Knowing the extreme points of Africa and their coordinates will help to better know the geography of the various parts of this so diverse and mysterious continent. Despite the fact that Europeans have been exploring the continent for several centuries, it still continues to keep many secrets.
The extreme points of Africa and their coordinates
Each of the extreme points of the continent is located on the territory of another original country. For example, the northern one is located in Tunisia at the tip of Cape Blanco, which locals call Ben Secka. Fans of remarkable natural sites will be able to get to the cape from Bizerte - the nearest city to it, whose population exceeds one hundred thousand people. The coordinates of the extreme point of Africa, located on Cape Ben Seca, are 37 ° 20′49 ″ s. w. and 9 ° 45′20 ″ in. e. This makes it the northernmost point of the continent.
All other extreme points of Africa and their continents are located in different countries, such as Somalia, South Africa and Senegal.
East Africa Cape Ras Hafoon
If it is quite simple to be at the extreme point in Tunisia, some will require incredible efforts from the traveler. For example, Cape Ras Hafoon, which is considered the extreme point in eastern Africa, is located on the territory of Somalia - a state torn by civil war for several decades.
The coordinates of the extreme point of Africa in this region look like this - 10 ° 25′00 ″ s. w. 51 ° 16′00 ″ c. e. On them you can find a low cape, protruding into the sea for forty kilometers. This remarkable geographical feature is located in the very north of the Republic of Somalia.
This geographic location is vulnerable, as tsunamis often occur in the Indian Ocean. The most severe consequences were caused by the wave in 2004, when the fishing village located on the cape was completely destroyed. Today, more than two and a half thousand people live in the fishing village, most of them belong to the Ottoman Mammuds clan.
South Africa
The extreme points and their coordinates are necessary knowledge for the harmonious development of ideas about how the world works and what place this or that country occupies in it.
The Republic of South Africa occupies a significant part of the southern tip of the mainland, it is not surprising therefore that it is on its territory that the most extreme point of Africa is located and its coordinates are 34 ° 49′43 ″ s. w. 20 ° 00′09 ″ c. e. And these are not the coordinates of the Cape of Good Hope, the most famous cape of the continent. The southernmost point of the mainland is Cape Igolny, also known as Agulias.
In the vicinity of the cape is one of the most dangerous for sailors area. The fact is that an underwater sand spit stretches along the South African coast, originating in the immediate vicinity of the cape. This area is called Agulhas Bank.
The name of the cape and the entire area surrounding it in the fifteenth century was given by Portuguese sailors. According to legend, the compass needle, which then played the role of a needle, showed strictly north in this place, since a magnetic anomaly was observed in the region at that time. By the nineteenth century, the direction of the anomaly had changed to the west.
Senegal. West Africa
The geographical coordinates of the extreme points of Africa are also of interest because they are often used not only by sailors, but also by desperate travelers who seek to visit the maximum number of exotic places, which, of course, include the extreme points of the continents. After all, it is from this point that you can take a photo that will remind you of a wonderful event all your life. The extreme western point is Cape Almadi, located on the Green Peninsula 34 ° 49′43 ″ s. w. 20 ° 00′09 ″ c. d.
The fourth extreme point of Africa and its coordinates are located in Senegal, a state located in the very west of the continent. Until recently, it was in this country that the route of the world-famous Paris-Dakar rally ended , but because of the political instability in many countries along which the rally route passed, the race was moved to South America.
To summarize, we can list the following extreme points of Africa and their coordinates:
- Cape Ben Secka in the north, 37 ° 20′28 ″ s. w. 9 ° 44′48 ″ c. d.
- Cape Igolny in South Africa, 34 ° 49′43.39 ″ S. w. 20 ° 00′09.15 ″ c. d.
- Cape Almadi in the west of the continent 14 ° 44′41 ″ s. w. 17 ° 31′13 ″ s d.
- Cape Ras Hafun in the east of the mainland, in the Republic of Somalia with coordinates 10 ° 25′00 ″ s. w. 51 ° 16′00 ″ c. d.