Who discovered the Cape of Good Hope in Africa. Cape of Good Hope

cape Good Hope- the most extreme point southwestern part of Africa. It is located on the Cape Peninsula and is washed from two opposite sides waters of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. Many people say that in calm weather you can see how two parts body of water differ in color.

In ancient times, due to big waves and constant winds, the rocky cliff was called the Cape of Storms, later King Juan II renamed it the Cape of Good Hope. He really was the hope of the Portuguese navigators who were heading to India. Today, this is reminiscent of the largest lighthouse in South Africa (240 m above sea level), built in 1860.

In the vicinity of the rocky coast there is a reserve of the same name. Due to the vegetation, it is almost impossible to get there by car.

There are beaches on the cape where you can relax and sunbathe.

Cape of Good Hope(Cape of Good Hope) is famous for being considered for a long time the southernmost point of Africa. Then it was calculated that the southernmost point of the continent is Cape Agulhas, which is one and a half hundred miles southeast of the Cape of Good Hope.

But no one knows Cape Agulhas, and the Cape of Good Hope is included in all school geography textbooks, it is associated with the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries, hundreds of thousands of tourists and travelers from all over the world strive to see it.

It is known that the first European to see this African Cape of Good Hope in 1488 was Bartolomeo Dias, the famous Portuguese commander of the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries.

The expedition of Bartolomeo Dias was tasked with finding a sea route to India around Africa. Dias did not reach India, but became the first European to circumnavigate Africa from the south. Indirectly, he was helped in this by terrible storms that battered his ships for several days. When the storms subsided, Diash, disoriented, headed north and on February 3, 1488, ran into the coast, which "turned" to the northeast.

And so the way to the Indian Ocean was opened. Dias was forced to give in to the demands of the rebellious team and did not go further. On the way back, he saw this promontory protruding into the sea, which he called for himself the Cape of Storms, because severe storms constantly raged in this place.

This "working" name was announced by Dias upon his return to Portugal in his report to King João II. But his majesty was wise and far-sighted. He decided that it was not good to leave such a harsh name for the turning point, beyond which opens a direct sea route to India. And he proposed to call this place the Cape of Good Hope. Or in Portuguese Cabo de Boa Esperanca.

The cape lived up to its name. In 1497, the Expedition of Vasco da Gama rounded the Cape of Good Hope and finally reached the cherished shores of India!

Today it is the territory of the Cape Province of South Africa. Nearest Big city Cape Town. The Cape of Good Hope itself is the national pride and tourist attraction of South Africa. It is organically inscribed in the national park or reserve with the same name "Cape of Good Hope" or in English "Cape of Good Hope".

As already mentioned, the Cape of Good Hope is not only not the southernmost, but also not the most southwestern point of Africa. The most southwestern point is the completely inconspicuous ledge of Cape Point, located fifty meters to the north. And it is on it that a lighthouse with the name "Cape of Good Hope" is installed. AND Observation deck where all the tourists take their memorable pictures.

And at the Cape of Good Hope there is a shield with the name and exact coordinates and the inscription "the most southwestern point of Africa."

Location of the Cape of Good Hope on the world map:

Cape of Good Hope, known to many travel lovers beautiful nature, warm climate and Russian-speaking guides who will show and tell all the features of this place.

Not everyone knows, although the guides often remember this, but it was here that the famous legend of the Flying Dutchman was born. Thanks to films, this legend is indirectly known to many, but its essence has not been revealed, as well as the places where it appeared. Many are also surprised to hear her, they say, but what about Captain Davy Jones? Isn't it the island of the Cross? No, it is the Cape of Good Hope, and not Captain Jones, although the name of the historical figure is debatable.

A pinch of history

With the name of the cape was also interesting story. It was discovered by Bartolomeu Dias, a Portuguese navigator, who called it the Cape of Storms because the cape was often subjected to severe storms. As can be seen from history, it did not immediately become the Cape of Good Hope, it was renamed by King Juan II, when his ships plied the expanses of its waters. The hope of the king was justified, the sea route to India was opened for Portugal, and the cape forever remained "Good Hope".

Historical legends

Known in history sailing ship"Flying Dutchman", but the name of its captain is debatable. In one of the myths, the captain was the Dutchman Philip van der Decken (and according to another version of the story, Van Straaten), in 1700, his ship sailed from the East Indies, carrying a married couple on board. He desired the unfortunate lady, the captain got rid of her husband, and called her to marry, but the girl could not imagine herself in the hands of the killer of her lover, so she jumped overboard.

When trying to go around the cape, the ship got into a strong storm, but despite the plea of ​​the crew to wait it out in the nearest bay, the angry captain decided on a desperate act. Defying all the gods, he took the ship through the storm, dooming himself and the entire crew to certain death. Having sworn that not a single soul would go ashore, he signed his own verdict. Now the ship is forced to wander, over and over again trying to go around the cape. However, according to one version, the captain can still remove the curse, which he called out himself. Once every 10 years, he is supposed to step ashore and find a wife who will voluntarily agree to marry the damned captain. Another version says that the Flying Dutchman and everyone on board can be released by some kind of magic word, but whoever knows or keeps it is the unknown secret of the seven seas.

Another version of the legend

The Dutch captain swore that he would sell his soul if he rounded the cape unharmed. He made the mistake of not indicating that he needed to do it only once, and the Devil played a cruel joke on him. Now the captain and his team go around the cape safe and sound over and over again.

In a strong storm, the ship could not get around the Cape of Good Hope (in another version, it was Cape Horn). The crew asked to turn back, but Van Straaten stated that he would swim until he reached the goal. In response to angry speeches, a voice boomed from the sky: "So be it - swim at least until the second coming."

In those days, terrible diseases were rampant, and one of them overtook the Flying Dutchman, not a single port agreed to accept such a ship, fearing infection. The "Dutchman" sailed from port to port for a long time, while members of his crew were dying. Having not found help, the ship continues to wander, instilling horror and bringing misfortune to other ships.

There are an incredible number of versions. Another one says that the "Dutchman" met the ghost ship "Kenara", but having defeated it, he took upon himself the curse of a pirate ship. According to other stories, the captain was in such a hurry to go home that he did not help the sinking ship he met at sea, for which he was cursed according to all maritime laws.

Bartolomeo Dias, a Portuguese navigator, was the first to circumnavigate the cape in 1488. When he returned, he stopped at the southwestern tip of Africa and named it the Cape of Storms. But King John II of Portugal renamed it the Cape of Good Hope. This cape was rounded in 1497 by the ship of Vasco da Gama on the way to India. Bold travels by Portuguese navigators made it possible to lay a sea route around the cape, then regular sailings began, however, due to the deceptive coastline and dangerous fogs, these places have seen many shipwrecks.

In order to reduce the risk of possible catastrophes, it was decided to build a lighthouse on the cape. The first lighthouse was built in 1857 at a height of 238 m above sea level, but it turned out to be so high that fogs and clouds cover it for more than 900 hours a year. After the wreck of the Portuguese liner Lusitania in 1911, the lighthouse was relocated and built just 87 meters above sea level. Construction work began in 1913 and continued for almost six years due to the difficulty of getting building materials here and adverse conditions. weather conditions. The lighthouse is the most powerful on the coast South Africa. Visible at a distance of 63 km, it emits three flashes of light every 30 seconds with a power of 10 million candles.

The area around the lighthouse

On the shore around the lighthouse, and today you can see the remains of 26 ships that did not manage to go around the cape. One of the most famous shipwrecks was the sinking of the Thomas T. Tucker, one of hundreds of ships built by the United States of America to carry supplies to the Allies during World War II. On the very first voyage, the ship went off course due to fog and ran into the rocks.

The scenic area around the lighthouse is made up of green hills through which trails descend to secluded beaches where elans, baboons, ostriches and bonteboks live - brightly colored antelopes. From this side of the cape, it is difficult to even imagine how many tragedies happened very close by.

He was among the first Portuguese to set foot on the soil of Brazil ..

It is known that Dias was of noble origin and was in the inner circle of the king. The surname Dias is quite common in Portugal, there are suggestions that he was related to some famous navigators of that time.

In his youth, he studied mathematics and astronomy at the University of Lisbon. But most importantly, he attended the famous school of sailors in Sagris, founded by the famous Prince Henry the Navigator, which prepared a whole cascade of brilliant Portuguese sailors.

Like almost all of all the nobles in Portugal, Bartolomeo Dias's activities were connected with the sea, from his youth he participated in various sea expeditions. On the campaign of 1481-82. to the shores of Ghana was already the captain of one of the caravels. For a time, Dias acted as chief inspector of the royal warehouses in Lisbon. There is evidence that he was familiar with Christopher Columbus, then unknown to anyone, and he and Dias even participated in some kind of joint voyages.

After the death of Henry the Navigator (1460), there was a pause in Portuguese overseas expansion - the attention of the royal court was diverted to other things. But as soon as the internal problems were solved, the attention of the first (and second) persons of the state turned again to overseas expansion, primarily to the exploration and plunder of Africa, and to the search for a way to India. It should be remembered that in this era there was still a transitional period in the minds of sailors and cartographers - many of them were sure that the earth was flat! The other part already doubted it. But despite this, the exploration of Africa and the search for new ways to the East, bypassing the Turks, continued.

The idea that the Atlantic and Indian oceans are connected was first loudly voiced by the Portuguese navigator Diego Kahn. It was Kan who first reached the mouth of the Congo (Zaire). It was he who drew attention to the fact that south of 18 degrees south latitude coastline deviates to the east. From this, Kahn conjectured that there was a sea route around Africa to the Indian Ocean.

The Portuguese king instructed Bartolomeo Dias to check Kahn's assumptions, appointing him the leader of the expedition, the purpose of which was the maximum breakthrough to the south along the African coast and the search for an exit to the Indian Ocean.

For ten months, Bartolomeo Dias prepared the expedition, carefully selected the ships, completed the crew, calculated the supply of provisions and everything that might be needed on a voyage to no one knows where. The expedition of three vessels also included the so-called cargo ship - a floating pantry, with stocks of food, weapons, spare equipment, building materials, etc. The leadership of the flotilla was made up of outstanding sailors of that time: Leitao, Joao Infante, Peru de Alenquer, who later described the first voyage of Vasco da Gama, Alvaro Martins and Joao Grego. The cargo ship was commanded by Bartolomeu's brother, Peru Dias. In addition, several black Africans were taken on the expedition, whose task was to facilitate contacts with the natives of new lands.

The expedition started from the Portuguese coast in August 1487. In early December of the same year, Dias and his comrades reached the shores of present-day Namibia, where they were overtaken by a severe storm. As an experienced navigator, Dias hastened to take the ships to the open sea. Here they were battered by the sea waves for two weeks. When the hurricane died down, neither Dias nor his pilots could determine their location. Therefore, at first they took a bite to the west, in the hope of "bursting" into the African coast, then turned to the north. And they saw him - on February 3, 1488. Having landed on the coast, the pioneers noticed the natives and tried to make contact with them. The black interpreters of the expedition, however, did not understand the language of the local population. And they behaved quite aggressively and Diash had to retreat.

But Diash and his commanders noticed that the coast in this place does not stretch to the south, but directly to the east. Dias decided to continue sailing in this direction. But then the unexpected happened - the entire leadership of the flotilla spoke in favor of returning. And the team threatened to riot in case of refusal. Dias was forced to accept their demands, bargaining for the condition that the voyage continue eastward for another three days.

Having covered a segment of about 200 miles during this time (the sailboats of those times quite allowed such a throw - 200 miles with fair wind the caravel could pass in a day! the ships reached the mouth of the river, which Dias named Rio di Infanti - in honor of João Infanti, one of the captains of the flotilla, who first came ashore here. Another padran was erected right there. With these padrans, the Portuguese, as it were, staked out their possessions on the African continent.

Nothing to do, the expedition turned back home. And already on the way back, Bartolomeo Dias discovered the southernmost tip of Africa, calling it the Cape of Storms. Legend has it that upon returning from the voyage, after the report of Bartolomeo Dias, King Juan II proposed renaming this place to the Cape of Good Hope, which the southernmost tip of Africa bears to this day. Behind the cape, the coast turned sharply to the north.

Despite the fact that the Portuguese were formally located south of the coast of their country, and the fact that February is a summer month in the southern hemisphere, all members of the team noticed that it was very cold in these latitudes.

The Dias expedition returned to the harbor of Lisbon in December 1488. They sailed for a total of 16 months and 17 days - three times longer than Columbus did on his first expedition!

Dias did not receive any award for his discovery.

The Cape of Good Hope is located in the south of the Cape Peninsula, one of the most major cities South Africa. Once it had the name Cape Storms and it is quite justified. After all, strong currents, storms, winds and fog are inseparable companions of this place, moreover, icebergs often swim here; all this in different time led to the death of a dozen ships.

Why was the Cape of Good Hope named?

The navigator who discovered the Cape of Good Hope in Africa was called Bartolomeu Dias; on the orders of the Portuguese king, he went in search of a sea route to India around Africa. Another storm confused the explorer's plans, and he lost his bearings, so trusting his intuition, he went north, where he met the cape, giving him the name of the cause of his disaster. The ship was too damaged, and the crew rebelled, so even seeing the beginning of the journey to the Indian Ocean, Dias was forced to turn back. In 1497, Vasco da Gama was sent to pave the way to the Indian coast, and since his journey was fueled not only by responsibility, but also by hope, the cape was immediately renamed the Cape of Good Hope.

Rest on the cape

On this moment Cape of Good Hope - one of the most famous national parks peace. This is the place where the Atlantic and Indian oceans join, so this is the point on the globe where you can visit two different oceans at the same time.

The Cape of Good Hope is located in the south of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Point, at the foot of which it originates, where the water is much warmer than other water basins in this area. The waters of the bay are heated by warm currents Indian Ocean. Therefore, the beaches near the cape are always filled with people.

In addition, not far from the cape is national park"", which conquers with its flora and fauna, many amazing animals live there - from monkeys to penguins.

How to get there?

For a very long time, the Cape of Good Hope was considered the southern point of Africa, so finding it on a world map is quite simple, because it is this information that is captured in the form of exact coordinates on a plate installed on the site in front of the cape. The city is located near the Cape of Good Hope.

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