Cape Virgenes (Spanish:Cabo Vírgenes,lit. 'Cape Virgins') is the southeastern promontory of continentalArgentina inSouth America. A little to the south-west,the southernmost point of land isPunta Dúngeness.Ferdinand Magellan reached it on 21 October 1520 during theSpanish expedition to East Asia and discovered astrait, now called theStrait of Magellan in his honor. As 21 October was thefeast day ofSaint Ursula and the Eleven Thousand Virgins, he named the cape in their honor.[1]
Its location is thesouthern 52nd parallel and is an approximate antipode toAmsterdam (located at the 52nd parallel of the northern hemisphere).
The Cape is located inSanta Cruz Province,Patagonia, Argentina. TheCape Virgenes Argentine Lighthouse has been operating since 1904. In 1884, gold was found there sparking theTierra del Fuego gold rush.[2] Recently, rises in the number ofsouthern right whales visiting the area have been confirmed.[3][4]
| Climate data for Cape Virgenes | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 10.2 (50.4) | 10.4 (50.7) | 9.1 (48.4) | 6.4 (43.5) | 4.1 (39.4) | 2.5 (36.5) | 2.2 (36.0) | 2.7 (36.9) | 3.8 (38.8) | 6.1 (43.0) | 8.0 (46.4) | 9.5 (49.1) | 6.3 (43.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 6.7 (44.1) | 6.6 (43.9) | 5.0 (41.0) | 3.0 (37.4) | 1.3 (34.3) | 0.1 (32.2) | 0.0 (32.0) | 0.2 (32.4) | 0.9 (33.6) | 2.6 (36.7) | 4.1 (39.4) | 5.9 (42.6) | 3.0 (37.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 0.0 (32.0) | 0.5 (32.9) | −1.2 (29.8) | −4.8 (23.4) | −6.0 (21.2) | −7.0 (19.4) | −6.0 (21.2) | −4.5 (23.9) | −4.0 (24.8) | −2.6 (27.3) | −1.0 (30.2) | −3.0 (26.6) | −7.0 (19.4) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 43 (1.7) | 17 (0.7) | 22 (0.9) | 14 (0.6) | 22 (0.9) | 14 (0.6) | 24 (0.9) | 20 (0.8) | 12 (0.5) | 8 (0.3) | 29 (1.1) | 24 (0.9) | 249 (9.8) |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 76 | 73 | 77 | 81 | 84 | 87 | 86 | 84 | 79 | 73 | 73 | 73 | 79 |
| Source: Secretaria de Mineria[5] | |||||||||||||
52°20′00″S68°21′15″W / 52.33333°S 68.35417°W /-52.33333; -68.35417
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