Cape Horn

From WikiPOBia

Revision as of 00:45, 13 January 2009 by Aquinas (Talk | contribs)
(diff) ← Older revision | Current revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to: navigation, search

Cape Horn (55°59'S 67°17'W), though actually an island, is the southernmost point of the continent of South America and the most southerly point of any continent save Anarctica. Prevailing westerlies and the effect of the Andes Mountains produce high winds and frequent storms. For European sailing ships it represented the short route to the Pacific, but "doubling" the cape from east to west (generally taken to mean sailing south from 50°S, around the cape, and back to the same latitude) was often the most difficult part of a long voyage.



Personal tools