A marker at Cape Agulhas indicates the official dividing line between the Atlantic and Indian oceans. The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's Oceanic divisions covering about 20% of the water on the Earth 's surface

Cape Agulhas (Portuguese: Cabo das Agulhas, "Cape of Needles") is the geographic southern tip of the African continent, commonly thought to be the nearby Cape of Good Hope, and is defined for hydrographic purposes to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian oceans. Portuguese ( or língua portuguesa) is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia (Spain and northern Portugal. Africa is a Continent comprising 61 political territories (including 53 countries) representing the largest of the great southward projections from the A continent is one of several large Landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by Convention rather than any strict criteria with seven regions The Cape of Good Hope ( Afrikaans: Kaap die Goeie Hoop, Kaap de Goede Hoop Cabo da Boa Esperança Persian Language: دماغه امید نیک Hydrography focuses on the measurement of physical characteristics of Waters and marginal land The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's Oceanic divisions covering about 20% of the water on the Earth 's surface 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. In Sailing, the clipper route was the traditional route sailed by clipper ships between Europe and the Far East, Australia and In Sailing, the great capes are the three major capes of the Southern Ocean — the Cape of Good Hope (although sometimes Cape Agulhas It was most commonly known in English as Cape Lagullas until the 20th century.

Geography

Panorama from the lighthouse around the cape

Cape Agulhas is the southernmost point in the continent of Africa. Africa is a Continent comprising 61 political territories (including 53 countries) representing the largest of the great southward projections from the It is located at 34°50′00″S, 20°00′09.15″E in the Overberg region, 170 kilometres (105 mi) southeast of Cape Town. This article is about the region in South Africa For other meanings see Overberg (disambiguation The Overberg is a region in The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States Cape Town (Kaapstad Xhosa: Ikapa) is the second most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the metropolitan municipality of the The cape was named by Portuguese navigators, who called it Cabo das Agulhas — Portuguese for "Cape of Needles" — after noticing that the direction of magnetic north coincided with true north in the region. The Portuguese people (os Portugueses literally the Portuguese) are the Ethnic group or Nation native to the country of Portugal, in the west Portuguese ( or língua portuguesa) is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia (Spain and northern Portugal. The magnetic declination (also known as grid magnetic angle in military circles at any point on the Earth is the angle between the local magnetic field -- the direction noted by the Chinese Polymath Shen Kuo in the 11th century and possibly the egyptians over 6 millenia ago ^[1] The cape is within the Cape Agulhas Municipality of the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Cape Agulhas Municipality is a municipality located in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa ^[2]

The cape is defined by the International Hydrographic Organization to be the dividing point between the Indian and Atlantic oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO was originally established in 1921 as the International Hydrographic Bureau (IHB The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's Oceanic divisions covering about 20% of the water on the Earth 's surface An ocean (from Greek, ''Okeanos'' (Oceanus) is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the Hydrosphere. ^[3] South of Cape Agulhas the warm Agulhas Current that flows south along the east coast of Africa retroflects back into the Indian Ocean. The Agulhas Current is the Western Boundary Current of the South-West Indian Ocean and is part of the westward flowing South Equatorial Current 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 constitutes one of the key elements in the global conveyor belt circulation of heat and salt. The term thermohaline circulation (THC refers to the part of the large-scale ocean circulation that is thought to be driven by global density gradients created by surface heat and

Map showing the location of Cape Agulhas relative to the Cape of Good Hope. The Cape of Good Hope ( Afrikaans: Kaap die Goeie Hoop, Kaap de Goede Hoop Cabo da Boa Esperança Persian Language: دماغه امید نیک

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. The Cape of Good Hope ( Afrikaans: Kaap die Goeie Hoop, Kaap de Goede Hoop Cabo da Boa Esperança Persian Language: دماغه امید نیک 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 Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of 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. Table Mountain is a flat-topped Mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa, and is featured in the Cape Point is a Promontory at the south-east corner of the Cape Peninsula, which is a mountainous and very scenic landform that runs north-south for about thirty kilometres

The climate is extremely mild, with no temperature or rainfall extremes. The average rainfall is 500mm per annum, mostly received in winter (unverified, as closest data is from Bredasdorp). Bredasdorp is a small Overberg town located in the Western Cape Province in South Africa Temperature climate data is available for Cape Agulhas, averages are:

• Jan max: 23,8ºC (min: 17,7ºC); Jul max: 16,5ºC (min: 10,8ºC)

Shipping hazards

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. Rogue waves, also known as freak waves, monster waves or extreme waves, are relatively large and spontaneous Ocean surface waves that are a threat The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International The foot is an Anatomical structure found in many Animals It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows Locomotion. 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. The Roaring Forties is a name given especially by sailors to the latitudes between 40°S and 50°S so called because of the boisterous and prevailing westerly winds The Antarctic Circumpolar Current ( ACC) is an Ocean current that flows from west to east around Antarctica. The Agulhas Current is the Western Boundary Current of the South-West Indian Ocean and is part of the westward flowing South Equatorial Current 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. The Agulhas Bank is a broad shallow part of the Continental shelf which extends south of Cape Agulhas before falling away steeply away to the Abyssal The continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each Continent and associated Coastal plain, which is covered during interglacial periods such The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States Abyssal plains are flat or very gently sloping areas of the deep Ocean basin floor

These hazards have combined to make the cape notorious among sailors; the coast here is littered with wrecks. Arniston (1815), Cooranga (1964), Elise (1879), European (1877), Federal Lakes (1975), Geortyrder (1849), Gouritz (1981), and Gwendola (1968) are just a few of the vessels lost in the proximity of the "Cape of Needles. Overview East Indiaman operated under charter or licence to the Honourable East India Company, which held a monopoly granted by Queen Elizabeth I "^[4] Owing to the hazards and following the loss of several vessels, notably the Arniston, a lighthouse was built in 1848, this being only the second one to be built in the country. Overview East Indiaman operated under charter or licence to the Honourable East India Company, which held a monopoly granted by Queen Elizabeth I Year 1848 ( MDCCCXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap ^[5]

See also

• Cape Agulhas Local Municipality, the municipality containing Cape Agulhas. Cape Agulhas Municipality is a municipality located in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.
• Cape of Good Hope, near Cape Town, which is often incorrectly regarded as the southernmost point of Africa. The Cape of Good Hope ( Afrikaans: Kaap die Goeie Hoop, Kaap de Goede Hoop Cabo da Boa Esperança Persian Language: دماغه امید نیک Cape Town (Kaapstad Xhosa: Ikapa) is the second most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the metropolitan municipality of the
• Google satellite map

References

External links

• Cape Agulhas / Struisbaai / Overberg Coast, from South Africa Online Travel Guide
• The estuary of the Heuningnes River, the southernmost in Africa, with tip cut off bottom of diagram