What is the cape and dune?

The word "cape" is found in the onboard journal of any traveler. Columbus, Vasco da Gama, Magellan and other navigators of different times carefully examined the capes from afar, reached them, rounded and left on land to explore the terrain. What is the cape in geography?

Description

What is the cape? This is part of the land (mountain, arrow, lapta), outstanding sharp end in the sea, river, lake. More often it is composed of the same rocks as the continent, but can have the character of sediment. Cape is formed due to erosion processes (destruction of rocks and soils by water). The protrusions soften the energy of the waves directed to the main land, while gradually changing their form, sometimes becoming a cave or an arch.

Sometimes the ledges are so large that they resemble a part of the land that is washed on three sides by the water. For example, the Crimean riddle Cape Meganom is also called a mountainous peninsula on the peninsula, since it is composed of several capes. Apparently, for resemblance to the respiratory organ acting on the face, the inhabitants of the former European part of the Soviet Union, the Far East and Siberians call the cape a "nose".

Extreme points of Russia

What is the cape, where are the most famous extreme protrusions of the continents, what are they famous for? About this you can write a lot, because all the capes are difficult even to list: Green, Almadi, Horn, Nordkin, Piai, Cabo Branco, Frouord, Byron, Dezhneva, Chelyuskin - everyone has their own interesting story.

For example, Cape Dezhnev - the extreme eastern continent of Eurasia, was first achieved in 1648 by the expedition of Semyon Dezhnev. It is proved that America is not connected with Eurasia, and the northern seas around Siberia will bring people from Europe to China. Before the cape received the name of the Russian traveler Dezhnev, he was called the "Great Chukchi nose".

Cape Chelyuskin (Taimyr peninsula) is the northernmost point of Eurasia. It was opened by the expedition of the Russian polar navigator Semyon Chelyuskin in 1742. Prior to the assignment of the current name was East-North. In 1919 the Norwegian polar explorer Rual Amundsen visited here. Thinking that he would perish, the forwarding agent decided to hide the information obtained in the journey, on the cape. To do this, built a guri (a pyramid of stones).

Cape of Good Hope

What is the Cape of Good Hope? This "wedge", which for a long time was considered the southern tip of Africa. But it turned out that this is not so. In 155 kilometers to the south-east of it is Cape Agulh, which is that extreme point. But in the textbooks of geography much more and more often they describe the Cape of Good Hope. It is believed that it is the south-western outskirts of Africa (although there is an opinion that the right to be so named belongs to the Cape Point protrusion).

In any case, the discovery of the Portuguese navigator Bartolomeu Dias, made in 1488, can not be overestimated. With the Cape of Good Hope the world has come a new trade route to India, the one that goes around the African continent.

It is noteworthy that Dias found himself at the cape against his original plans. The terrible storms disoriented the ship. Impressed by the experience, the discoverer wanted to name his discovery Cape Storm. But the King of Portugal, João II, felt that this could hamper the further development of the sea route to India, and decided, though better, that the cape bears the name of the Good Hope.

Movement of sand

Let's talk about land, for example, about sand dunes. This positive form of relief is formed under the influence of winds. Windward side - a low hill with a steepness of up to 15 degrees. Leeward, in turn, reaches 35 degrees. If the dune stands alone, it looks like a sickle whose edges are like horns.

However, in sand deserts, single hills are a rarity, mostly merged chains. The slope of each is the same as that of a solitary one. The edges of the dune grow into greenery and are fixed. A powerful loose part continues to move. Unlike these sandy "travelers", the dunes have a convex part to the wind, they do not move in the middle, but in the edges.

Dunes often occupy the territory of sandy beaches in different soil and vegetation zones. They move in the direction of the water at a speed of up to 20 meters per year, falling asleep roads, fields. To stop them, you need strengthening work.

Now you know what a dune and cape is and do not confuse them with other geographical concepts and terms.