In geography, a cape is a headland, peninsula or promontory extending into a body of water, usually a sea.[1] A cape usually represents a marked change in trend of the coastline,[2] often making them important landmarks in sea navigation. This also makes them prone to natural forms of erosion, mainly tidal actions, resulting in a relatively short geological lifespan.
Formation
Capes can be formed by glaciers, volcanoes, and changes in sea level.[2] Erosion plays a large role in each of these methods of formation.[3]Coastal erosion by waves and currents can create capes by wearing away softer rock and leaving behind harder rock formations. Movements of the Earth's crust can uplift land, forming capes. For example, the Cape of Good Hope was formed by tectonic forces. Volcanic eruptions can create capes by depositing lava that solidifies into new landforms. Cape Verde, (also known as Cabo Verde) is an example of a volcanic cape.[4] Glaciers can carve out capes by eroding the landscape as they advance and retreat. Cape Cod in the United States was formed by glacial activity during the last Ice Age.[3]
Importance in navigation
Capes (and other headlands) are conspicuous visual landmarks along a coast, and sailors have relied on them for navigation since antiquity.[5][6] The Greeks and Romans considered some to be sacred capes and erected temples to the sea god nearby.
Greek peripli describe capes and other headlands a sailor will encounter along a route. The Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax, for instance, illustrates a clockwise journey around Sicily using three capes that define its triangular shape: Cape Peloro in the northeast, Cape Pachynus in the southeast, and Cape Lilybaeum in the west.[5] Sicily itself was referred to as Trinacria (or Three Capes) in antiquity.[7]
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