Robben Island is an island in
Table Bay, 6.9 km west of the coast of
Bloubergstrand,
Cape Town, South Africa. The name is
Dutch for "seal island." Robben Island is roughly oval in shape, 3.3 km long north-south, and 1.9 km wide, with an area of 5.07 km². It is flat and only a few metres above sea level, as a result of an ancient erosion event.
Nobel Laureate and former
President of South Africa Nelson Mandela was imprisoned there for 18 of the 27 years he served behind bars before the fall of
apartheid. To date, three of the former inmates of Robben Island have gone on to become President of South Africa: Nelson Mandela,
Kgalema Motlanthe, and current President
Jacob Zuma.