Cabo da Roca

From Free net encyclopedia

Image:Cabo da Roca.JPG Cabo da Rocha (Cape of the Rock) is a cape that forms the westernmost point of mainland Portugal, and hence the westernmost point of the European mainland. It was known to the Romans as 'Promontorium Magnum'.

Image:Cabo da Roca 02 gr.jpg It is located in Lisbon district, 40 kilometres west of Lisbon and 18 kilometres west of Sintra in the Serra de Sintra nature park. Its coordinates, Template:Coor dm, are inscribed on a stone plaque on the monument at the site. The cliff rises out of the Atlantic Ocean to approximately 140 metres above sea level. On top of it sit a lighthouse and a tourist desk. The cape is a popular tourist attraction. Every Sunday morning is common to see many bikers gathered to share their thoughts and experiences about motorcycles.

The poet Luís de Camões defined Cabo da Roca as the place "where the land ends and the sea begins" (Portuguese: "Onde a terra acaba e o mar começa"). Compare Cape Finisterre (literally End of land) in Spain, Finistère in France, and Land's End in the United Kingdom.cs:Roca da:Kap Roca de:Cabo da Roca ja:ロカ岬 pl:Roca pt:Cabo da Roca sl:Rt Roca sv:Kap Roca zh:罗卡角