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L’Agulhas is the quaint little seaside village sitting on the cusp of the southernmost point of Africa. It was originally dubbed Cabo das Agulhas by the Portuguese sailors that landed at this point. It means ‘Cape of the Needles’ and was so named because of the jagged reef and it was one of the only places where true North and magnetic North (the compass needle) coincide. With the French influence that came later, the town name was then changed to L’Agulhas.
The Agulhas point is the official divide between the Indian and Atlantic Ocean but it is not always the official divide between the Agulhas and Benguela currents. This divide varies between the Agulhas point and Cape Point. The significance of standing at the meeting place of two oceans is not lost, however. The raw energy of the surrounding natural environment is a constant reminder of this geographical hotspot.