Robben Island Prison Museum

Robben Island, the place where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 (out of 27) years, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999. It was used as a maximum security prison during South Africa's Apartheid era, and has since become a symbol of the strength and endurance of its political prisoners, and "the triumph of the human spirit, of freedom, and of democracy over oppression." (Quote from UNESCO World Heritage site, citing reasons for its inscription.)

The island has a long history, visited by the Khoi long before an Europeans arrived, it was named by Portuguese sailors for the plentiful seals (Dutch for seals = 'rob'). The island has also been known as Penguin Island. It was first made a place of banishment by Jan van Riebeeck in 1658, and has since served as a prison, a leper colony, and as a defensive station during World War II.

Find out more with this photographic tour of Robben Island Prison Museum.

^{Image © Marion Boddy-Evans. Licensed to About.com, Inc.}