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Unesco declared Robben Island a World Heritage Site in 1999. It sits 12 km from Cape Town across St Helena Bay. Robben Island is located in Table Bay, some 6km west of Bloubergstrand, and stands some 30m above sea level. The island has performed many functions. It was first used as a outpost or refreshment stop for ships rounding the Cape, as a result it also became a major point for the exchange of mail. Letters from an outgoing ship would be left underneath an inscribed stone for collection and delivery by a home-going vessel. It became a prison island in the 1600s, when the Dutch used it as a place of exile for individuals that rebelled or opposed Dutch rule. Many indigenous African leaders, Muslim leaders from the East Indies, Dutch and British soldiers, civilians as well as women were confined to this island. The island was also used as mental in the 1800s and as a defence station during World War Two. The first person to escape from the island was the Khoikhoi chieftain, Autshumato. In 1961 it started being used as a prison again. During apartheid many Black people were kept on Robben Island as political prisoners. Since 1997, the island has become a museum and heritage site (also on list of natural sites).

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