Ponta Nhô Martinho
| Ponta Nhô Martinho | |
|---|---|
 Ponta Nhô Martinho
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| Location | Southern Brava, Cape Verde |
| Coordinates | 14°48′10″N 24°42′06″W / 14.80268°N 24.70162°WCoordinates: 14°48′10″N 24°42′06″W / 14.80268°N 24.70162°W |
| Offshore water bodies | Atlantic Ocean |
 Cape Verde
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| Location | Ponta Nhô Martinho Brava Cape Verde |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 14°48′11.98″N 24°42′5.93″W / 14.8033278°N 24.7016472°W |
| Year first constructed | n/a |
| Foundation | masonry base |
| Construction | masonry tower |
| Tower shape | square prism tower with lantern |
| Markings / pattern | white tower, red lantern |
| Height | 3.9 metres (13 ft) |
| Focal height | 29 metres (95 ft) |
| Light source | solar power |
| Range | 9 nautical miles (17 km; 10 mi) |
| Characteristic | Fl (4) W 15s. |
| Admiralty number | D2910 |
| NGA number | 24240 |
| Cape Verde number | PT-2184 |
Ponta Nhô Martinho is the southernmost point of Cape Verde, it is located nearly 4 km south of Cachaço and south of Nova Sintra in the Island of Brava and has no nearby roads and trails, it is accessible only by boat and the nearest harbor is in Tantum on the west of the island. As to many parts of the coastal portion of Brava, it is surrounded by steep slopes and mountains. Morras das Pedras (539 m) is its nearest mountain. The headland's size is very small.
Some 20 km southwest is the Cadamosto Seamount. South of the headland is the Cape Verde Rise, 2.4 km south has waters 1,000 meters deep, 2,000 meters deep 4 km south and 3,000 meters deep 7 km south, somewhat 40 km south is the Cape Verde Basin where waters are deep as over around 5,000 meters to the south.
It is not the location for being the closest part of Cape Verde to the New World Mainland, it is at another headland 2.7 km west-northwest where it is the closest point in Cape Verde to Brazil and the New World mainland which is 2,504 km SSW at Touros, Rio Grande do Norte and is about 1,604 km nearly south to the tiny islets of the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago.
Along with the island, the point was discovered in June 24, 1462 by Diogo Afonso. Later, the point was called Salt Point (Portuguese: Ponta do Sal) as salt was abundant in one area or its air being saltlike, its name was mentioned in the 1747 French/Dutch map by Jacques Nicolas Bellin. Later, it became known as the current name of Nhô Martinho.
During the Ice Age, the point was around a kilometers south of its current location.
Between the late 19th century in the heyday of ship traffic going into and out of Porto Grande Bay and stopping at Mindelo, it continued until the Great Depression of 1930. Ships that went between Europe and South America via Mindelo went near the lighthouse but not a lot that used Europe-Africa-Australasia route that stopped via Mindelo. Today, it is used for shipping boats, some of them stopping at the ports of Mindelo, Praia and Sal, as some the sea lanes linking Europe and South America and North America and Africa crosses within the island, much of the cargo ships bypasses the archipelago's ports and some pass distant from the lighthouse.
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Wikipedia