Cape Agulhas has received a new and informative geographical monument to celebrate its place as the southernmost point in Africa.
The Iconic Map of Africa Monument was unveiled today by the Minister of Tourism, Derek Hanekom, in the Agulhas National Park. The monument is a joint project between SANParks and the Department of Tourism to celebrate this unique part of the world.
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Cape Agulhas is where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet. It is also the southernmost tip of Africa. When standing on its shores and looking out over the ocean, all of Africa lies behind you. If you were to continue going south, the next land mass you would reach would be Antarctica.
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The monument is a map of Africa which has been hand-sculpted out of concrete. It is raised with ridges, peaks and hills, showing the mountain ranges, valleys and more across the continent – in short, it is a 3D relief map. Visitors are encouraged to step onto the monument and ‘explore’ the continent.
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The Iconic Map has been aligned with the earth compass, with the tip of the Africa monument pointing to the south.
The artists wanted the monument to show the differing landscapes across the continent. Different metal powders were sprayed onto the monument that will, over time, react with chemicals from the environment and atmosphere and turn different colours. These will represent the different biomes and vegetation over different areas of the continent.
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The Agulhas National Park has also received improvements such as a new 1km road, maintenance of the boardwalks and rehabilitation of the surrounding vegetation.
According to SANParks, the project has created almost 80 jobs locally in the past year. Amongst the designers and artists involved in the project were Stephen Dugmore, Bernie Oberholzer, Megan Anderson, Strijdom van der Merwe, and Simon Max Bannister.
Phase two of the project in the park will begin in April 2019 with the development of the Lighthouse Precinct Project. This will include the building of a conference centre, restaurant, interpretive centre, and more paving and walkways to improve access to the second-oldest working lighthouse in South Africa.
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Feature Image: South African Department of Tourism/ Facebook
