Cape Trafalgar (; es, Cabo Trafalgar ) is a
headland in the
Province of Cádiz in the southwest of
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
. The 1805 naval
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (180 ...
, in which the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
commanded by Admiral
Horatio Nelson decisively defeated
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
's combined
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
and
French fleet, took place just off the cape.
Cape Trafalgar lies on the shore of the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, northwest of the
Strait of Gibraltar. The
International Hydrographic Organization
The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) is an intergovernmental organisation representing hydrography. , the IHO comprised 98 Member States.
A principal aim of the IHO is to ensure that the world's seas, oceans and navigable waters a ...
defines the western limit of the strait and the
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
as a line that joins Cape Trafalgar to the north with
Cape Spartel to the south.
The most prominent structure on the cape is a lighthouse (totaling 51 metres or 167 feet above sea level), the ', which was first illuminated on 15 July 1862.
Etymology
The name is of
Arabic origin, deriving either from ''Taraf al-Ghar'' ( 'cape of the cave/laurel'),
or from ''Taraf al-Gharb'' ( 'cape of the west').
Richard Burton
Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s, and he gave a memorable pe ...
''The Arabian Nights''
(vol. 9)'s footnote 82 In both cases, ''taraf'' () means 'edge' or 'extremity' and refers to a
promontory. In modern
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
, however, the place is sometimes re-transcribed as ''al-Taraf al-Aghar'' ().
Archaeology
In May 2021, 2,000-year-old
Roman baths emerged from the sand dunes of Cape Trafalgar, including entire walls, windows and doors.
See also
*
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster, Central London, laid out in the early 19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. At its centre is a high column bearing a statue of Admiral Nelson comm ...
References
External links
*
Libro de Faros (todos los faros de España)
Trafalgar
Trafalgar
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