L'Agulhas
{{About|the town||Agulhas (disambiguation)}}{{More citations needed|date=April 2024}}{{Infobox settlement
| name = L'Agulhas
| other_name = Agulhas
| image_skyline = Hendrik van den Berg - View over L'Agulha.jpg
| image_caption = View over L'Agulhas
| pushpin_map = South Africa Western Cape#South Africa
| coordinates = {{coord|34|49|20|S|20|1|0|E|region:ZA|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = South Africa
| subdivision_type1 = Province
| subdivision_name1 = Western Cape
| subdivision_type2 = District
| subdivision_name2 = Overberg
| subdivision_type3 = Municipality
| subdivision_name3 = Cape Agulhas
| subdivision_type4 = Main Place
| established_title = Established
| leader_title = Councillor
| area_footnotes = {{cite web |url=http://census2011.adrianfrith.com/place/173007 |title = Main Place L'Agulhas |work=Census 2011}}
| area_total_km2 = 7.49
| population_total = 548
| population_as_of = 2011
| population_density_km2 = auto
| demographics_type1 = Racial makeup (2011)
| demographics1_title1 = Black African
| demographics1_info1 = 7.1%
| demographics1_title2 = Coloured
| demographics1_info2 = 4.6%
| demographics1_title3 = Indian/Asian
| demographics1_info3 = 0.2%
| demographics1_title4 = White
| demographics1_info4 = 86.3%
| demographics1_title5 = Other
| demographics1_info5 = 1.8%
| demographics_type2 = First languages (2011)
| demographics2_title1 = Afrikaans
| demographics2_info1 = 80.7%
| demographics2_title2 = English
| demographics2_info2 = 17.0%
| demographics2_title3 =
| demographics2_info3 =
| demographics2_title4 =
| demographics2_info4 =
| demographics2_title5 = Other
| demographics2_info5 = 2.3%
| timezone1 = SAST
| utc_offset1 = +2
| postal_code_type = Postal code (street)
| postal_code = 7287
| postal2_code_type = PO box
| postal2_code =
| area_code_type = Area code
| area_code = 028435
}}
L'Agulhas is the southernmost coastal village and holiday resort in South 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 {{convert|30|km|-1}} south of the regional centre of Bredasdorp. 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).
Etymology
Agulhas is the plural form of “agulha” in Portuguese. It is derived from the Late Latin word, “acūcula,” and the Latin word “acula,” both meaning a needle or pin. They trace back to the theorized Proto-Indo-European word “h₂eḱ.”
According to local legend, when sailing to the cape, sailors saw the compass needle point North, directly to the modern day location of L’Agulhas.
Lighthouse
File:Cape Agulhas Lighthouse.jpg
File:Postbox at Cape Agulhas.jpg
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. The lighthouse was declared a National Monument in 1973.
{{clear|left}}
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 {{convert|276|mm|0|abbr=on}}, with most rainfall occurring mainly during winter.
= Fishing =
The local Agulhas Bank, known for its fishing, is reputed to have the richest fishing area in the Southern Hemisphere.{{cite book |last=Raper |first=Peter E. |url=https://archive.org/stream/DictionaryOfSouthernAfricanPlaceNames/SaPlaceNames#page/n53/mode/2up |title=Dictionary of Southern African Place Names |publisher=Internet Archive |year=1987 |page=53 |accessdate=28 August 2013}}{{climate chart|L'Agulhas
|15|25|10
|15|25|11
|14|24|17
|12|22|28
|9|20|32
|7|18|35
|7|17|36
|7|17|33
|8|19|23
|10|20|23
|12|22|18
|14|24|10
|source=[http://www.saexplorer.co.za/south-africa/climate/agulhas_climate.asp SA Explorer]}}
Another source gives different data, showing that it has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csb), with most precipitation falling in June.{{cite web|title=Climate: L'Agulhas - Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table|url=http://en.climate-data.org/location/27115/|publisher=Climate-Data.org|accessdate=16 August 2013}}
{{Weather box
|metric first=yes
|single line=yes
|location=L'Agulhas
|Jan high C=24
|Feb high C=23.8
|Mar high C=22.7
|Apr high C=20.9
|May high C=19.3
|Jun high C=18
|Jul high C=16.9
|Aug high C=17.1
|Sep high C=17.9
|Oct high C=19.2
|Nov high C=21.1
|Dec high C=23
|Jan mean C=20.6
|Feb mean C=20.5
|Mar mean C=19.6
|Apr mean C=17.7
|May mean C=15.8
|Jun mean C=14.5
|Jul mean C=13.6
|Aug mean C=13.8
|Sep mean C=14.6
|Oct mean C=16
|Nov mean C=17.8
|Dec mean C=19.5
|Jan low C=17.3
|Feb low C=17.3
|Mar low C=16.5
|Apr low C=14.5
|May low C=12.3
|Jun low C=11
|Jul low C=10.3
|Aug low C=10.5
|Sep low C=11.4
|Oct low C=12.9
|Nov low C=14.6
|Dec low C=16.1
|Jan precipitation mm=17
|Feb precipitation mm=23
|Mar precipitation mm=27
|Apr precipitation mm=63
|May precipitation mm=63
|Jun precipitation mm=69
|Jul precipitation mm=64
|Aug precipitation mm=56
|Sep precipitation mm=41
|Oct precipitation mm=40
|Nov precipitation mm=30
|Dec precipitation mm=24
}}
See also
Cape of Gòod Hope
External links
- [https://xplorio.com/agulhas/en/about/history/ History of Cape Agulhas]
- [http://www.xplorio.com/agulhas/ L'Agulhas]
References
{{reflist}}
{{Overberg District Municipality}}
Category:Populated places in the Cape Agulhas Local Municipality