Agulhas Ocean Art House

The southernmost tip of the African continent is at Cape L’Agulhas and not at Cape Point as many people believe. The official position of the tip is 34°49’12’’ south and 20°00’12’’ east and is found approximately 1 km west of the Cape L’Agulhas Lighthouse. The tip’s exact location is marked by a simple yet dramatic cairn which was erected in 1986. At the end of the 15th century early Portuguese seafarers christened this tip ‘Cabo das Agulhas’ which means ‘Cape of Needles’ and refers to the needle of the compass which at this point shows no real deviation between north and magnetic north. A truly magic and desolate place, where suddenly one begins to understand the difficulties the early seafarers must have faced. The Cape L’Agulhas Lighthouse is the second-oldest working lighthouse in South Africa and was built in 1848. It is one of only three buildings in South Africa to be inspired by Egyptian architecture. Today it houses a Lighthouse Museum and restaurant. Where the two oceans meet: As determined by the International Hydrographic Organisation, the two mighty Oceans – Indian and Atlantic – meet at the most southern tip of the continent of Africa – Cape L’Agulhas. However, the meeting point of the two ocean currents, the warm Agulhas Current and the cold Benguela Current, is a totally different issue, and must not be confused with the meeting of the Oceans. The sea temperature in summer is a pleasant 20 – 22 degree Celsius.