L'Agulhas

L'Agulhas is the most southern coastal village and holiday resort in Africa, located within the Cape Agulhas Local Municipality at the southernmost tip of the African mainland. It is situated next to the town of Struisbaai and about 30 kilometres (20 mi) south of the regional centre of Bredasdorp. The name "Agulhas", Portuguese for "needles", is said to have been given to the cape because the compass-needle was seen to point due north, that is, with no magnetic deviation. The Agulhas Bank is reputed to be the richest fishing area in the Southern Hemisphere.[2] Some of the older residents and documents refer to the town as by its former name Cape Agulhas or Cape L'Agulhas or simply Agulhas which were the names that referred to this town before it was changed to L'Agulhas to avoid confusion when the Bredasdorp Municipality changed its name to The Cape Agulhas Municipality (CAM).

This article is about the town. For other uses, see Agulhas (disambiguation).
L'Agulhas

Agulhas
View over L'Agulhas
L'Agulhas
L'Agulhas
Coordinates: 34°49′20″S 20°1′0″E
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceWestern Cape
DistrictOverberg
MunicipalityCape Agulhas
Area
 • Total7.49 km2 (2.89 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total548
 • Density73/km2 (190/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
 • Black African7.1%
 • Coloured4.6%
 • Indian/Asian0.2%
 • White86.3%
 • Other1.8%
First languages (2011)
 • Afrikaans80.7%
 • English17.0%
 • Other2.3%
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
7287
Area code028435

Tourist interests and activities include: A visit to the Lighthouse with a view from the tower and a walkway along the seafront to the new most southern African monument and a place where two oceans meet at the foot of Africa. A little further along the walkway is the shipwreck of Meisho Maru. Tourists also enjoy the local fynbos plants, bird watching, hiking, swimming in the local tidal pools or a game of Jukskei on Saturday mornings. Other interests are visiting arts and craft shops, local wine sales, shops and restaurants or enjoy a meal at one of the best local fish restaurants in the area. L’Agulhas is a peaceful town and a ‘get away’ from busy city living.

Lighthouse
The Cape Agulhas Lighthouse
Post box at Cape Agulhas, the most southern post box in Africa.

The Cape Agulhas Lighthouse, the second-oldest working lighthouse in South Africa, is at the southern end of the town. Designed by Colonel Charles Cornwell Michell in homage to the Pharos of Alexandria, the lighthouse was lit on March 1, 1849. Some 150 ships lay scattered along the South African coast, many due to the treacherous Agulhas Reef. It is in memory of the countless lives lost and to warn passing ships of the pending danger that the Cape Agulhas Lighthouse was designed and built. The lighthouse was declared a National Monument in 1973.

The wreck of the Meisho Maru near Cape Agulhas

Geography

Climate

L'Agulhas has a mild semi-arid climate (BSk, according to the Köppen climate classification). Summers are mild and dry, winters are cool and wetter. The average annual precipitation is 276 mm (11 in), with most rainfall occurring mainly during winter.

L'Agulhas
Climate chart (explanation)
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
 
 
10
 
 
25
15
 
 
11
 
 
25
15
 
 
17
 
 
24
14
 
 
28
 
 
22
12
 
 
32
 
 
20
9
 
 
35
 
 
18
7
 
 
36
 
 
17
7
 
 
33
 
 
17
7
 
 
23
 
 
19
8
 
 
23
 
 
20
10
 
 
18
 
 
22
12
 
 
10
 
 
24
14
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm
Source: SA Explorer

Another source gives different data, showing that it has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csb), with most precipitation falling in June.[3]

Climate data for L'Agulhas
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 24
(75)		 23.8
(74.8)		 22.7
(72.9)		 20.9
(69.6)		 19.3
(66.7)		 18
(64)		 16.9
(62.4)		 17.1
(62.8)		 17.9
(64.2)		 19.2
(66.6)		 21.1
(70.0)		 23
(73)		 20.3
(68.5)
Daily mean °C (°F) 20.6
(69.1)		 20.5
(68.9)		 19.6
(67.3)		 17.7
(63.9)		 15.8
(60.4)		 14.5
(58.1)		 13.6
(56.5)		 13.8
(56.8)		 14.6
(58.3)		 16
(61)		 17.8
(64.0)		 19.5
(67.1)		 17.0
(62.6)
Average low °C (°F) 17.3
(63.1)		 17.3
(63.1)		 16.5
(61.7)		 14.5
(58.1)		 12.3
(54.1)		 11
(52)		 10.3
(50.5)		 10.5
(50.9)		 11.4
(52.5)		 12.9
(55.2)		 14.6
(58.3)		 16.1
(61.0)		 13.7
(56.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 17
(0.7)		 23
(0.9)		 27
(1.1)		 63
(2.5)		 63
(2.5)		 69
(2.7)		 64
(2.5)		 56
(2.2)		 41
(1.6)		 40
(1.6)		 30
(1.2)		 24
(0.9)		 517
(20.4)
Source: Climate-Data.org[3]

See also

References
  1. "Main Place L'Agulhas". Census 2011.
  2. Raper, Peter E. (1987). Dictionary of Southern African Place Names. Internet Archive. p. 53. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
  3. "Climate: L'Agulhas - Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
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