cape of good hope

Thân thiện

The ship sails around the Cape of Good Hope.

Definition

Proper noun 1. A point of land in southwestern South Africa (south of Cape Town): A prominent, rocky headland forming the southwestern tip of the African continent, historically a critical landmark for maritime trade routes. 2. A province of western South Africa: A former administrative province in South Africa, which existed from 1910 to 1994. Its capital was Cape Town.

Usage Examples

• Proper noun (Geographic feature):
  • Sailing around the Cape of Good Hope was once a treacherous but necessary journey for ships traveling between Europe and Asia.
  • The Cape of Good Hope is often mistakenly thought to be the southernmost point of Africa (that is Cape Agulhas).
• Proper noun (Historical province):
  • Before 1994, the Cape of Good Hope was the largest province in South Africa.
  • The political dynamics of the Cape of Good Hope province were historically distinct from other regions.

Advanced Usage

• "to round the Cape of Good Hope": A phrase used historically and in literature to describe the act of a ship sailing past this landmark, often implying a long and perilous voyage.
  • The old clipper ships took months to round the Cape of Good Hope on their way to the Indies.

Variants and Related Words

• The Cape: A common shortened form used to refer to both the geographic cape and, historically, the province.
  • He settled in the Cape colony in the 18th century.
• Cape Province: Another name for the former administrative region.
• Cape Peninsula: The broader peninsula on which the Cape of Good Hope is located.

Synonyms

• (For the geographic feature): Headland, promontory, cape.
• (For the province): Region, territory, province (historical context).

Notes on Meaning

This term has two distinct but related primary meanings: 1. The first and most famous meaning is the geographic landmark, a cape discovered by Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias in 1488 and later named by King John II of Portugal for the promise of a sea route to India. 2. The second meaning is the historical political entity, the Province of the Cape of Good Hope, which was one of the four original provinces of the Union of South Africa. It was dissolved in 1994 and divided into the modern provinces of the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and Northern Cape.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a province of western South Africa
2. a point of land in southwestern South Africa (south of Cape Town)

Từ đồng nghĩa

• cape of good hope