Cape Spartel ( ar, رأس سبارطيل; french: Cap Spartel; ary, أشبرتال) is a promontory in

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to A ...

about above sea level at the entrance to the

Strait of Gibraltar The Strait of Gibraltar ( ar, مضيق جبل طارق, Maḍīq Jabal Ṭāriq; es, Estrecho de Gibraltar, Archaic: Pillars of Hercules), also known as the Straits of Gibraltar, is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Medi ...

, 12 km West of

Tangier Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the capi ...

. Below the cape are the

Caves of Hercules The Caves of Hercules is an archaeological cave complex located in Cape Spartel, Morocco. Location Situated west of Tangier, the popular tourist attraction is adjacent to the summer palace of the King of Morocco. Topography The cave has tw ...

Etymology

According to

Mohamed Chafik Mohamed Chafik (; ), born 17 September 1926, is a leading figure in the Amazigh (also known as Berber) cultural movement. An original author of the Amazigh Manifesto, he was later appointed as the first Rector of the Royal Institute of the Ama ...

, the name of this location is derived from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

spartium ''Spartium junceum'', known as Spanish broom, rush broom, or weaver's broom, it is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and the sole species in the genus ''Spartium''. It is closely related to the other brooms (in the genera '' Cy ...

'', which is the name of a plant genus (Spanish broom).

Description

Cape Spartel is frequently but incorrectly referred to as the northernmost point of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, which is instead

Ras ben Sakka Ras ben Sakka (Arabic for "Cape Ben Sakka"), the tip of Cape Angela in northern Tunisia, is the northernmost point of the African continent. It is located from Bizerte and to the northeast of Ichkeul Lake World Heritage Site. It is located j ...

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

. It is the most North Western point of mainland Africa. The cape rises to a height of 326 m. at the top of Jebel Quebir where there is a tower. There is another tower nearer to the end of the cape which serves as a lighthouse. Below the cape are the

. These are open to the public and they are accessible from Robinson Plage. The caves have shown evidence of Neolithic occupation. Before they were a tourist attraction they were brothels. Historically the rock was mined and this is one important cause of the caves creation. Near Cape Spartel is Spartel Bank, a sunken island hypothesized by some as the location of the legendary island of

Atlantis Atlantis ( grc, Ἀτλαντὶς νῆσος, , island of Atlas) is a fictional island mentioned in an allegory on the hubris of nations in Plato's works '' Timaeus'' and '' Critias'', wherein it represents the antagonist naval power that b ...

. Cape Spartel is accessible from the National Road S701.

Historical events

On 17 August 1670, British ships under Commodore Richard Beach and Dutch ships under

Willem Joseph van Ghent Willem Joseph baron van Ghent tot Drakenburgh (14 May 1626 – 7 June 1672) was a 17th-century Dutch admiral. His surname is also sometimes rendered Gendt or Gent. Early career Van Ghent was baptised on 14 May 1626, in the church of Wi ...

destroyed six Barbary ships near Cape Spartel, Morocco, 17 August 1670. During the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

, two Spanish 60-gun ships – the ''Porta Coeli'' and ''Santa Teresa'' – were intercepted on 23 March 1704 by an English squadron under Vice-Admiral

Thomas Dilkes Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Dilkes (c.1667 – 12 December 1707) was an officer in the Royal Navy. Early life Thomas Dilkes was born in around 1667 to a junior branch of the Dilke family of Maxstoke Castle in Warwickshire. He was also related to ...

off Cape Espartel, comprising the 70-gun ships ''Kent'' and ''Bedford'' and the 50-gun ''Antelope''. The two Spanish warships, newly built at Orio, were laden with ordnance and military stores and were accompanied by a 24-gun merchantman, the ''San Nicolas''. After a seven hours battle, both warships were captured; they were taken to Lisbon, but the ''Santa Teresa'' sank en route. During the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

on 20 October 1782 there was an inconclusive battle between British and French/Spanish fleets about 18 miles off the coast, the

Battle of Cape Spartel The Battle of Cape Spartel was an indecisive naval battle between a Franco-Spanish fleet under Admiral Luis de Córdova y Córdova and a British fleet under Admiral Richard Howe. These forces met on 20 October 1782 after Howe successfully resupp ...

between ships under Admiral Luis de Córdova y Córdova and a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

fleet under Admiral

Richard Howe Admiral of the Fleet Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe, (8 March 1726 – 5 August 1799) was a British naval officer. After serving throughout the War of the Austrian Succession, he gained a reputation for his role in amphibious operations a ...

. The battle was required to maintain British supplies to the besieged

Rock of Gibraltar The Rock of Gibraltar (from the Arabic name Jabel-al-Tariq) is a monolithic limestone promontory located in the British territory of Gibraltar, near the southwestern tip of Europe on the Iberian Peninsula, and near the entrance to the Medite ...

. In December 1911, the British P&O

liner A low-ionization nuclear emission-line region (LINER) is a type of galactic nucleus that is defined by its spectral line emission. The spectra typically include line emission from weakly ionized or neutral atoms, such as O, O+, N+, and S+. ...

, SS ''Delhi'', ran aground near to Cape Spartel. All passengers were rescued by British and French warships, but three French rescuers were lost.http://www.poheritage.com The

Battle of Cape Espartel The Battle of Cape Spartel (''Cabo Espartel'' in Spanish) was a naval battle of the Spanish Civil War that broke the Republican blockade of the Strait of Gibraltar, securing the maritime supply route to Spanish Morocco for the Nationalists ...

was a naval battle on 29 September 1936 during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlism, Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebeli ...

. The engagement took place between two Nationalist

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles. The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several ...

s and two Republican

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed ...

s, and broke the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

blockade A blockade is the act of actively preventing a country or region from receiving or sending out food, supplies, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, by military force. A blockade differs from an embargo or sanction, which are leg ...

of the

, securing the naval supply route to

Spanish Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

for the

Nationalists Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

early in the war. Cape Spartel lighthouse panorama

References

https://pharcapspartel.com/cap-spartel/

Bibliography

* F. Tamburini, Il faro di Capo Spartel (1865–1958), un esempio di cooperazione internazionale in Africa attraverso i secoli XIX e XX, in “Africana, Rivista di studi extraeuropei”, n. IX, 2003 *

S. L. Bensusan Samuel Levy Bensusan (29 September 1872 – 11 December 1958) was a British author, musician, traveller, playwright, recorder of declining Essex dialects, and expert on country matters. He was born in Dulwich and died aged 86 at Hastings, and ...

, ''Morocco'', A. and C. Black, 1904 {{DEFAULTSORT:Cape Spartel

Spartel Spartel Bank or Majuán Bank is a submerged former island located in the Strait of Gibraltar near Cape Spartel and the Spartel Sill. Its highest point is currently below the surface. Spartel Bank is one of several seamounts in the bed of Gibralt ...

Tangier Geography of Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima

Etymology

Description

Historical events

See also

References

Bibliography