Table Mountain is one of South Africa’s best known landmarks. This flat-topped mountain rises behind the city center of Cape Town, overlooking Table Bay. The highest point, Maclear’s Beacon, is 3,563 feet (1,086 meters) above sea level. Table Mountain can be seen from ships up to 120 miles (200 kilometers) away. The mountain is floodlit at night. A cableway built in 1929 carries passengers up the mountain. The mountain and nearby natural areas make up Table Mountain National Park.
Table Mountain consists of shale and sandstone. Hard, resistant quartz in the sandstone led to the formation of the flat top after softer rock was worn away. The Portuguese admiral António de Saldanha is said to have given the mountain its name (Taboa do Montanha in Portuguese) in 1503.
