Cape Agulhas is the southernmost point of Africa

The African continent is of great interest to many travelers. This is due to the peculiarities of the climate, the diversity of the animal and plant world, a strange nature that attracts adventurers. One of the most popular places beloved by tourists, is the city of Cape Town, which stretches along the Atlantic coast. Cape of Good Hope is located not far from it . Very many people consider it to be the southernmost point of Africa. But in fact, this is an erroneous opinion, since Cape Agulhas lies south of the Cape of Good Hope.

Historical facts

Bartolomeu Diaz was the first of the Europeans to reach the southern tip of the African continent. In 1488, this Portuguese navigator arrived to the shores of the Cape Peninsula. He saw a rocky cape. As the sea overboard raged, the shore was called the Cape of the Storms. However, after a while he got another name. Thanks to the fact that the discovery made it possible to find a new sea route to the shores of India, this point became known as the Cape of Good Hope. Until now, many mistakenly assume that this is the southernmost tip of the continent.

Returning from India, Bartolomeu Diaz made another discovery. He discovered Cape Agulhas. In Portuguese, this name sounds like Cabo das Agulhas. Without even knowing it, the Portuguese found the southern point of Africa. The distance between the two capes is approximately 150 km.

This place is considered by the sailors to be very dangerous for navigation, since there are shipwrecks on several occasions near the shores where the Hagi Peak is located.

End point location

Quite often in the lessons of geography give the task to determine the geographical coordinates of a particular point on our planet. In order to find the southern tip of the African continent on the map, the longitude and latitude of the Cape of Iglobal should be known.

What do we know about the location of this extreme point? Territorial Peninsula Agulia refers to South Africa. The needle-cape lies south-east of Cape Town. The distance between the southern end point and the Cape of Good Hope is 155 km. Along the coast, from the Cape land stretched spit, the tip of which is Cape Agulhas. Coordinates of the southernmost point of Africa are 34 ^о 51 ^\ ю.ш. And 20 ^° 00 ^\ east.

The sandy strand, whose duration is 840 km, is located south of the Iglahn Cape and stretches from the Cape peninsula to the bay of Algoa. This area is dangerous for navigation.

The place where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Indian Ocean

If you carefully consider Cape Agulhas on the map, you can see that it is at the point of confluence of two oceans. The fact that the waters of the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean cross here are illustrated by a memorial plaque located on the peninsula. This point was not chosen spontaneously. At this point, ocean currents collide and mix.

As for the boundary point, disputes have been going on for many years already. This is due to the fact that the place of joining the waters of warm and cold currents varies from time to time. However, according to biologists who studied the differences between the flora and fauna of the sea depths, the immediate boundary between the two oceans can be established quite accurately. Observations showed that the differences are due to the difference in water temperature between the eastern and western coasts. It was found that Ecklonia algae reproduce well in cold water. They are in large numbers along the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean to the Iglah Cape, while on the east coast they are much less common.

This argument indicates the correctness of the judgment about where the boundary of the two oceans passes.

Climatic conditions

Cape Agulh is a rocky terrain. The climatic conditions in this region are rather mild. There is little precipitation here, and there are no sharp temperature changes. The Agulia peninsula is part of the national South African park, so nature is protected. According to the synoptic data, the average precipitation is no more than 600 mm per year. The bulk of them falls for the winter period.

Sights of the Iglous Cape

Although Cape Agulhas is not as popular as its competitor Cape of Good Hope, there is much to see. In this area there are many wineries. Tourists are offered to visit excursions and visit tastings.

The local color of local places is very attractive. On the coast you can meet the picturesque huts of fishermen, in the port - a huge variety of fresh fish, which you will kindly prepare in any restaurant.

On the peninsula Agulhas, there is a lighthouse that adorns the Agulhas Cape. The coordinates of this structure are the same as those of the southernmost point of Africa.

Many travelers are eager to come here to see the place where two great oceans meet. A stone monument is erected on the cape, this fact is indicated on the memorial plaque. The image of the arrows shows the tourists on which side of the peninsula is washed by the Atlantic, and with which Indian Ocean.

Dangerous shipping

In winter, the Iglousa cape is raging with a storm, and the waves reach a gigantic size. Their height can reach up to 30 meters, which is dangerous even for the largest ships. For the past 100 years, about 150 ships have sunk near the peninsula. There are several reasons for this:

• In these latitudes strong strong winds blowing from the west are observed.
• A dangerous sandbank.
• The clash of the cold current from the Atlantic to the warm Indian.
• Fast current.

The combination of these factors leads to the fact that quite dangerous waves form near the coast of the Iglah Cape, which can destroy ships. This place is notorious for seamen.

In 1848, a lighthouse was erected on the headland, the height of which is 27 meters. This event was preceded by the death of the ship Arniston, which crashed off the coast of the southern peninsula in 1815.

Currently, the lighthouse serves as a museum and a small restaurant.