ROBBEN ISLAND

Robben Island

Robben Island

Outline

The paper is divided into five main categories, which are as follows

Thesis statement which tells the purpose of this paper.

Introduction of the paper in which a brief introduction is given about Robben Island.

History Importance, in which a detailed history is given of Robben Island is mentioned.

Dark tourism is defined and how dark tourism is related to Robben Island.

The tourist attractions of Robben Island.

The paper ends with a conclusion, summing up the topic.



Thesis Statement

Robben Island is an island named after the leader of Dutch National. With an area of only 5 square kilometers, it seems a forgotten place by the world, and dominated by the huge political prison where were closed the most vocal opponents of the Dutch colonialism. Currently, it is the island's tourist attraction (Buntman, 2003, p. 25-47). Here, we would be discussing the historical background and the importance of Robben Island. Furthermore, we would be discussing the tourism of Robben Island and its attractions.

Introduction

Robben Island, off South Africa in Cape Town, is named after the early Dutch colonists, who renamed Robbeneiland, literally the city of seals. It is easy to see why: a large population of sea lions and penguins in Africa will welcome you just landed on this beautiful island (Klerck, 1973). Today, Robben Island is primarily a destination tourist attraction, visited in one day because of its small size (five kilometers in diameter), but used to house a maximum security prison, the same one where Nelson Mandela the leader he served 18 years in prison (Deacon, 1999, p. 41-53). In this paper we would be discussing the historical importance of the Robben Island, the history of Nelson Mandela and the history of Apartheid in the region,

Historical Background

Robben Island is located in Table Bay, some 6km west of Bloubergstrand, and stands some 30m above sea level. Robben Island has been used for many years as a prison where prisoners were kept isolated from the world and went through severe torture. The island was also used as a post office, a grazing ground, a mental hospital and an outpost (Morales, 2002).

Initially the island was inhabited by a variety of wild life, including birds, penguins, seals and tortoises. Its name "robben" is derived from the Dutch, meaning a seal (Deacon, 1999, p. 41-53). It also had a plentiful supply of fresh water available from a number of springs. The famous Portuguese explorer, Batolomeu Dias, discovered this island in the year 1488 (Fugard, 1976, p. 55-88).

Before 1652, In place of dealings with the indigenous residents on the mainland, most visiting ships to Table Bay preferred to land on Robben Island to replenish their supplies of fresh water and meat. As a result, it also became a major point for the exchange of mail, where letters from an outgoing ship would be left underneath an inscribed stone for collection and delivery by a home-going vessel (Fugard, 1976, p. 55-88). This continued after Jan van Riebeeck arrived at the Cape in 1652, as he had to settle ...