CAPE AGULHAS: THE MEETING POINT OF TWO OCEANS Cape Agulhas: the meeting point of two Oceans When the Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias rounded the rocky cape of South Africa, he became the first European to discover the way from Europe to Asia. It happened in in 1488. He called it Cape of Storms because of the risk sea, but later it was renamed the Cape of Good Hope, because he gave hope for a new sea route to India. On the way back Diaz opened another rocky cape, but did not understand that this not spectacular point was the southern tip of Africa. Indeed, many people still believe that the Cape of Good Hope - the southernmost point of the African continent. In fact, this title belongs to Cape Agulhas - imperceptible rocky cape, 150 kilometers to the South. Cape Agulhas - also the place where the official dividing line between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, about what declares stone memorial plaque. The border was not chosen arbitrarily. This is the place where the warm Indian Ocean meets cold water of the Atlantic Ocean. However, any physical definition of meeting point or the dividing line between the two oceans ignores the fact that the flow does not stop its stream at this location. Ocean currents transform into each other, and simply mix. The meeting place of two oceans, was the subject of many hot arguments among South Africans. For example, the meeting of currents tends to fluctuate between Cape Agulhas season and Cape Point, about 1.2 miles east of the Cape of Good Hope. According to marine biologists, the actual place of the meeting can be found by observing the differences in the marine flora and fauna caused by changes in temperature along the coast. For example, prolific algae (Ecklonia) prefers colder water, and grows throughout the west coast up to Cape Agulhas. This fact supports the argument that the dividing line between warm and cold waters of the Agulhas is rather than anywhere else. #interesting #news #marine #South #Africa #cape #Agulhas
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 16:00:01 +0000
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