Cape of Good Hope
Rocky headland on the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. It has long been of special significance to sailors as one of the great capes of the South Atlantic Ocean and a waypoint on the Cape Route and the clipper route followed by clipper ships to the Far East and Australia.
- Location
- Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa
- Original Name
- Cape of Storms (Cabo das Tormentas)
- Renamed By
- John II of Portugal
- Notable For
- Milestone in establishing direct trade relations with the Far East
Lore & Background
A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, based on the misbelief that the Cape was the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian oceans. The currents of the two oceans meet at a point that fluctuates between Cape Agulhas and Cape Point. When following the western side of the African coastline from the equator, the Cape of Good Hope marks the point where a ship begins to travel more eastward than southward. Dias called the cape Cabo das Tormentas ('Cape of Storms'), which was the original name.
Reader's Guide
The Cape of Good Hope holds enduring significance as a landmark of European maritime exploration and trade. The cape's original name, 'Cape of Storms,' reflected the dangerous conditions faced by sailors, but it was later renamed 'Cape of Good Hope' by John II of Portugal due to the optimism generated by this new route. The cape remains a waypoint on the Cape Route and the clipper route, and is still followed by several offshore yacht races. Its legacy is also preserved in the names of the Cape Colony, the Cape of Good Hope Province, and the Table Mountain National Park section that includes the cape and Cape Point.
Did You Know?
- The meeting point of the Atlantic and Indian ocean currents fluctuates between Cape Agulhas and Cape Point.
More in Capes And Headlands 1-21
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