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This is a brief overview of Cape Point's history informing you why it is so popular today.
The Portuguese seafarer Bartholomeu Dias was the first person to circumnavigate the Cape in 1488. On his return voyage, Dias stopped again at the south-western end of Africa, which he named Cabo Tormentoso, or Cape of Storms. King John later gave it the name Cabo da B a Esperança, or Cape of Good Hope.
Another Portuguese explorer, Vasco da Gama, rounded the Cape on 22 November 1497 on his way to India. |
The journeys of these explorers led to the establishment of the Cape sea route.
In the late 1850s it was decided to erect a lighthouse at Cape Point. The location chosen was on Cape Point Peak (238 metres above sea level). However, due to its height, clouds and mist often obscured the lighthouse. After the wreck of the Portuguese liner the Lusitania on 18 April 1911, the decision was taken to move the Cape Point lighthouse to its present location above Cape Point where it now stands, only 87 metres above sea-level. | |||
