West Cape Howe
{{Short description|Headland in Western Australia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox landform
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| name = West Cape Howe
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| type = Cape
| photo = ISS016-E-22781 - View of Western Australia.jpg
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| photo_caption = View of West Cape Howe taken during ISS Expedition 16 in 2008
| map = Australia Western Australia
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| map_caption = Location in Western Australia
| location = Australia
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| title = West Cape Howe
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West Cape Howe is a coastal headland near Albany, Western Australia that forms the westernmost extent of the Great Australian Bight,{{cite book |last1=International Hydrographic Organization |authorlink1=International Hydrographic Organization |title=Limits of Oceans and Seas (Special Publication No. 23) |edition=3rd |year=1953 |location=Monte Carlo, Monaco |pages=35–36 |url=https://iho.int/uploads/user/pubs/standards/s-23/S-23_Ed3_1953_EN.pdf |format=e-published as PDF |accessdate=29 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008191433/http://www.iho.int/iho_pubs/standard/S-23/S-23_Ed3_1953_EN.pdf |archive-date=8 October 2011 }} and is therefore the southernmost point in Western Australia and in all of Australia west of the 136th meridian east.
Torbay Head, located within West Cape Howe, is the southernmost point in Western Australia.{{cite web |url=https://exploreparks.dbca.wa.gov.au/site/torbay-head |title=Torbay Head |author= |date= |website=exploreparks.dbca.wa.gov.au |publisher=Government of Western Australia |access-date=21 October 2024 |quote=}}
The cape is located within the locality of West Cape Howe and the West Cape Howe National Park.{{cite web |url=https://maps.slip.wa.gov.au/landgate/locate/ |title=SLIP Map |author= |date= |website=maps.slip.wa.gov.au |publisher=Landgate |access-date=21 October 2024 |quote=}}{{cite web |url=https://nationalmap.gov.au/ |title=NationalMap |author= |date= |website=nationalmap.gov.au |publisher=Geoscience Australia |access-date=21 October 2024 |quote=}}
History
West Cape Howe was originally named Cape Howe by Captain George Vancouver on 28 September 1791, in honour of Admiral Howe.{{cite book |last1=Vancouver |first1=George |authorlink1=George Vancouver |title=A Voyage of Discovery to the North Pacific Ocean, and Round the World |volume=1 |publisher=G. G. & J. Robinson, and J. Edwards |year=1798 |location=London |pages=32}} This Cape Howe was renamed West Cape Howe by Matthew Flinders on 8 December 1801, to distinguish it from the Cape Howe in eastern Australia.{{cite book |last1=Flinders |first1=Matthew |authorlink1=Matthew Flinders |title=A Voyage to Terra Australis |volume=1 |publisher=G. & W. Nicol |year=1814 |location=London |pages=52 }}