Cape Point (Afrikaans:Kaappunt) is apromontory at the southeast corner of theCape Peninsula, a mountainous and scenic landform that runs north-south for about thirty kilometres (19 mi) at the extreme southwestern tip of theAfrican continent inSouth Africa.Table Mountain and the city ofCape Town are close to the northern extremity of the same peninsula. The cape is located at34°21′26″S18°29′51″E / 34.35722°S 18.49750°E /-34.35722; 18.49750, about 2.3 kilometres (1.4 mi) east and a little north of theCape of Good Hope on the southwest corner.[1] Although these two rocky capes are very well known, neither cape is actually the southernmost point of the mainland of Africa; that isCape Agulhas, approximately 150 kilometres (93 mi) to theeast-southeast.
The peak above Cape Point is higher than that above theCape of Good Hope. The rugged sandstone (Table Mountain sandstone) ridge that rises from Cape Point at sea level develops into two peaks. There is a major peak that dominates the skyline locally, but there is also a smaller peak about 100 m (328 ft) further south. The higher peak has the oldlighthouse on the top. TheFlying Dutchman Funicular runs from a car park to the north up to slightly below the level of the old lighthouse, and a short flight of steps leads to a viewing platform around the base of the lighthouse. From the end of the railway, a second path leads to a lower peak.
The new lighthouse is at a lower elevation (87 meters; 285.5 feet abovesea level), for two reasons: the old lighthouse, located at34°21′12″S18°29′25.2″E / 34.35333°S 18.490333°E /-34.35333; 18.490333 (262 meters; 859.6 feet above sea level), could be seen 'too early' by ships rounding the point towards the east, causing them to approach too closely. Secondly, foggy conditions often prevail at the higher levels, making the older lighthouse invisible to shipping. On 18 April 1911, the Portuguese linerLusitania was wrecked just south of Cape Point at34°23′22″S18°29′23″E / 34.38944°S 18.48972°E /-34.38944; 18.48972 on Bellows Rock for precisely this reason, prompting the relocation of the lighthouse.
The new lighthouse, located at34°21′26″S18°29′49″E / 34.35722°S 18.49694°E /-34.35722; 18.49694, cannot be seen from the West until ships are at a safe distance to the South. The light of the new Cape Point lighthouse is the most powerful on the South African coast, with a range of 63 kilometres (39 mi; 34 nmi) and an intensity of 10megacandelas in each flash.[2]
Cape Point is situated within theTable Mountain National Park, within a section of the park referred to as Cape of Good Hope. This section covers the whole of the southern tip of the Cape Peninsula and which takes in perhaps 20% of its total area.[3] The Cape of Good Hope section of the park is generally wild, unspoiled and undeveloped and is an important haven for seabirds. The vegetation at Cape Point consists primarily ofPeninsula Sandstone Fynbos.
Cape Point is often mistakenly claimed to be the place where the coldBenguela Current of the Atlantic Ocean and the warmAgulhas Current of the Indian Ocean collide. In fact, the meeting point fluctuates along the southern and southwestern Cape coast, usually occurring betweenCape Agulhas and Cape Point. The two intermingling currents help to create themicro-climate ofCape Town and its environs. Contrary to popular mythology, the meeting point of the currents produces no obvious visual effect; there is no "line in the ocean" where the sea changes colour or looks different in some way. There are, however, strong and dangerous swells, tides and localized currents around the point and in adjacent waters. These troubled seas have witnessed countless maritime disasters in the centuries since ships first sailed here.
Fishing is good along the coast but the unpredictable swells make angling from the rocks very dangerous. Over the years scores of fishermen have been swept to their deaths from the rocky platforms by freak waves.False Bay, which opens to the east and north of Cape Point, is the location of the well-known naval port ofSimon's Town. The bay is also famous – or infamous – for its great white sharks, which hunt theCape fur seals that live in the area.
Cape Point is the site of one of theGlobal Atmosphere Watch's atmospheric research stations. In the early years of the 20th century icebergs fromAntarctica were occasionally sighted from Cape Point. There have been no authentic recent sightings of ice, which some climatologists and experts have attributed toglobal warming.
