Cape Agulhas lighthouse, South Africa

Cape Agulhas lighthouse
Lat. 34o 49’ 08” S. Long. 20o 00’ 33” E.

So here I am with the first post about the lighthouses I have seen. Lighthouses are so fascinating and usually have stormy and interesting histories. They are used to mark dangerous costalines, shoals and reefs, and safe entries to harbors.
I've choose the Cape Agulhas lighthouse, situated in the Western Cape, because is the southern lighthouse I've seen since now, and is the dividing point between the Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean, so is a special place for me!


The Cape Agulhas lighthouse was built in 1848, is the 2nd oldest working lighthouse in South Africa and was declared a national monument in 1973.
The structure of the lighthouse is a 27 metre white round tower painted with red bads, the light character is one flash every 5 seconds and the light range is 30 sea miles.
The site where the lighthouse stands is known as L'Agulhas, Cape of Needles, and was named by the Portuguese navigator Bartholomew Dias in 1488. The reference for this was that the compass needle always swung in various directions in the surrounding zone but the direction of magnetic north coincided with geographical north on Cape Agulhas. It is also said that this is where the Benguela and the Mozambique currents meet.
In 1962, the sandstone from which the lighthouse was built started to crumbling and a new aluminium lighthouse was erected nearby. The original lighthouse has been restored and now boats a small museum and a smaller cafeteria.