Cape Bojador: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 20:19, 4 September 2010
Cape Bojador
Boujdour | |
|---|---|
| Country | Morocco |
| Claimed by | Morocco, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic |
| Controlled by | Morocco |
| Population (2006) | |
• Total | 41,178 |
Cape Bojador or Cape Boujdour (Template:Lang-ar, pronounced Rā's Būjādūr in Arabic) is a headland on the northern coast of Western Sahara, at 26° 07' 37"N, 14° 29' 57"W. (Various sources give various locations: this is from the Sailing Directions for the region.), as well as the name of a nearby town with a population of 41,178[1].
It is shown on nautical charts with the original Portuguese name "Cabo Bojador", but is sometimes spelled "Cape Boujdour". It is said that it is also known as the "Bulging Cape," although no references to this usage are to be found in standard geographical references. The Cape's name in Arabic is "Abu Khatar", meaning "the father of danger."
The cape is not prominent on maps but may be located by looking 220 km (120 nautical miles) due south of the southwestern point of the hook of Fuerteventura, Canary Islands.
Historical significance
The discovery of a passable route around Cape Bojador, in 1434, by the Portuguese mariner Gil Eanes was considered a major breakthrough for European explorers and traders en route to Africa and later to India. Eanes had made a previous attempt in 1433 which resulted in failure, but tried again under orders of Prince Henry the Navigator, who first sent him in 1424. He was successful after the second expedition. The disappearance of numerous European vessels that made prior attempts, despite its violent seas, to round the Cape led some to suggest the presence of sea monsters. The region's coastal areas quickly became a very important area for the Portuguese traders, whose first delivery of African slaves to Lisbon occurred in 1434. The mythic importance of the cape for Portugal was captured in Fernando Pessoa's early 20th century work "Mensagem." In famous stanzas from this longer poem Pessoa wrote of the enormous costs of the Portuguese explorations to the nation. Capturing the symbolic importance to the nation of rounding Cape Bojador, Pessoa wrote: "Who wants to pass beyond Bojador, Must also pass beyond pain." (Quem quer passar além do Bojador, Tem que passar além da dor.)
Sailors' fears were founded in what they saw, and the phenomena witnessed by the sailors of those days can be seen today. Any ship that has to pass those places makes sure to give a wide berth in order to avoid accidents. Cape Bojador and its surrounded coast extends into the sea in the form of an underwater reef, and when the waves break after crashing into unseen gullies, the water spouts furiously in high foam clouds that look like steam, even on calm days. The sea in front of the Cape, and for approximately 3 miles from the coast and into the sea, is no more than six feet deep. Fish are abundant in that place, and shoals of sardines rise to the surface during the feeding times of larger fish. When this happens, the sea seems to bubble violently as if boiling, and observed from a distance the hissing sound produced by the fish flicking tails on the water's surface adds to the impression that the water is boiling. The tremendous heat wafted westerly on lazy breezes from the desert heightens the impression of extreme temperatures, to which the desert dust helps to create a mysterious darkness. Even the ferrous rocks make compass needles whirl erratically. No wonder all were afraid to approach that land, mainly when every sailor said he knew a very seasoned sea-dog who had had a meeting with an imaginary creature of the sea at that location.[1]
In modern time
Spain claimed a protectorate over the coastal region from Cap Blanc, far to the south of Cape Bojador, to a point about 200 km to the north in 1884. In 1975, as Spain pulled out, and following the Madrid Accords, Morocco sought to gain control over the area, leading to disputes between Morocco and Algeria, who funds the Polisario Front, the organization which proclaimed the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic in 1976.
Today the towns near Cape Bojador are prospering due to a large influx of Sahrawi settlers though many of the native Sahrawis are still refugees in the camps of Tindouf, Algeria.
In the Tindouf region of Algeria, there is a refugee camp for Sahrawis named after Cape Bojador. See Daira de Bojador.
References
- Sailing Directions (Enroute), West Coast of Europe and Northwest Coast of Africa (Pub. 143) (Bethesda: National Geo-Spatial Intelligence Agency, 2005), p. 214, s.v. "Cabo Bojador."
- Charles Ralph Boxer, The Portuguese Seaborne Empire, 1415-1825 (London: Hutchinson and Co., 1969) [Caracanet, 1991], pp. 25-6.
- Atlas of Pilot Charts: North Atlantic Ocean (Washington: National Imagery and Mapping Agency, 2002).
- ^ Stefan Helders (2006). "Western Sahara - largest cities (per geographical entity)" (in English). World Gazetteer. Retrieved 2006-08-24.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
- Carlos B. Carreiro (author),Portugal's Golden Years,The Life and Times of Prince Henry "The Navigator",(Dorrance Publishing Co, Inc), p. 64