Cape Agulhas
Cape Agulhas (
Portuguese:
Cabo das Agulhas, "Cape of Needles") is the geographic
southern tip of the
African continent, and is defined for hydrographic purposes to be the dividing line between the
Atlantic and
Indian oceans. Historically, the cape has been known to sailors as a major hazard on the traditional
clipper route, and is sometimes regarded as one of the
great capes.
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Panorama from the lighthouse around the cape |
Cape Agulhas is the
southernmost point in the continent of
Africa. It is located at , in a rural area 170
kilometres (105
mi) south-east of
Cape Town. The cape was named by
Portuguese navigators, who called it Cape Agulhas â€"
Portuguese for "Needle Cape" â€" in reference to the rocks and reefs that have wrecked many ships in the area. The cape is within the
Cape Agulhas Municipality of the
Western Cape Province of
South Africa.
The cape is defined by the
International Hydrographic Organization to be the dividing point between the
Indian and
Atlantic oceans. South of Cape Agulhas the warm
Agulhas Current that flows south along the east coast of Africa retroflects back into the Indian Ocean. While retroflecting it pinches off large ocean eddies (Agulhas rings) that drift into the South Atlantic Ocean and take enormous amounts of heat and salt into the neighboring ocean. This mechanism consitutes one of the key elements in the global
conveyor belt circulation of heat and salt.
Unlike its better-known relative, the
Cape of Good Hope, Cape Agulhas is relatively unspectacular, consisting of a gradually curving coastline with a rocky beach. A
survey marker indicates the location of the cape, which would otherwise be difficult to identify. The waters near the coast are quite shallow and are renowned as one of the best fishing grounds in
South Africa.
The rocks that form Cape Agulhas belong to the Table Mountain Group, often loosely termed the Table Mountain sandstone. They are closely linked to the geological formations that are exposed in the spectacular cliffs of
Table Mountain,
Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope.
Shipping hazards
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The lighthouse at Cape Agulhas has guided many ships around the cape over the years. |
The sea off Cape Agulhas is notorious for winter storms and mammoth
rogue waves, which can range up to 30
metres (100
ft) high and can sink even large ships. These conditions are caused by a number of factors. The naturally strong winds of the
roaring forties, which blow from west to east, and the cold
Antarctic Circumpolar Current flowing in the same direction, come up against the warmer Agulhas Current in the region of the cape. These conflicting currents of water of different densities, and the west winds blowing against the Agulhas Current, can create extremely hazardous wave conditions; these are further exacerbated by the shallow waters of the
Agulhas Bank, a broad, shallow part of the
continental shelf which juts 250
kilometres (155
mi) south from the cape, after which it falls steeply away to the
abyssal plain.
These hazards have combined to make the cape notorious among sailors; the coast here is littered with wrecks. Cooranga, Elise, European, Federal Lakes, Geortyrder, Gouritz and Gwendola are just a few of the vessels lost at the "Cape of Needles". Owing to the hazards and following the loss of several vessels, a lighthouse was built in
1848.
*
Cape_Agulhas_Local_Municipality, the muncipality containing Cape Agulhas.
*
Cape of Good Hope, near
Cape Town, which is often incorrectly regarded as the southernmost point of Africa.
*
Google satellite map*
Cape Agulhas / Struisbaai / Overberg Coast, from South Africa Online Travel Guide
*
The estuary of the Heuningnes River, the southernmost in Africa
