Worcester

South Africa
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

Worcester, town, Western Cape province, South Africa. It lies in the Breë River valley, between the rugged Dutoits and Hex River mountains, east-northeast of Cape Town. Worcester was founded in 1820 and attained municipal status in 1842. It is a prominent viticultural centre, and fruit processing and canning, brandy distilling, wool milling, and light manufacturing are its economic mainstays. The town has schools for the blind and the deaf. The Karoo National Botanic Garden (371 acres [150 hectares]), just north of the town, specializes in succulent plants indigenous to the Karoo region. Pop. (2001) 66,349.