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South Seas Companion
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Cape Horn |
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| Cape Horn is the southernmost promontory of Tierra del Fuego. |
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The first European voyagers to round Cape Horn were members of the Dutch expedition commanded by Willem Schouten in 1616. They called it Kaap Hoorn after the Dutch city of Hoorn, Schouten's birthplace. Rounding Cape Horn was a dangerous undertaking in the age of sail because of the region's unpredictable weather. On average gales sweep the waters off the cape for two-thirds of the year. During the remaining weeks the seas off the Cape are marked by strong winds and high seas. When winds and sea are relatively mild the region is often shrouded in low clouds and mist. | |
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| Places: Staten Island | Tierra del Fuego | |
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Published by South Seas, 1 February 2004 Comments, questions, corrections and additions: Paul.Turnbull@jcu.edu.au Prepared by: Paul Turnbull Updated: 28 June 2004 To cite this page use: http://nla.gov.au/nla.cs-ss-biogs-P000329 |