| L'Agulhas | |
| Other Name: | Agulhas |
| Pushpin Map: | South Africa Western Cape#South Africa |
| Coordinates: | -34.8222°N 20.0167°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | South Africa |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Western Cape |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Overberg |
| Subdivision Type3: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name3: | Cape Agulhas |
| Subdivision Type4: | Main Place |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Leader Title: | Councillor |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 7.49 |
| Population Total: | 548 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Racial makeup (2011) |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Black African |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 7.1% |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Coloured |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 4.6% |
| Demographics1 Title3: | Indian/Asian |
| Demographics1 Info3: | 0.2% |
| Demographics1 Title4: | White |
| Demographics1 Info4: | 86.3% |
| Demographics1 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics1 Info5: | 1.8% |
| Demographics Type2: | First languages (2011) |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Afrikaans |
| Demographics2 Info1: | 80.7% |
| Demographics2 Title2: | English |
| Demographics2 Info2: | 17.0% |
| Demographics2 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics2 Info5: | 2.3% |
| Timezone1: | SAST |
| Utc Offset1: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code (street) |
| Postal Code: | 7287 |
| Postal2 Code Type: | PO box |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
| Area Code: | 028435 |
L'Agulhas is the southernmost coastal village and holiday resort in South Africa, located within the Cape Agulhas Local Municipality at the southernmost tip of the African mainland. It is situated next to the town of Struisbaai and about 30km (20miles) south of the regional centre of Bredasdorp. Some of the older residents and documents refer to the town as by its former name Cape Agulhas or Cape L'Agulhas or simply Agulhas which were the names that referred to this town before it was changed to L'Agulhas to avoid confusion when the Bredasdorp Municipality changed its name to The Cape Agulhas Municipality (CAM).
Agulhas is the plural form of “agulha” in Portuguese. It is derived from the Late Latin word, “acūcula,” and the Latin word “acula,” both meaning a needle or pin. They trace back to the theorized Proto-Indo-European word “h₂eḱ.”
According to local legend, when sailing to the cape, sailors saw the compass needle point North, directly to the modern day location of L’Agulhas.
The Cape Agulhas Lighthouse, the second-oldest working lighthouse in South Africa, is at the southern end of the town. Designed by Colonel Charles Cornwell Michell in homage to the Pharos of Alexandria, the lighthouse was lit on March 1, 1849. Some 150 ships lay scattered along the South African coast, many due to the treacherous Agulhas Reef. The lighthouse was declared a National Monument in 1973.
L'Agulhas has a mild semi-arid climate (BSk, according to the Köppen climate classification). Summers are mild and dry, winters are cool and wetter. The average annual precipitation is 276mm, with most rainfall occurring mainly during winter.
The local Agulhas Bank, known for its fishing, is reputed to have the richest fishing area in the Southern Hemisphere.[2]
Another source gives different data, showing that it has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csb), with most precipitation falling in June.[3]