Official Name: | Cape Vilan |
Pushpin Map: | Spain |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Name: | Spain |
Subdivision Type1: | Autonomous community |
Subdivision Type2: | Province |
Subdivision Name2: | A Coruña |
Subdivision Type3: | Comarca |
Subdivision Name3: | Terra de Soneira |
Coordinates: | 43.1606°N -9.2117°W |
Cape Vilan (Galician: Cabo Vilán) is a rock-bound peninsula on the west coast of Galicia, Spain, located in Costa da Morte ("Coast of Death"), specifically close the village of Camariñas. The place was declared of National Interest in 1933 and today is a Natural Monument. However, near the cape was installed a wind farm and a fish farm breeding turbot.
The Cape Vilan Lighthouse marks this dangerous sections of the Costa da Morte. Erected at 125 meters altitude and attached to the old building of the lighthouse keepers, it has a powerful light that can reach 55 km. It is the oldest electric lighthouse in Spain.
In 1890, the English ship HMS Serpent, which sailed to the Sierra Leone, sank near the cape because of a storm, perishing 173 men that were buried in the English Cemetery (Cemiterio dos Ingleses), a short distance out Cape Vilan.