Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes ProCon History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
Cape Agulhas
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Images
Cape Agulhas Cape Agulhas, South Africa
Quizzes
Mount Kenya in Mount Kenya National Park is the highest mountain in Africa. UNESCO World Heritage Site. Giant Lobelia in foreground. (Mt. Kenya; Mt. Kenya National Park; mountains; rugged mountain; African geography, African landscape, stratovolcano)
Africa’s Physical Features
Read Next
Olduvai Gorge or Olduwai Gorge, Tanzania, Africa (eastern Serengeti Plain) Where fossil remains of more than 60 hominins provides the most continuous known record of human evolution. Mary Leakey and Louis Leakey made discoveries here. Archaeology
7 Amazing Historical Sites in Africa
Flag of South Africa
12 Incredible Buildings in South Africa
Namib desert, Namibia.
8 Amazing Physical Features of Africa
Discover
Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society
12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”
New York NY/ USA- November 23, 2018 Hordes of shoppers throng the Macy's Herald Square flagship store in New York looking for bargains on the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday.
Why Is It Called Black Friday?
Iraqi Army Soldiers from the 9th Mechanized Division learning to operate and maintain M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks at Besmaya Combat Training Center, Baghdad, Iraq, 2011. Military training. Iraq war. U.S. Army
8 Deadliest Wars of the 21st Century
A Factory Interior, watercolor, pen and gray ink, graphite, and white goache on wove paper by unknown artist, c. 1871-91; in the Yale Center for British Art. Industrial Revolution England
Inventors and Inventions of the Industrial Revolution
Santa Claus flying in his sleigh, christmas, reindeer
Was Santa Claus a Real Person?
Super Typhoon Noru over the western tropical Pacific Ocean as observed by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA Aqua satellite July 31 2017
What Is the Difference Between a Typhoon and a Super Typhoon?
Woman tied to a ducking stool, a method of punishment by means of humiliation, beating, or death. (cucking stool)
8 Unusual Punishments Inflicted on Women Throughout History
Cape Agulhas
Cape Agulhas The lighthouse at Cape Agulhas, South Africa.

Cape Agulhas

cape, South Africa
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/place/Cape-Agulhas
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Article History
Cape Agulhas, South Africa
Cape Agulhas, South Africa

Cape Agulhas, cape that is the southernmost point of the African continent, located 109 miles (176 km) southeast of Cape Town, South Africa. Its name, Portuguese for “needles,” may refer to the jagged rocks and reefs there that have wrecked many ships. Another explanation attributes the name to observations by early Portuguese navigators that their compass needles showed no magnetic deviation there. A lighthouse was established there in 1849. The Agulhas Banks are excellent for trawling. The cape’s meridian (20° E) is the official boundary between the Indian and Atlantic oceans.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Amy McKenna.