Cabo da Roca
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Coordinates: 38°46′51″N 9°29′54″W / 38.780919°N 9.498361°W
Cabo da Roca (Cape Roca) is a cape which forms the westernmost point of both mainland Europe and mainland Portugal. The cape is in the Portuguese municipality of Sintra, west of Lisbon district, and also forms the westernmost extent of the Serra de Sintra.[1]
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[edit] Location
The cape is located in Lisbon district, 42 kilometres west of the city of Lisbon and 18 kilometres west of the town of Sintra in the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park. Its coordinates, 38°47′N 9°30′W / 38.783°N 9.5°W, are inscribed on a stone plaque on the monument at the site. The cliff rises out of the Atlantic Ocean to approximately 140 metres above sea level.
[edit] Environment
Once home to a variety of plant life, Cabo da Roca has been overrun with the invasive plant species Carpobrotus edulis. This creeping, mat-forming succulent species - a member of the Stone Plant family Aizoaceae - was introduced as ground cover by local residents several decades ago, but now covers much of the arable land on Cabo da Roca.
[edit] History
Cabo da Roca was known to the Romans as Promontorium Magnum[1] and during the Age of Sail as the Rock of Lisbon. The 16th century Portuguese poet Luís de Camões described Cabo da Roca as the place "where the land ends and the sea begins" (Portuguese: Onde a terra acaba e o mar começa).
[edit] Landmarks
The cape's lighthouse and a tourist shop sit on top of the cliff. Construction of the lighthouse was completed in 1772, and the structure rises 144 meters in height above the cape. The cape is a popular tourist attraction, and the site features a monument with a crucifix bearing an inscription Portuguese:
Aqui...
Onde a terra termina e o mar começa...
(Camões)
Ponta mais ocidental do continente europeu
Here...
Where the land ends and the sea begins...
(Camões)
Westernmost point of the European continent
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Cape Roca". Encyclopedia Britanica. 2008. http://www.original.britannica.com/eb/article-9063940/Cape-Roca. Retrieved on 2008-08-12.
[edit] See also
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cabo da Roca |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lighthouses in Portugal |
[edit] External links
- Cabo da Roca By Isa Carvalho in Accessible Portugal Online Magazine
