to some of Brazil’s most violent criminals. But just like Robben Island, Ilha Grande also housed prisoners- though they weren’t quite president-of-a-country calibre. In 2011, Ilha Grande applied to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a status Robben island achieved back in 1999.
World Cup Cities
Both Rio and Cape Town have been football World Cup host cities. Cape Town for the first time in 2010, and Rio for the second time in 2014. Hosting the quadrennial event changed the landscape of both cities economically, socially and politically, and the effects are still evident today.
The World Cup has been a catalyst for major infrastructure developments in the two locations. There were renovations to airports and state-of-the-art rail system and highway improvements in South Africa. While Brazil saw a significant investment in urban mobility projects, airport and port modernisation projects, and telecommunications infrastructure.
The Clipper Race
The two cities were chosen as route locations on the Clipper Race due to their iconic ports: Marina da Gloria in Rio, and Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town.
Rio and Cape Town have a long history of sailing. With the South Atlantic Race, (formerly Cape-to-Rio) and the Clipper Race, the two cities have put themselves on the map as top sailing destinations. And as Cape Town positions itself as the events capital of Africa, hosting participant sports events is helping to cement the city’s position as a top leisure destination.
South America and Africa are just two out of six continents the Clipper Race passes through, providing a global platform for brands like PSP Logistics and the GREAT Britain Campaign to introduce their business to new markets internationally.
Find out more about the countries we visit and how the Clipper Race can take your destination worldwide.