Pointe des Almadies

Pointe des Almadies or Point Almadies ([pwɑ̃t dez‿almadi] "bark canoe point")[1] is the westernmost point on the continent of Africa and of the Afro-Eurasian landmass, lying at 17.5 degrees west of the Greenwich meridian, 8 degrees further west than Cabo da Roca, mainland Europe's westernmost point.[2] Pointe des Almadies is located on the north-western end of the Cap Vert peninsula in Senegal.[3]

Pointe des Almadies
headland
Pointe des Almadies is located in Afro-Eurasia
Pointe des Almadies
Pointe des Almadies
Pointe des Almadies is located in Africa
Pointe des Almadies
Pointe des Almadies
Pointe des Almadies is located in Senegal
Pointe des Almadies
Pointe des Almadies
Coordinates: 14°44′27″N 17°31′48″W
Elevation0 m (0 ft)

Environs
Sign on the beach north of Pointe des Almadies

Pointe des Almadies lies within the greater Dakar urban area from the village of N'gor and the town of Yoff.[2][4]

Pointe des Almadies is a 30 minutes trip from downtown Dakar, Senegal's capital city, and is served by local transportation.[4] The site itself is approximately five kilometres (3 mi) from the Dakar-Yoff-Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport.[4] The Hôtel Méridien Présidentiel, the country's leading hotel and a major conference center, is located at Pointe des Almadies.[4]

Ecology
Satellite view

An oceanic front exists in the waters off Pointe des Allmadies.[5] The waters of the equatorial northern flank are measurably warmer than the southern flank, with differences of 2 to 3 °C (3.5 to 5.5 °F).[5] This causes differences in water chlorophyll levels, and resultant differences in fish abundance on different sides of the peninsula.[5] The point is also a very good location for watching migratory seabirds[6]

Maritime boundary determination

Pointe des Almadies served an important role in a 1985 ruling that determined the maritime boundary between the nearby countries of Guinea and Guinea-Bissau.[7] Both Guinea and Guinea-Bissau have short coastlines, so an international tribunal measured the general trend of the central West African coast from landmarks in the adjacent countries Senegal and Sierra Leone.[7][8] Pointe des Almadies marks the north-western point of reference and Cape Schilling (8.172411°N 13.164539°W / 8.172411; -13.164539[9]) in Sierra Leone marks the south-eastern point of reference.[7] The maritime boundary between Guinea and Guinea-Bissau extends in a direction perpendicular to a line connecting the relative positions of these two landmarks.[7]

Surf

The Almadies peninsula was a featured location in the 1964 film The Endless Summer where Bruce Brown shot the film's stars Mike Hynson and Robert August at a reef near Pointe des Almadies.[10][11] The best surfing in Senegal is on the peninsula, with locations within walking distance on both the north and south sides of the peninsula.[10] Peak season is November through May.[10]

References
  1. "Almadie". en.wiktionary.org. 16 February 2022.
  2. Andrew Burke; David Else (2002). The Gambia & Senegal. Lonely Planet. p. 236. ISBN 9781740591379. Retrieved 2009-03-26.
  3. "Cape Verde Peninsula". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2009-03-26.
  4. Jim Hudgens; Richard Trillo; Nathalie Calonnec (2003). The rough guide to West Africa. Rough Guides. pp. 200, 202–203. ISBN 9781843531180. Retrieved 2009-03-26. Pointe des Almadies.
  5. Jacques C. J. Nihoul (1981). Ecohydrodynamics: Proceedings of the 12th International Liège Colloquium on Ocean Hydrodynamics. Elsevier. pp. 153–154. ISBN 9780080870700. Retrieved 2009-03-26.
  6. Allport, Gary A. (1995). "Seawatching from Point des Almadies, Senegal: Recent news". Bulletin of the African Bird Club. 2: 55. doi:10.5962/p.308887 – via ResearchGate.
  7. J René Jean Dupuy; Daniel Vignes (1991). The rough guide to West Africa. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. pp. 470–471. ISBN 0792309243. Retrieved 2009-03-26.
  8. P. B. Beazley, William (1994). Maritime law. IBRU. pp. 17–18. ISBN 9781897643082. Retrieved 2009-03-26.
  9. Norie, John William (1835). A complete epitome of practical navigation. pp. 305. Retrieved 2011-01-17. cape schilling sierra leone.
  10. Matt Warshaw (2005). The Encyclopedia of Surfing. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 529. ISBN 0156032511. Retrieved 2009-03-28.
  11. "Cape Verde Peninsula". Bruce Brown. Archived from the original on 2009-01-03. Retrieved 2009-03-28.
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