Cape Agulhas is the southernmost tip of the African continent.
Cape Agulhas is also called in Portuguese as Cabo das Agulhas which means “Cape of the Needles”. Cape Agulhas is a rocky headland located 176 kilometers southeast of Cape Town, South Africa. It is the geographic southernmost point of the African mainland and the entire African continent; its coastline has rocky and sand beaches; and the waters around it are shallow and well known as one of the best fishing grounds in South Africa. Cape Agulhas is the beginning of the line that decides the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean because the cape’s meridian of 20° E is the official boundary between these two oceans according to the International Hydrographic Organization.
Location
Cape Agulhas is in the southern part of South Africa in the Overberg District of the Western Cape province. It is 176 kilometers southeast of Cape Town and it is 2.5 hours drive away from there.
History
The cape was named by Portuguese navigators, who called it Cabo das Agulhas which means “Cape of Needles”. The coast around the cape is littered with wrecks because over the past few centuries, many ships have sunk around Agulhas hence it is known to sailors as a major hazard. The risk of ships sinking in the proximity of the cape is due to the conditions that the sea off Cape Agulhas is known for naturally strong winds which blow from west to east, and winter storms, and large rogue waves which can rise up to 30 metres high and can even sink large ships, and broad shallow waters around the cape which stretches 250 kilometres southward.
Because of the risk of ships sinking in the proximity of the cape, a lighthouse was constructed in 1849 to aid sailor. The lighthouse is currently also serving as a museum and a small restaurant to visitors. These hazards have combined to make the cape notorious among sailors.
Monument at Cape Agulhas
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