Discovered by Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Diaz in 1488, the Cape of Good Hope initially bore the self-explanatory name of “Cape of Storms”, before being given its current denomination by João II, King of Portugal.

The monarch decided that this landmark, symbol of new commercial routes towards the East, should be seen as the threshold of new and promising horizons… hence its optimistic connotation. Nevertheless, the area quickly became quite well known among sailors for its dangers, and the legend of Adamastor, the spirit the Cape of Storms, was consigned in Luis de Camoes’s epic poem “The Lusiads” in the late 1500s. Warning intrepid sailors against the wrath they would unleash if they attempted to enter the Indian Ocean, this mythical figure embodies the power of nature reacting against the mortals who try to challenge and master it.

Geographically, and despite the common misconception, this cape is not the southernmost tip of the African continent, since the Cape Agulhas, some 90 miles to the south-east, lies further down in terms of latitude – it is also the official dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian oceans. But the historical importance of Good Hope, which had for many years been simply referred to as “The Cape” by sailors, make it the most significant of these two African landmarks.
Geographical coordinates: 34° 21’ S, 18° 28’ E

Luis de Camoes's epic poem "The Lusiads", mentioning the legend of Adamastor, spirit of the Cape.
© Wikimedia Commons

Cape of Good Hope
© Paddy Briggs