Cape Town's colourful history and combination of mountains and sea make it one of the most attractive cities in the world. Known affectionately as the Mother City, it is by far the oldest urban centre in South Africa. In 1652 the Dutch East India Company sent Jan van Riebeeck here to establish a fresh-produce garden (the Company's Garden) to supply its passing ships. The small way station grew gradually into a town, then into a city, passing from Dutch to British control in 1795. After the formation of the Union in 1910, Cape Town became, and remains, the legislative capital of the country and seat of Parliament.