We visited Cape Agulhas, the southernmost point of Africa, where a magnetic anomaly causes compasses to point north. In the late 19th century, the region experienced a westward magnetic declination of 30°.
Rising 140 meters, Cape Agulhas is located 155 km southeast of the Cape of Good Hope and features a lighthouse at latitude 34° 51’ south and longitude 20° 00’ east. It is about 4,200 km from Antarctica.
South of Cape Agulhas, a sandy shoal extends 840 km from Cape of Good Hope to Algoa Bay, creating hazards for mariners due to its shallow depths and strong currents. This meeting point of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans produces notorious breakers, leading to frequent shipwrecks.