Cape of Good Hope lighthouse. Origin of the name Cape of Good Hope. Return of the Portuguese sailors

The Cape of Storms cannot be found even on the most detailed modern geographical maps. This name no longer exists. The cape in question is now called the Cape of Good Hope. As you know, it is located on the southern tip of Africa and is a protrusion of a rocky peninsula jutting into the sea, at the base of which is the large African port of Cape Town.

The Cape of Good Hope was discovered in 1488 by the Portuguese navigator Bartolomeu Dias. Heading in search of new lands, the Portuguese tried several times to go around this cape, but they were hampered by a strong storm. With great difficulty the ships passed this disastrous place. On the way back to their native shores, the Portuguese, in memory of the storm they experienced, named this harsh land the Cape of Storms.

After some time, the Portuguese king Juan II renamed it the Cape of Good Hope, since this discovery gave the Portuguese hope of reaching India by sea. If the name had not been changed, it would have perfectly characterized one of the most dangerous areas for navigation on the globe.

Storms off this cape are not a random occurrence. The west coast of South Africa is exposed to strong winds from the Atlantic Ocean, often developing into long and severe storms. In this area, the warm Needle Current meets the cold Cross Current, as a result of which fogs are formed here, as well as off the island of Newfoundland, which hide dangerous fogs in their shroud. seafaring rocky shores of the southern tip of Africa.

From the time of Dias until the advent of steam ships, the area of ​​the Cape of Good Hope was considered extremely dangerous for navigation. For almost five centuries, the majestic rocky Cape of Storms has repeatedly been a silent witness to terrible human tragedies at sea. It is difficult to imagine how many human lives and ships were lost here during this time. Other capes of the southern tip of Africa are no less dangerous - Cape Agulhas, Cape Quoin, Cape Danger. In the days of the sailing fleet, almost every year a large ship perished in the area of ​​one of these three capes, and with it dozens and hundreds of people.

The last major accident at Cape Cowin occurred on November 9, 1946, when the English cargo steamer City of Lincoln ran aground on rocks. The sunken cargo of this ship was estimated at one and a half million pounds sterling. The ship itself was saved with great difficulty.

One of the most dramatic shipwrecks in these waters was the sinking of the English steam-sailing frigate Birkenhead in 1852. She was one of the first English steamships, built in 1845 from iron, which was then converted into a military transport.

On February 26, 1852, with about five hundred soldiers on board, the Birkenhead made its next voyage to India. Near Cape Danger, the ship hit an unknown underwater reef. The captain hastily ordered to reverse, and when the ship left the reef, a huge hole was exposed. Water began to quickly fill the ship, which did not have watertight bulkheads. Suddenly it broke into two parts and began to sink quickly. In the three boats that managed to be lowered, only a few women and children were saved. The death of the steamer cost the lives of four hundred and fifty soldiers of the selected colonial troops of England. Along with the ship, cargo worth seven hundred and fifteen thousand pounds sterling was also lost...

It is generally accepted that the greatest danger to navigation is posed by rocky capes and cliffs protruding far into the sea. It is here that ships lost in the fog most often end up on their journey. A strong ocean surf or swell quickly decides the fate of a ship caught in the tenacious embrace of underwater reefs. But oddly enough, in the area of ​​the Cape of Good Hope, the greatest danger to ships has long been posed not by numerous capes dotted with underwater reefs, but by Table Bay, open to northwestern storms. It can rightfully be called a ship graveyard! Ship-lifting specialists from the Union of South Africa were able to establish that at the bottom of the bay, to date, not counting countless wrecks, more than three hundred wooden hulls of sailing ships have been preserved.

The remains of shipwrecks... They rest at the bottom of this bay, and each has its own story, full of drama, a story that invariably goes back to a certain day, month and year.

Thus, in 1648, during a storm, the Dutch frigate Harlem was torn from its anchors and perished off the coast. Along with the ship, its entire crew and a cargo of gold worth eight hundred and seventy-five million francs sank. Now the hull of the frigate is crushed by the heavy bulk of the English steamer Taivengen, which sank in the same place at the end of the last century.

There were often days when several ships were lost at the same time in Table Bay. For example, in 1716, during a strong storm, forty-two Dutch frigates, which had previously found refuge here, sank in the bay. Together with the Dutch frigates, valuable cargo was lost, estimated at a huge amount - almost forty billion francs.

In 1799, a disaster similar to the previous one occurred in Table Bay. On November 4, the English sixty-four-gun battleship Scepter and the fifty-gun ship Jupiter, the Danish sixty-four-gun battleship Oldenburg and twelve merchant ships from different countries were anchored here.

The next day, in the morning, a strong northwest wind suddenly blew, which soon turned into a storm. The anchor ropes burst with a crash, and the ships began to drift toward the shore. The Scepter, Oldenburg and eight merchant ships were lost on the reefs. Only on the first of the four hundred and ninety-one crew members, almost four hundred sailors found their death among the coastal breakers. "Jupiter" managed to escape - it jumped onto a sandbank in time under storm sails.

Speaking about the cost of the cargo lost along with the ships in Table Bay, we can say that, according to English archives, this cargo is estimated at over thirty million pounds sterling. However, no successful attempts have yet been made to raise lost gold from the bottom of the bay.

The Cape of Good Hope is located in southern Africa. It was discovered by the man who inspired the ocean voyages of two great sailors - Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama. His name was Bartolomeu Dias di Novais. He was from a family of hereditary sailors. His older brothers, moving south along the coast of West Africa, discovered Cape Bojador and Cape Verde. Bartolomeu followed in their footsteps. At the age of thirty, he was already an experienced captain, sailed in the waters of Portugal and Spain, drove caravels to Guinea. He also served at court, and was even the royal treasurer. In 1487, King João II decided to send two warships and one transport ship southward with supplies. Bartolomeu Dias was appointed head of the expedition. In August of the same year, his flotilla left Lisbon. Among those who accompanied Dias on his long journey was seventeen-year-old Vasco da Gama.

Dias's flotilla followed the usual route to the Gulf of Guinea, then descended south, beyond the Tropic of Capricorn. It was January 1488 - the height of summer in the southern hemisphere. At 33° south latitude, a severe storm suddenly hit the ships of the flotilla. The captain ordered to move to the open sea, hoping to “bypass” the prevailing southerly winds that were hindering progress. Two weeks later, when the ocean began to calm down, Dias changed course to the east. For several days the ships sailed in this direction, but the shore was still not visible. Assuming that he had rounded the southern tip of Africa, Dias turned his ships to the north. After two or three days, mountains appeared in the distance; the coast stretched from west to east. In early February, having replenished their supplies of drinking water, the Portuguese rounded Cape Recife, at 26° east longitude, and discovered Bahia Lagoa - the “Bay of the Lagoon”. From there, the coast gradually turned northeast, towards India, and Dias correctly decided that he had circled the entire southern coast of Africa and was now in the Indian Ocean. It would seem that the most difficult thing is left behind, the direct road to fabulous India lies ahead. But it was not there! The ship's crews, weakened by scurvy and exhausted by the long voyage, began to grumble, demanding to turn back. Fearing an open rebellion, Dias relented, asking for three days. He advanced northeast to 27th East longitude and in early March turned his back on the Indian Ocean. On May 16, moving west, he rounded the cape, which he named in honor of St. Brandan, not suspecting that this was the southernmost point of Africa. Later, the cape was renamed Agulhas - “Agulhas”, since a magnetic anomaly was observed near it in the sea and the compass needle had no declination. At the beginning of June another cape appeared. Dias gave it the name "His Majesty the Cape of Good Hope". Having gone around it, he went north and in December 1488 returned to Portugal.

There is a version that Dias called this cape differently - the Cape of Storms, but King Juan II decided that such a name would scare away sailors, and renamed it the Cape of Good Hope - hopes to soon reach the shores of India.

The hope of reaching India by sea remained unrealized for ten years. King João II decided that sending ships around Africa was a troublesome and costly task. It took an exceptional event for the Portuguese crown to return to the Indian project. And such an event was the miraculous discovery of “Western India” by Columbus in 1492. When the Portuguese realized that Columbus had actually discovered the New World, they renewed their efforts to reach India around Africa. In 1498, Vasco da Gama completed the work begun by Bartolomeu Dias. For his feat he was praised by Luis de Camões in his famous poem “The Lysiades”. By the way, it contains a description of da Gama’s meeting with the “spirit of storms” that lived at the Cape of Good Hope and instilled panic in the hearts of sailors.

“Suddenly at night, when we were awake on the deck, a thick cloud, rising above our heads, hid the stars from us. It was some kind of shadow, a terrible and gloomy ghost, the mere sight of which is capable of trembling the most intrepid. At the same time, our ears were struck by a terrible noise, reminiscent of the roar produced by waves crashing onto rocks, although the sky and sea did not indicate the proximity of a hurricane.

A ghost of extraordinary size stretched into the air; the ugliness of his face corresponded to the enormity of his height. The famous Colossus of Rhodes, considered one of the seven wonders of the world, could not compare in height with this formidable ghost. His disgusting members of the body seemed to be animated by an invisible force: abomination, rudeness, cruelty were diffused throughout his entire being; his facial features are somehow dull and gloomy; the head is sadly lowered to the chest, the beard is thick, long, unkempt; the eyes sparkle, as if a bluish-purple flame, more bloody than sparkling, is coming from a dark ditch; complexion pale, sallow; the hair is curly, the lips are blackish and the teeth are yellow. It lets out a deafening roar that seemed to come from the deepest abysses of the sea. Our hair stood up on our heads, his sight and voice chilled the blood in our veins.”

Naturally, Vasco da Gama was not a timid man. He was not afraid of the monster, but was only curious: “Who are you? “To which the ghost angrily answered him: “I am that large cape that you Portuguese call the Cape of Storms. I stand here on the edge of the African continent and the southern countries. And my name is Adamastor."

There is no place on the world map more mysterious than the Cape of Good Hope: shipwrecks, exotic animals and plants, unusual nature and climate - all this attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world like a magnet every year.

The Cape of Good Hope is located in the South-West of the African continent and is the southern part of the Cape Peninsula. 45 m to the north, the Cape of Good Hope meets another cape, Cape Point. Geographically, the Cape of Good Hope belongs to the Atlantic basin, but is washed by two oceans from different sides: the Atlantic and Indian.

The eastern part of the Cape is always colder due to the Antarctic Current. The opposite coast of the cape is washed by the warm waters of Fels Bay, formed by the Indian Ocean. Due to the collision of cold and warm waters, strong air currents are formed around the cape, giving rise to strong winds and storms in the sea.

The highest point of the cape is Mount Table (Table Mountain), its height is 1086 m. Near the Table there are the mountains Devil's Peak (height - 1000 m), Lion's Head (670 m), 12 Apostles and Signal Hill (350 m).

Table Mountain near the Cape of Good Hope

Table Mountain is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is a symbol of the nearby city of Cape Town.

The mountain owes its name to its unusually flat peak. Thanks to which, the Table resembles a table. Not every tourist is able to see the mountain, as it is often covered with clouds. Locals call this phenomenon "tablecloth".

In good weather the mountain is visible from Cape Town. From the city you can climb to the top of the mountain by cable car or on foot. At the top there is an observation deck and telescopes. This gives you a bird's eye view of Cape Town and the ocean. The mountain is composed of sandstones, it has steep slopes covered with vegetation.

History of the formation of the Cape of Good Hope

The Cape of Good Hope is located on the African Plate and is part of the coastal spit of the Cape Peninsula. The history of the appearance of the Cape of Good Hope is inextricably linked with the formation of the African continent. The Cape took shape during the Triassic period, after the separation of Africa from Pangea.

At that time, this land was not a cape at all, but a small island. Over a long period of time, the ocean deposited sand between the island and the mainland, slowly connecting them.

Locals call this phenomenon "Africa's Helping Hand." During the Ice Age, the Cape of Good Hope, like the entire southern part of Africa, was covered with ice.

People began to inhabit southern Africa during the Stone Age, as evidenced by numerous cave paintings. Rock carvings of the cape were discovered nearby in Cape Town.

Explorations of the Cape of Good Hope

The Cape of Good Hope appeared on the world map during the Age of Discovery. Interest in the cape stems from the East India Company, which required a sea trade route from Europe to India. Like all great geographical discoveries, the Cape of Good Hope was discovered by accident.

The discoverer of the cape is considered to be the navigator of Portuguese origin Bartolomeu Dias. All the men in the Dias family were engaged in navigation, so Bartolomeu was well acquainted with navigation and ship control; already at the age of 30 he became a ship captain on state pay.

In 1487, the Portuguese king Juan II ordered to equip a naval expedition of three ships, two of which were military sailing ships. The goal was to find a new route to India through Africa. A year later, they reached the southern hemisphere of the Earth and began their journey along the shores of the African continent.

Unbearable heat and a storm raging off the coast of Africa forced Dias to change course and set off for 2 weeks to sail the open sea. After the storm subsided, the ships returned to their usual course and reached the southern part of the continent. Ahead was the Indian Ocean and a direct path to the shores of India.

However, Dias failed to reach its shores. The crew began to demand to return home due to dwindling supplies, scurvy and very hot weather. The captain decided to return in 3 days.

During these three days, the ship managed to reach Cape Agulhas and go around it. On the last day of their journey, Dias and his team rounded an unknown cape and turned back. Dias named it the Cape of Storms because strong winds blew around it. The Cape of Good Hope appeared on the world map thanks to Juan II. Upon returning to his homeland, Dias presented a report to the king, who did not like the name Cape of Storms.

It was decided to rename the cape His Majesty the Cape of Good Hope. The name, which was too long, did not catch on and was changed to the Cape of Good Hope. This name was supposed to give hope to sailors heading to the shores of India.

For 5 long years, no one searched the coast of India. Interest in it awoke only after the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus. King Juan II again orders an expedition through Africa. In 1498, Vasco da Gama rounded the Cape of Good Hope and headed for the shores of India.

Dias later made attempts to reach the Cape of Good Hope, but whether he succeeded in his plans is unknown. Dias's ship went missing off the southern coast of Africa. After which a legend was born that the ship forever wanders off the coast of the cape it discovered. Perhaps this story served as the prototype for the famous tale of the Flying Dutchman, a ghost ship.

The path to India past the coast of Africa was laid, but the Portuguese were not interested in exploring it. The first European settlements in these areas were organized by the Dutch in 1652. It was they who began to study the cape, the population living in these parts and nature.

The pilgrims managed to find out that historically the area of ​​the cape belonged to the Hottentot tribe, a relative of the Bushmen tribe. It was the Dutch pioneers who founded the city of Cape Town near the cape, the name of which can be translated as “proud on the cape.”

Cape Town began to prosper as all the ships rounding the Cape of Good Hope docked at the port to resupply. The cape became an outpost of the East India Company on its way to India.

In 1657, the Hottentots, dissatisfied with slavery and the taking of land by Europeans, started a war. The excitement was suppressed by the Europeans. In 1795, the settlement could not resist the onslaught of Napoleon and the territory, along with the cape, went to France.

The Cape of Good Hope disappeared from the world map in 1796. That year, Great Britain ousted the French, and the Cape became known as the “Provincial Colony of Good Hope.” These territories would later become part of the Union of South Africa.

The British managed to find gold deposits near the cape and organize diamond mines, to which adventurers from all over the world flocked. Cape Town has become the main city in Africa. Only in 1961, the Cape of Good Hope, as part of the Union, became the independent Republic of South Africa (RSA) and regained its name.

Climatic conditions

The climate at the Cape of Good Hope is marine subtropical. It’s not for nothing that the peninsula got its name Cape of Storms. The wind blows strong here and does not stop throughout the year. In summer the wind has a south-easterly direction, and in winter – northwest. The best time for tourists to explore the Cape of Good Hope is spring.

In the southern hemisphere it occurs in September-November. In spring, the cape begins to become covered with greenery, there is little precipitation and the temperature allows you to enjoy a walk around the cape.

In summer, the Cape of Good Hope is heated by the warm currents of the Indian Ocean. This is a hot and dry season with little rainfall. Summer on the Cape lasts from December to March. The average temperature in summer is 25 °C, but in some years the temperature exceeded 40 °C - this is the absolute temperature maximum.

Autumn at the Cape of Good Hope occurs between April and May. This is a pleasant and not hot time to travel. At this time you can fully appreciate the beauty of the local nature.

The greatest amount of precipitation on the cape falls in winter in June-August. In June last year, 122 mm Hg fell. Art.

This is the rainiest and cloudiest month of the year. The wind, which constantly blows on the cape during the rainy season, intensifies, remaining warm.

Average temperature for the last 3 years:

Flora and fauna

The Cape of Good Hope on the world map does not have the best location. But from the point of view of the natural map of the world, this area is unique.

Only here there are signs warning car owners: “When starting the car, make sure there are no penguins under it.”

It’s hard to believe, but on such a small piece of land, animals whose habitats are hundreds of kilometers apart coexist peacefully. Only at the Cape of Good Hope you can meet monkeys, zebras, penguins and ostriches in one place in just a few hours of walking. 5% of all animal and plant species on the planet can be seen in South Africa.

The most frequent guests of the cape are marine inhabitants. Off the coast of the Cape of Good Hope you can meet entire colonies of fur seals, and see sharks and whales swimming past. Since the cape goes deep into the sea, its shore becomes an excellent viewing platform for observing these amazing sea creatures.

One of the symbols of the cape are fur seals. These are small pinnipeds that are black or brown in color. Not far from Cape Town you can see the island of fur seals. According to various estimates, from 50 to 70 thousand seals live on it. The island looks more like flat rocks with water sticking out on them, on which fur seals live. Previously, poachers caught seals for the production of fur coats; now this is officially prohibited and the animals are under the protection of the South African authorities.

The monkey family on the island is represented by baboons, who are so accustomed to living among people that they are not afraid of their presence. Tourists often try to feed the animals, so the South African authorities were forced to put up signs with the following content: “Baboons are wild and dangerous animals.”

There are even employees on the island who drive animals away from tourists with sticks. Baboons belong to the monkey family and are very similar in appearance. The height of baboons reaches 75 cm. The usual habitat of baboons is East and Central Africa.

On the way to the cape, you can meet elephants and herds of antelope, which still live in the Republic of South Africa. African ostriches can be found not only on special farms, but also in the wild. They are the only remaining members of the ostrich family in South Africa. The height of birds can reach more than 2.5 m, and their weight exceeds 150 kg.

An encounter with an ostrich can be dangerous for a tourist. In total, about 850 bird species live permanently in South Africa and the Cape of Good Hope. On the cape you can easily find the nests of some of them.

Penguins are a favorite among tourists. Their population on the Indian Ocean coast is large. They scurry around everywhere, their main habitat is Boulders Beach.

Local authorities decided to give the beach to the penguins. The cape is home to spectacled penguins, which are listed in the International Red Book. These penguins are also called donkey penguins because of their ability to make sounds similar to the “ey” of a donkey.

2/3 of the flora of the Cape of Good Hope consists of rare plant species that cannot be found in any other corner of the world. Much of the headland is occupied by the Fynbos biome, which consists primarily of rare bush species. There are about 9 thousand species here.

Good Hope Reserve

The reserve is considered not only the main attraction of the cape, but also of South Africa itself. Its area is more than 7 hectares of land. You can get to the reserve from Cape Town by car or rent a bicycle. The journey by car will take about 1.5 hours. The road to the Cape of Good Hope is laid through the territory of the reserve. There is an ostrich farm nearby.

The Cape of Good Hope remains the most unique point on the world map in terms of the number of unique animal species. Not so long ago, scientists from the UK proved this. The reserve presents all animals and plants living on the Cape Peninsula and in South Africa.

The history of the reserve began recently, in 1938. By that time, more than 1,000 different species of animals and several thousand plants already lived on the territory of the reserve.

This place contains rare species of animals that are found only on the territory of the reserve and animals brought from all over South Africa. Hyenas, rhinoceroses, ostriches, crocodiles, penguins, giraffes, zebras, antelopes, elephants - all of them can be found in the reserve.

The reserve is open daily for tourists, the only limitation being bad weather conditions. During storms and storms, tourists are prohibited from visiting the park and the Cape of Good Hope. The most popular among tourists are fur seals and penguins, who are happy to be photographed and are not afraid of humans.

Cape Beaches

During the swimming season, when the weather on the coast is good, tourists are allowed to swim on the beaches of the cape and sunbathe. The swimming season lasts from September to May.

It is worth remembering that the cape is washed on both sides by different oceans, so the temperature in the western part is always a little lower, but there are sandy entries into the water and the waves are calm.

The eastern coast is warmer, but gusty winds constantly blow there and large waves form. The beaches in this part are more suitable for walking and contemplating the ocean.

There are no blank spots left on the world map thanks to people like Bartolomeu Dias, who spent their entire lives for one discovery. The Cape of Good Hope is an unusually beautiful place filled with the romance of travel. The edge of the earth that everyone should see.

Article format: Mila Friedan

Video about the Cape of Good Hope

Penguins in Africa:

To find the Cape of Good Hope, sailors set out on their journey more than once, suffered failures and wrecks, but did not stop searching - the road to India must be open. It was the rocky cape, which is the most extreme point in southwest Africa, the place where the waters of two oceans collide with each other, forming a seething white stripe crashing against the rocks, that opened the way for them to Asia.

The Cape of Good Hope is located in Africa and is the southernmost part of the Cape Peninsula, from where it turns north and after forty-five meters abuts Cape Point, at the foot of which, on the opposite side, begins False Bay, whose waters are heated by the warm current of the Indian Ocean .

The temperature of both air and water in the east of the peninsula is much warmer than on its western side, where the Benguela Current flows from Antarctica. True, the winds blow stronger here and tourists are rarely allowed to calmly soak up the warm rays.

Despite the fact that the Cape of Good Hope has long been considered the most extreme point of Africa, it is actually Cape Agulhas (on the map it is located more than one hundred and fifty kilometers in a southeast direction).

This cape is notable for the fact that from here the African coast turns east for the first time and opens a passage between the Atlantic and Indian oceans (you can accurately calculate where the Cape of Good Hope is on the map using the following coordinates: 34° 21′ 32.88″ S. , 18° 28′ 21.06″ E).

History of discovery

The Cape of Good Hope was discovered at the end of the 15th century. Portuguese Bartolomeu Dias, to whom the king set a specific task. It was necessary to find out whether it was possible to go around Africa from the south and get to India. For his country, located in western Europe, it was extremely costly to organize land expeditions to Asia.

The discovery of the Cape of Good Hope happened by accident, and unexpected help was provided by a terrifying storm that mercilessly tossed the Portuguese ships for several days: when the ocean calmed down, it turned out that Dias had no idea where the bad weather had taken him. He randomly went north and after some time found himself off the coast of Africa, which turned in an easterly direction.

True, he did not sail further: provisions were running out, the ships were in poor condition, and the crew rebelled. They decided to return home, and on the way he noticed a cape, rounding which he saw that the coast of Africa stretches north, home.

It is interesting that initially, having seen the ocean waves beating against high rocks, he decided to call this piece of land the Cape of Storms.

But the king of Portugal did not like the ominous name, and he gave it a more optimistic name - the Cape of Good Hope, hoping that the road to India had really been discovered. His hope was justified: a few years later, Vasco da Gama, having passed the Cape of Good Hope, sailed to India.

Cape lighthouses

Calling the rocky area of ​​land protruding into the sea Cape Storms, Dias gave it a fairly accurate name: strong currents, winds, storms, fogs, and sometimes icebergs floating into this area led to the wreck of a huge number of ships. An important role in this was played by the fact that the rocks along the coast were not only similar to each other, but also often shrouded in fog.

This often threw sailors sailing from India off course: they turned north ahead of time and ended up in False Bay.

If they were lucky, the ships would hit the sandy shore, but mostly they would just crash on the rocks. This bay is notable for the fact that it is not always possible to get out of it on a sailing ship - despite the fact that it is very windy here, you can easily spend almost six months here waiting for a suitable air flow.

Despite all these circumstances, the authorities on the cape built a lighthouse only in the middle of the 19th century. - and then, after during one of the inspections, inspectors noticed icebergs floating towards the coast. Ice blocks off the coast of Africa shocked them so much that the decision to build a lighthouse and observation post here was made almost immediately. It was built on the nearby Cape Point Mountain, which offers a magnificent view of the Cape of Good Hope.

Lighthouse No. 1

Construction of the first lighthouse was completed in 1860. It was located at an altitude of 270 m - and it could be seen from a distance of 80 km. There was one “but”: it was designed in Britain, so the British, unfamiliar with the climatic features of southern Africa, did not take into account one detail: the top of the mountain on which it was decided to install the structure was often shrouded in clouds at night, making the lighthouse absolutely useless. At the same time, it “served” for about half a century, until journalists paid attention to the problem.

The first case that attracted widespread public attention was the wreck in 1900 of the newest steamship Cockapoo, which was heading from Britain to New Zealand. Deceived by the lighthouse and low clouds, the captain gave the wrong command, as a result of which a high tidal wave threw the ship onto the coast. The authorities managed to hush up this story, accusing the captain of negligence.

But the crash that happened eleven years later could not be silenced: the huge Portuguese liner Lusitania hit a reef a few kilometers from a working, but completely obscured by clouds, lighthouse. It was possible to save the passengers (there were almost eight hundred people on the ship) only because the ship sat very firmly on the reef, which gave time to launch all the rescue boats.

The lighthouse keeper, having received the distress signal, came down with a lit lantern, orienting the liner's crew and allowing almost all the boats to land safely on the shore, except one (it capsized and four of its passengers died). The decision to build a second lighthouse was made, but this one was closed and now serves as a museum, with magnificent views from the observation deck.

Lighthouse No. 2

Despite the fact that the new lighthouse is located lower, at an altitude of 88 meters, and can be seen at a shorter distance, 40 km, its benefits were much greater - shipwrecks in this area were almost reduced to zero. At the end of the 20th century, an electric cable was laid to the lighthouse, restaurants were erected, a funicular was installed leading from the parking lot to the top of the mountain adjacent to the cape, Cane Point, and after conducting an appropriate advertising campaign, they gave impetus to the development of a successful tourism business.

National Park

The Cape of Good Hope is separated from the second most populous city in South Africa, Cape Town, by almost seventy kilometers, and therefore you can get from the capital of the Western Cape Province, armed with a map, by car on a very good road in four hours.

The road will not seem boring, since the path here lies through the Table Mountain National Park, whose area exceeds 7 thousand hectares, and it is distinguished by extremely lush vegetation.

The fauna of the reserve is also interesting: next to monkeys, ostriches, antelopes and cheetahs, spectacled penguins and fur seals feel great here, which not only sailed here from Antarctica, but also managed to adapt to the conditions of local life.

Spectacled penguins

Penguins live on the west coast called Boulders Beach. It was no coincidence that they chose this place of residence: the cold waters of the Bengal Current help the birds endure the heat - they spend most of their time in the water. And only during nesting, in winter, when the air temperature becomes more or less optimal, do they stay on land for a long time. Interestingly, they hatch their eggs in burrows that they dig in the decomposed remains of bird droppings, which helps protect the eggs from overheating.

They are enabled to maintain optimal body temperature by pink-colored markings located above the eyes and acting as a kind of air conditioner: when birds become very hot, heated blood begins to flow faster to the markings, where, thanks to the thin skin, it quickly cools.

Seal Island

Sometimes fur seals rest near the cape, having swam here from their rookery, located on a small island, immediately behind the lighthouse, in False Bay (about 75 thousand animals live on it). Such a huge colony could not help but attract the attention of white sharks constantly swimming into this bay.

Therefore, from May to September, the island of fur seals is literally surrounded by predators who patiently wait for prey, and as soon as they see an opportunity, they jump out and grab the seal with their teeth and go to the bottom. Interestingly, False Bay is the only place in the world where sharks jump completely out of the water while hunting.

The Cape of Good Hope - the most famous cape in Africa - is located in the Republic of South Africa, on the Cape Peninsula.
It was discovered in 1488 by the Portuguese navigator Bartolomeu Dias (circa 1450-1500). The discoverer called this place the Cape of Storms: an inopportune storm almost sank all three of Dias' ships. Presumably, the Portuguese king João II the Perfect (1455-1495) renamed it to the Cape of Good Hope: the king was incredibly glad that Portugal had found a way to India and would now compete with the Arab merchants, who for many centuries had a monopoly on trade with this a fabulously rich region.
Exhausted by the long journey and frequent skirmishes with the natives, the crew of Dias' ships, under the threat of mutiny, forced the captain to head home to the shores of Portugal. The Portuguese expedition of 1497-1499, which rounded the Cape of Good Hope, successfully sailed to India and returned to Lisbon to report success, was commanded by Vasco da Gama (circa 1460-1524), and his tasks did not include the development of South Africa.
This was done by the Dutch in 1652, the first to settle in these places. It turned out that in the vicinity of the cape, people of the so-called capoid small race, related to the Bushmen, have been living for a long time, called by the Dutch Hottentots (from the word “stutterer”) because of the special clicking sounds in speech (later the name “Hottentots” acquired a sharply negative connotation in Africa Nowadays it is considered an insult; it was replaced by the self-name “Khoi-Koin” of the Nama people, part of the Hottentot group).
The Dutch founded the most important port city of its time (English: “city on the cape”). Cape Town has long been the most important and only transit point in southern Africa on the way from Rotterdam to India and back; a place where the sick were treated, and a center for supplying the trading ships of the Dutch East India Company with fresh water and food.
At first, the natives welcomed the guests cordially, but when, in 1657, the Europeans began to displace them from their native land and enslave them, bloodshed and racial conflicts began. The “local atheists” put up stubborn resistance.
In 1795, Great Britain took southern Africa from Holland, and the territory became known as the colonial province of the Cape of Good Hope. The descendants of the first colonists - the Boers (in Dutch "peasants") were dissatisfied with the new order, began to move to the north of the continent ("Great Trek") and settled there, overcoming the resistance of the Zulus. The British showed interest in the Boer republics when deposits of diamonds and then gold were discovered there. At the end of the 19th century. after two persistent Anglo-Boer Wars (1899-1902), the British completely captured the entire territory of South Africa. In 1910, four British colonies - Natal, Transvaal, Orange Free State and Cape Province - united to form the Union of South Africa.
After a long period of colonial dependence, the free state of South Africa was created in 1961.
The Cape of Good Hope is an important part of the Table Mountain National Park, called the Cape of Good Hope National Park, with an area of ​​more than 7 thousand hectares. The Cape of Good Hope is no less famous than its unique geographical location due to its unique flora and fauna.
The Cape Peninsula alone is home to several thousand plant species and at least 250 bird species. Birds are attracted here by the seeds of many species of evergreen hard-leaved shrubs (common name “fynbos” in Afrikaans) growing in South Africa.
The most recognizable birds of the Cape of Good Hope are the African penguin, and the scientific name of this bird is the spectacled or black-footed penguin. Sometimes it is called “donkey” - for its characteristic cry. The penguin reaches 65-70 cm in height, its weight is from 3 to 5 kg. He has practically no enemies here, except for feral cats and seagulls. People have long been accustomed to these cute birds and have come to terms with the need to drive them out from under cars with a stick, where penguins climb in search of shade. In addition, penguins are popular with tourists, and tourism brings significant income to the budget of the Western Cape. When there are oil leaks from giant supertankers rounding the cape, the penguins find themselves covered in oil, and then people come to their aid: the dirty public favorites are washed with special means by teams of volunteers from all over Cape Town.
The baboon colony is no less famous: these primates, called chacma in Africa, settled here a million years ago. Baboons have adapted perfectly to life on the ocean shore, even switching from a plant diet to shellfish and shark eggs washed ashore. Baboons collect and eat prey during high tides.
Local ostrich farms are also more of a tourism business than an agricultural sector: tourists are charged decent money for an excursion, about $50.
Among surfers, the Cape of Good Hope is famous for its luxurious surf: lovers of riding wide waves come here from all over the world. Sometimes there are so many surfers that there is literally no crowd around the cape.
The waters off the coast of the Cape of Good Hope are filled not only with surfers, but also with whales that migrate from all over the Southern Hemisphere towards the Cape Coast to give birth there. Whale season is from June to October, and then the entire coast of the southern - southwestern tip of Africa turns into a large platform for observing the dances of the largest marine mammals.
From the cape you can also see Robben Island with its colony of fur seals. The island is small - only 4 km 2, but it is famous not only for seals, but also for its history. Since the 17th century there was a military base, a hospital and a prison. It was here that the fighter for the rights of the black population and the future president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela (born in 1918), was imprisoned. As of 1999, Robben Island with its colony of fur seals was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List and a museum was opened on it.

general information

Nearest major city: Cape Town, 3,497,097 people (2007).

Languages: Afrikaans, English, Zulu, Swazi.

Ethnic composition (Cape Town): mulattoes (so-called “brown people”) - 48.1%, Africans - 31%, whites - 18.8%, Asians and others - 2.1% (2001).
Religions: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism.

Currency unit: South African rand

Airport: Cape Town International Airport.

Numbers

Climate and weather

Average temperature in July:+10°С.

Average January temperature:+27°С.

Average annual precipitation: 540 mm (mainly from May to August).

Relative humidity: 75-80%.

Attractions

Curious facts

■ Bartolomeu Dias, the discoverer of the Cape of Good Hope, subsequently took part in the discovery of Brazil, but while sailing off the coast of Africa, his ship disappeared without a trace in the ocean, and the fate of the navigator remained unknown.
■ At the beginning of the 20th century. The number of spectacled penguins at the Cape of Good Hope was more than a million individuals. In the past, the total population of this species has been steadily declining: 1956 - 145 thousand, 1972 - 70 thousand - due to the uncontrolled use of penguin eggs for food. As a result of protective measures, the number of African penguins has now reached 185 thousand individuals. In order for African penguins to quietly breed their offspring, and to protect eggs from seagulls, special clay oval houses are equipped for penguins in their nesting areas.

■ Fynbos is a species of approximately 9,000 evergreen stiff-leaved shrub, i.e. it is the general name for a local vegetation type (in Afrikaans). Of these, 6,200 are endemic. There are about 2,200 plant species on the Cape Peninsula - more than in Great Britain or Holland, where about one and a half thousand species grow. Although fynbos occupies about 0.5% of Africa's land area, it accounts for about 20% of the species diversity of the African continent's flora.
■ Currently, about 400 baboon individuals live at the Cape of Good Hope. This species of primate, despite enhanced protection, is in danger of extinction. The reason is the narrowing of the habitat, genetic isolation and conflicts with people, whose houses the baboons visit in search of food.
■ Local legend says that it is here, on the Cape of Good Hope, that you can most often see the “Flying Dutchman” - a mysterious ship whose captain in 1680 sold his soul to the devil for a chance to escape the storm. They say that this ship is destined to be seen by someone who will soon experience misfortune. The funicular that takes you up to the lighthouse is also called the Flying Dutchman.