History of L’Agulhas
- Province: Western Cape
- Overberg
- Coordinates: 34°49’58 S 20°00’12E.
- Municipality; Cape Aghullas
- Cape Agulhas: Southernmost Point of Africa
Many of the original inhabitants of Cape Agulhas were sailors who had been shipwrecked in the area. Over time, a town developed, named “L’Agulhas” due to the influence of French settlers. L’Agulhas, the southernmost village in Africa, gets its name from the Portuguese word for “needles.” This name could refer to either the sharp rocks that caused numerous shipwrecks or the fact that a compass needle points due north here with no magnetic deviation.
The shallow Agulhas Bank extends 250 km south from the tip of Africa before plunging into the deep ocean. The seas off Cape Agulhas are notorious for winter storms, with waves reaching up to 30 meters in height. These treacherous conditions have led to at least 150 shipwrecks in the area.
Lighthouse
The L’Agulhas lighthouse, which first shone on March 1, 1849, is the second oldest lighthouse in South Africa. Colonel Charles Cornwell Michel designed it, and its flame, fueled by sheep tail fat, burned for 100 years. The lighthouse was electrified in 1936, but weathering forced restoration work in 1968. In 1973, it was declared a national monument. The lighthouse was fully renovated and automated in 1988, and it now houses the only lighthouse museum in the country. Despite its 27-meter height, the lighthouse has not prevented all shipwrecks, with many wrecks still lying at the bottom of the ocean near the dangerous Agulhas Reef. Some of these remains are on display at the Shipwreck Museum in Bredasdorp.
Portuguese explorers discovered L’Agulhas in the early 1400s. In May 1488, Bartholomew Dias named the area Cabo dos Agulhas, or “Cape of Needles.” The southernmost tip of Africa is located at 34°49’58” south and 20°00’12” east.
The postcode for L’Agulhas is 7287 (Streets and Boxes)
Things to see in L’ Agulhas:
- A visit to the Lighthouse with a view from the tower
- Take a guided walking tour with Voice Map
- Shipwreck of Meisho Maru
- Relief map of Africa at Agulhas National Park
- The musical Pebble Beach of Suiderstrand. Visit on a quiet morning to listen to the waves wash over the pebbles which makes a beautiful sound
see all listings in L Agulhas
Useful Numbers
- Police: Struis baai 028 435 6440
- Municipality; 028 425 5500
- Traffic department: Bredasdorp Traffic Department-028 424 2440
- Fire: 028 425 1690 Bredasdorp
- Water: 028 425 5500
- Electricity: 028 425 5500
- Ambulance: 10177
- Post office; Struisbaai postal agency 028 435 6871
- Library: Struisbaai 028 435 6538
- Closest hospital;Struisbaai Clinic-028 435 7548
- Pharmacy;Struisbaai Pharmacy-028 435 6913
- SPCA: AACL Bredasdorp-082 898 0787
- Schools:Zoetendal Academy – Agulhas-028 435 6556
- Walking club: 083 233 4084
- Tourism: 0284242584
- Museum; Lighthouse museum-028 435 6078
