Cape Lopez () is a headland on the coast of

Gabon Gabon ( ; ), officially the Gabonese Republic (), is a country on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, on the equator, bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo to the east and south, and ...

, west central

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

. The westernmost point of Gabon, it separates the

Gulf of Guinea The Gulf of Guinea (French language, French: ''Golfe de Guinée''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Golfo de Guinea''; Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Golfo da Guiné'') is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean from Cape Lopez i ...

from the South

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

. Cape Lopez is the northernmost point of a low, wooded

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

between two mouths of the Ogooué River. There is an oil terminal at the southeast side of the cape, and the seaport of Port-Gentil lies about 10 km southeast of the cape. A

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

has existed on the Cape since 1897; the current tower was built in 1911, but has been inactive for many years and is in danger of collapsing from

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as Surface runoff, water flow or wind) that removes soil, Rock (geology), rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust#Crust, Earth's crust and then sediment transport, tran ...

.Phare du Cap Lopez
/ref> It is named after the Portuguese explorer Lopes Gonçalves, who reached it circa 1474. In 1602, the Dutch explorer and writer Pieter de Marees published some images of its people. File:Johann Theodor de Bry - Inwoners van Kaap de Lopo Gonsalves RP-P-BI-5268.jpg, Inhabitants of ''Kaap de Lopo Gonsalves'', 1602

References

Landforms of Gabon Peninsulas of Africa Ogooué River Ogooué-Maritime Province Headlands of Gabon {{Gabon-geo-stub

See also

References