Cape Agulhas

{{Short description|Headland in the Western Cape, South Africa}} {{For|the municipality|Cape Agulhas Local Municipality}} {{Use South African English|date=May 2012}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2014}} {{OSM Location map | coord = {{coord|-35|19.5}} | zoom = 7 | float = right | width = 340 | height = 370 | caption = Cape Agulhas is the southernmost part of South Africa. Also shown is the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of the Cape Peninsula, approximately {{cvt|50|km}} south of central Cape Town.

| label1 = Cape of Good Hope | mark-coord1 = {{coord|-34.3579413|18.4723393}} | label-pos1 = bottom | label-size1 = 11 | label-color1 = hard grey | mark-title1 = Cape of Good Hope

| label2 = Cape Agulhas | mark-coord2 = {{coord|-34.8332036|19.9999325}} | mark-title2 = Cape Agulhas }} [[Image:Agulhas.jpg|thumb|A marker at Cape Agulhas indicates the official dividing line between the Atlantic and Indian oceans.]]

'''Cape Agulhas''' ({{IPAc-en|ə|ˈ|ɡ|ʊ|l|j|ə|s}}; {{langx|pt|Cabo das Agulhas}} {{IPA|pt|ˈkaβu ðɐz ɐˈɣuʎɐʃ|}}, "Cape of Needles") is a rocky headland in Western Cape, South Africa. It is the geographic southern tip of Africa and the beginning of the traditional dividing line between the Atlantic and Indian oceans according to the International Hydrographic Organization. It is approximately half a degree of latitude, or {{convert|55|km|mi}}, farther south than the Cape of Good Hope.<ref>[http://www.iho.int/mtg_docs/com_wg/S-23WG/S-23WG_Misc/Draft_2002/S-23_Draft_2002_INDIAN_OCEAN.doc ''Limits of Oceans and Seas''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150606055041/http://www.iho.int/mtg_docs/com_wg/S-23WG/S-23WG_Misc/Draft_2002/S-23_Draft_2002_INDIAN_OCEAN.doc |date=6 June 2015 }}. International Hydrographic Organization Special Publication No. 23, 1953.</ref>

Historically, the cape has been known to sailors as a significant hazard on the traditional clipper route. It is sometimes regarded as one of the great capes. It was most commonly known in English as '''Cape L'Agulhas''' until the 20th century. The town of L'Agulhas is near the cape.

== Geography == Cape Agulhas is located in the Overberg region, 170 kilometres (105 mi) southeast of Cape Town. The cape was named by Portuguese navigators, who called it ''Cabo das Agulhas''—Portuguese for "Cape of Needles"—after noticing that around the year 1500 the direction of magnetic north (and therefore the compass needle) coincided with true north in the region.<ref>Patricia Seed: [https://www.ruf.rice.edu/~feegi/magnet.html Discovery of the Coincidence of Magnetic and True North]</ref> The cape is within the Cape Agulhas Local Municipality in the Overberg District of the Western Cape province of South Africa.<ref name="capemuni">[https://www.capeagulhas.org/ ''Cape Agulhas Municipality''] official home page</ref>

South of Cape Agulhas, the warm Agulhas Current, which 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, carrying enormous amounts of heat and salt into the neighbouring ocean. This mechanism constitutes one of the key elements in the global conveyor belt circulation of heat and salt.

Cape Agulhas has a gradually curving coastline with rocky and sandy beaches. A survey marker and a new marker depicting the African continent are located at the southernmost tip of Africa. The waters of the Agulhas Bank off the coast are relatively shallow and are renowned as one of the best fishing grounds in South Africa.<ref>{{cite news |title=Fury over great white shark haul |date=12 April 2014 |author=Murray Williams |url=http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/western-cape/fury-over-great-white-shark-haul-1.1675105#.U2ruNfldWTM}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Cacutt |first=Lenn |date=2000 |title=The Big-Game Fishing Handbook |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZtqS-OXYdDEC |pages=145–157 |isbn=9780811726733 }}</ref>

The rocks that form Cape Agulhas belong to the Table Mountain Group, often loosely referred to as 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.

{{Wideimage|Cape Agulhas panorama.jpg|1400px|Panorama from the lighthouse around the cape}}

== Climate == Cape Agulhas has a warm Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: ''Csb''). The climate is consistently mild, with no temperature or rainfall extremes. According to South African National Parks, who administer the nature reserve, the average rainfall is 400–600 mm per annum, mostly received in winter.<ref>{{cite web |title=Agulhas National Park |url=http://www.sanparks.co.za/parks/agulhas/all.php |access-date=29 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140330153310/http://sanparks.co.za/parks/agulhas/all.php |archive-date=30 March 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Temperature climate data is available for Cape Agulhas, averages are:

{{Weather box |location = Cape Agulhas (1991–2020 normals) |width=auto |single line = y |metric first = y |Jan record high C = 28.9 |Feb record high C = 36.1 |Mar record high C = 35.0 |Apr record high C = 35.6 |May record high C = 33.9 |Jun record high C = 30.0 |Jul record high C = 29.4 |Aug record high C = 31.7 |Sep record high C = 32.2 |Oct record high C = 26.1 |Nov record high C = 30.6 |Dec record high C = 30.6 |year record high C = 36.1 |Jan high C = 24.6 |Feb high C = 24.6 |Mar high C = 23.3 |Apr high C = 21.0 |May high C = 19.8 |Jun high C = 18.5 |Jul high C = 17.9 |Aug high C = 18.0 |Sep high C = 18.7 |Oct high C = 20.2 |Nov high C = 21.7 |Dec high C = 23.7 |year high C = |Jan mean C = 21.4 |Feb mean C = 21.5 |Mar mean C = 20.3 |Apr mean C = 18.1 |May mean C = 16.7 |Jun mean C = 15.1 |Jul mean C = 14.5 |Aug mean C = 14.7 |Sep mean C = 15.5 |Oct mean C = 17.3 |Nov mean C = 18.5 |Dec mean C = 20.6 |year mean C = |Jan low C = 18.2 |Feb low C = 18.5 |Mar low C = 17.3 |Apr low C = 15.2 |May low C = 13.6 |Jun low C = 11.8 |Jul low C = 11.1 |Aug low C = 11.3 |Sep low C = 12.4 |Oct low C = 14.3 |Nov low C = 15.4 |Dec low C = 17.5 |year low C = |Jan record low C = 8.3 |Feb record low C = 8.9 |Mar record low C = 9.4 |Apr record low C = 5.0 |May record low C = 4.4 |Jun record low C = 5.6 |Jul record low C = 3.9 |Aug record low C = 4.4 |Sep record low C = 4.4 |Oct record low C = 5.0 |Nov record low C = 5.0 |Dec record low C = 5.0 |year record low C = 3.9 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 20.3 |Feb precipitation mm = 17.8 |Mar precipitation mm = 33.0 |Apr precipitation mm = 38.1 |May precipitation mm = 50.8 |Jun precipitation mm = 58.4 |Jul precipitation mm = 53.3 |Aug precipitation mm = 48.3 |Sep precipitation mm = 40.6 |Oct precipitation mm = 38.1 |Nov precipitation mm = 27.9 |Dec precipitation mm = 17.8 |year precipitation mm = 444.4 |unit precipitation days = | Jan precipitation days = 1 | Feb precipitation days = 1 | Mar precipitation days = 3 | Apr precipitation days = 3 | May precipitation days = 4 | Jun precipitation days = 4 | Jul precipitation days = 4 | Aug precipitation days = 3 | Sep precipitation days = 3 | Oct precipitation days = 2 | Nov precipitation days = 2 | Dec precipitation days = 1 | year precipitation days = |Jan humidity = 77 |Feb humidity = 79 |Mar humidity = 83 |Apr humidity = 84 |May humidity = 81 |Jun humidity = 80 |Jul humidity = 80 |Aug humidity = 82 |Sep humidity = 81 |Oct humidity = 79 |Nov humidity = 79 |Dec humidity = 77 |year humidity = 80 |source 1 = Sistema de Clasificación Bioclimática Mundial (precipitation and humidity 1961–1990)<ref name=climate>{{cite web | url = http://www.globalbioclimatics.org/station/so-cape-.htm | title = South Africa – Cape Agulhas | publisher = Centro de Investigaciones Fitosociológicas | access-date = 2 December 2013 | archive-date = 23 June 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190623111139/http://www.globalbioclimatics.org/station/so-cape-.htm | url-status = dead }}</ref> Starlings Roost Weather<ref>{{cite web |url=http://starlingsroost.ddns.net/weather/worldclimate/graphs.php?climate=9120&code=SF000068920 |title= CAPE AGULHAS, SF Climate: 1991–2020 |publisher=Starlings Roost Weather |access-date= 27 December 2024}}</ref> |source 2 = Weatherbase<ref>{{cite web |title = Climate Statistics for Cape Agulhas, South Africa |url = http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weatherall.php3?s=2986&refer=&cityname=Cape-Agulhas-Western-Cape-South-Africa&units= |access-date =22 February 2012}}</ref> |date=January 2013}}

== Shipping hazards == [[Image:AgulhasLighthouse.jpg|thumb|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.<ref name="Econ1">{{cite news | title = Rogue Waves – Monsters of the deep: Huge, freak waves may not be as rare as once thought | work = Economist Magazine | date = September 17, 2009 | url = http://www.economist.com/sciencetechnology/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14446734 | access-date = 2009-10-04 }}</ref> Over the past few hundred years, it has been believed that around 150 ships have sunk around Agulhas.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.villatuscana.co.za/visiting-the-southernmost-point-in-africa/|title = Visiting the southernmost point in Africa|website = Villa Tuscana Travel Blog|language = en-US|access-date = 2016-03-08|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160309044632/http://www.villatuscana.co.za/visiting-the-southernmost-point-in-africa/#|archive-date = 9 March 2016|url-status = dead|df = dmy-all}}</ref> 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 extends up to 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: ''Arniston'' (1815), ''Geortyrder'' (1849), ''Elise'' (1879), ''Cooranga'' (1964), ''Gwendola'' (1968), ''Federal Lakes'' (1975), and ''Gouritz'' (1981), but these are just a few of the vessels lost in the proximity of the "Cape of Needles".<ref name="wreck">[https://web.archive.org/web/20051216062903/http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ridge/2216/text/MARITIME.TXT ''Marine Casualty Database Southern African Coast''] (copy at the Internet Archive), from NCS Cape Town</ref> Owing to the hazards and following the loss of several vessels, notably the ''Arniston'', a lighthouse was built in 1848.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lagulhas.co.za/lighthouse_history.html |title=History: Proposals for a Lighthouse at L'Agulhas |publisher=L'Agulhas web site |date=29 July 2005 |access-date=15 November 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071019031857/http://www.lagulhas.co.za/lighthouse_history.html |archive-date=19 October 2007 |url-status=dead |df=dmy }}</ref> The lighthouse now plays host to a museum and a small rustic restaurant.

== See also == {{Portal|South Africa}} * Agulhas National Park * Cape Agulhas Lighthouse * Cape Angela, the northernmost point of Africa. * SS ''Wafra'' oil spill

== References == {{reflist}}

== External links == * [http://www.sanparks.org.za/parks/agulhas/ Agulhas National Park]; {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110127134447/http://www.sanparks.org.za/parks/agulhas/ |date=27 January 2011 }}

{{Coord|34|49|59.6|S|20|00|0|E|region:ZA-WC_type:isle|display=title|name=Cape Agulhas}}{{authority control}}

Category:Cape Agulhas Local Municipality Agulhas Category:Maritime history of South Africa