Old Cape Point Lighthouse in South Africa
by Catherine Sherman
Title
Old Cape Point Lighthouse in South Africa
Artist
Catherine Sherman
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
"Old Cape Point Lighthouse in South Africa" by Catherine Sherman.
The old lighthouse stands on Cape Point near the southern tip of Africa. It is bird spattered, and the surrounding rocks are covered with graffiti. Signs indicate the distance to world capitals, such as Sydney, London, Amsterdam, Rio de Janeiro, Jerusalem and Beijing.
Cape Point is a promontory at the southeast corner of the Cape Peninsula, which is a mountainous and scenic landform that runs north-south for about thirty kilometres at the extreme southwestern tip of the African continent in the Republic of South Africa. Table Mountain and the city of Cape Town are close to the northern extremity of the same peninsula. The cape is located at 34 degrees 21′26″S 18 degrees 29′51″ECoordinates: 34 degrees 21′26″S 18 degrees 29′51″E, about 2.3 kilometres (1.4 mi) east and a little north of the Cape of Good Hope on the southwest corner. Although these two rocky and beautiful capes are very well known, neither cape is actually the southernmost point in Africa; that is Cape Agulhas, approximately 150 kilometers (93 mi) to the east-southeast.
The new lighthouse is at a lower elevation (87 meters; 285.5 feet above sea level), for two reasons: the old lighthouse, located at 34 degrees 21′14″S 18 degrees 29′25″E, 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.
The Cape Floral Region is one of the richest areas for plants in the world. It represents less than 0.5% of the area of Africa but is home to nearly 20% of the continent's flora. The site displays outstanding ecological and biological processes associated with the Fynbos vegetation, which is unique to the Cape Floral Region.
Featured in "Signs" group (01/23/2015); "Anything Photographs" group (01/29/2015); "Philanthropic Artists for a Cause" group (12/21/2018); "Covered Bridges and Historical Buildings" group (09/12/2023); "USA Photographers Only" group (12/04/2023)
Uploaded
January 23rd, 2015
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Viewed 821 Times - Last Visitor from Houston, TX on 03/28/2024 at 5:28 PM
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Comments (1)
Lynn Sprowl
How much fun is this...!!! The addition of these signs make this so interesting. A great conversation piece. l/f
Catherine Sherman replied:
Thank you, Lynn! The signs are fun. They show that this lighthouse is a long way from most of the world's major cities.