Cape Araxos (), also known as Cape Pappas (Άκρα Πάππα), is a

cape A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment of any length that hangs loosely and connects either at the neck or shoulders. They usually cover the back, shoulders, and arms. They come in a variety of styles and have been used th ...

in the northwest of the

Peloponnese The Peloponnese ( ), Peloponnesus ( ; , ) or Morea (; ) is a peninsula and geographic region in Southern Greece, and the southernmost region of the Balkans. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridg ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. It is the northwesternmost point of Peloponnese and separates the

Gulf of Patras The Gulf of Patras (, ''Patraikós Kólpos'') is a branch of the Ionian Sea in Western Greece. On the east, it is closed by the Strait of Rion between capes Rio and Antirrio, near the Rio-Antirrio bridge, that is the entrance of the Gulf of C ...

from the

Ionian Sea The Ionian Sea (, ; or , ; , ) is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including Basilicata, Calabria, Sicily, and the Salento peninsula to the west, ...

. It lies at a distance of west of the city of

Patras Patras (; ; Katharevousa and ; ) is Greece's List of cities in Greece, third-largest city and the regional capital and largest city of Western Greece, in the northern Peloponnese, west of Athens. The city is built at the foot of Mount Panachaiko ...

and very close to the village of Akrotirio Araxou. In 1877 a stone lighthouse was built, but it was destroyed during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and a modern lighthouse was installed after some years. The waters in the area are dangerous because of the continuous additions of sediments, eroding from the uplands of

Aetolia-Acarnania Aetolia-Acarnania (, ''Aitoloakarnanía'', ) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the geographic regions of Greece, geographic region of Central Greece (geographic region), Central Greece and the administrative regions of Greece, ...

via the rivers Acheloos and

Evinos Evinos () is a river in western Greece, flowing into the Gulf of Patras. Its source is in the northern Vardousia mountains, near the village Artotina, Phocis. The river flows in a generally southwestern direction, for most of its length in Aet ...

, The waters are quite shallow in some parts.

Naval minefield and shipwrecks

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the area close to the cape was a naval minefield, and there were many losses of ships and human lives. On 29 May 1945, the Dutch cargo ship ''Mars'' hit a mine and was sunk. Today it is one of the most well-preserved shipwrecks of the

Hellenic Navy and Hellenic Coast Guard installations

The land around the cape belongs to the

Greek Navy The Hellenic Navy (HN; , abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Hellenic Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy historically hails from the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence ...

which operates a small naval base (Araxos Naval Fort) so the access to the area is restricted same like the navigation without permission closer to a distance of from the coast. The base hosts the Naval Radio Transmitter Facility of Araxos (Κέντρο Εκπομπής Αράξου). According to

Hellenic Coast Guard The Hellenic Coast Guard () is the national coast guard of Greece. Like many other coast guards, it is a paramilitary organization that can support the Hellenic Navy in wartime, but resides under separate civilian control in times of peace. The ...

, in the area operates the ''cape Pappas RSS'' (Remote Site Sensor) which is a remotely controlled sensor and radar facility of the national

Vessel traffic service A vessel traffic service is a marine traffic monitoring system established by harbour or port authorities, similar to air traffic control for aircraft. The International Maritime Organization defines vessel traffic service as "a service implemente ...

system of Greece (Officially called Vessel Traffic Management and Information System).

References

External links

{{coord, 38.216, 21.377, type:landmark_region:GR_dim:5000, display=title, format=dms

Araxos Araxos (, ) is a village and community in the municipal unit of Larissos, within the municipality of West Achaea, in the northwestern part of Achaea, Greece. It is located about 29 km southwest of Patras. The community consists of the villages ...

Landforms of Western Greece