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Similar Lighthouse at Cape Trafalgar, La Breña y Marismas del Barba, Tómbolo de Trafalgar, Costa de la Luz, Baelo Claudia | ||
Cape Trafalgar (/trəˈfælɡər/; Spanish: Cabo Trafalgar [ˈkaβo tɾafalˈɣaɾ]) is a headland in the Province of Cádiz in the south-west of Spain. The 1805 naval Battle of Trafalgar, in which the Royal Navy decisively defeated Napoleon's combined Spanish and French fleet, took place off the cape.
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Map of Cape Trafalgar, 11159, C%C3%A1diz, Spain
It lies on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean, northwest of the Strait of Gibraltar at 36°10'58"N, 6°2'2"W. The International Hydrographic Organization defines the Western limit of the strait and the Mediterranean Sea as a line that joins Cape Trafalgar to the North to Cape Spartel to the south.
The most prominent structure on the cape is a 34-metre-high lighthouse (51 metres above sea level), the faro de Cabo Trafalgar, built in 1860.
Etymology
The name is of Arabic origin, Taraf al-Ghar (طرف الغار 'cape of the cave/laurel'). Or corresponding possibly to Taraf al-Gharb (طرف الغرب 'cape of the west')
In both cases, taraf (طرف) literally means 'edge' or 'extremity' and hence refers to a promontory (edge of the land).
In modern Arabic, however, the place is sometimes re-transcribed as al-Taraf al-Aghar (الطرف الأغر).