The most southern tip of Africa, there where Africa ends.

The most southern tip of Africa at Cape Agulhas in the Agulhas National Park in South Africa, attracts thousands of local and international tourists each year to witness the Indian and Atlantic oceans splashing together.

Many of them where led to believe that Cape Point, the southernmost tip of the Cape Peninsula, is the place to go, to witness this supposed natural phenomenon.

View from the Agulhas lighthouse at the southern tip of Africa

View from the Agulhas lighthouse at the southern tip of the African continent
However, the residents of Cape Agulhas with most of the South Africans and scientific institutions on their side, disagree. They argue that in fact somebody did draw the line at a different place, to demarcate where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet, namely the International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO), which describes the western boundary of the Indian Ocean as follows;

From the coast of the Antarctic continent northwards, along the meridian of 20°E to Cape Agulhas (34°50’S – 20°00’E), the southern extremity of the Republic of South Africa, in Africa (the common limit with the South Atlantic Ocean).

Location of the most southern tip of Africa at cape Agulhas in relation to Cape Point in the Cape Peninsula

Location of the Agulhas National Park and the most southern tip of Africa at Cape Agulhas
So those who travel to Cape Point, or the Cape of Good Hope, in the hope of seeing the confluence of two oceans, will have to travel a little further south and east to Cape Agulhas, a distance of approximately 200km. And for those who still try to pursue the debate for commercial reasons, they do not seem to have much of a leg to stand on.

The Hydrographic Office of the South African Navy accepts the findings of the IHO regarding the common boundary of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, while the Department of Oceanography at the University of Cape Town also accepts and applies the 20°E dividing line.

The map below shows part of the Western Cape province with the location of the most southern tip of Africa in relation to Cape Point.

Tips for navigating the map

The three buttons at the right-hand top corner of the map allow you to view either the geographical map, the satellite picture or a combination of both.

The button cluster on the left will enable you to zoom in or out. On the map you can use the Plus (+) key to Zoom In for more detail, or the Minus (-) key to Zoom Out for a bigger picture of the region in relation to the rest of South Africa.

You will also be able to move the map left and right and up and down by using the Arrows at the left hand top corner, or by clicking the left-hand mouse button and moving the cursor on the map.