Of Capes... and Good Hope

At the southerly end of the Cape Point section of Table Mountain National Park, some 70km south of Cape Town, lie three distinctive Capes: Cape Point itself, Cape Maclear, and the Cape of Good Hope. 

The highest and most famous of these headlands is Cape Point, site of a powerful lighthouse that steers ships away from the rocks as they round the continent and turn east towards the routes to India and beyond. You can climb up to the original lighthouse or follow a dramatic trail towards the modern one that sits at the base of the peak. 

Some 2km west lies a lower - but equally significant -  Cape: The Cape of Good Hope. This rocky promontory marks the most south-westerly tip of the African continent, at a latitude of 34° 21' 17.39" S and longitude of 18° 28' 11.39" E. But neither Cape Point nor the Cape of Good Hope marks the true southerly tip of Africa. For that, you have to travel some 150 km east of Cape Town to Cape Agulhas, at 34° 49' 59.99" S  and 20° 00' 5.49" E. 

It has often been thought that the Cape of Good Hope marked the point where the two great oceans - Indian and Atlantic - meet, but this has been proved to be a rather romantic notion. The warm Indian ocean current and the cold Atlantic Benguela current do their mingling and mixing closer to Cape Agulhas, the true southerly tip. 

And did you know that in the early 20th century, icebergs from Antarctica were occasionally spotted from Cape Point peak? There have been no authentic sightings lately, which scientists put down to global warming over the past century. But, if you're ever there, keep the binoculars handy. You never know...