What is Cape Horn?
[[File:CapeHornDetailMap.png|thumb|left|300px|]] [[File:CapeHorn.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Cape Horn from the South.]] [[File:CapeHorn ASTER 2005sep20.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The [[Hermite Islands]] (center) and Cape Horn (lower right) as seen from space.]] '''Cape Horn''' ({{lang-nl|Kaap Hoorn}}; {{lang-es|Cabo de Hornos}}) is a [[headland|cape]]. It was named for the city of [[Hoorn]] in the [[Netherlands]]. It is the southernmost land area of the [[Tierra del Fuego]] [[archipelago]] of southern [[Chile]]. Many people see Cape Horn as the southern tip of [[South America]]. Cape Horn is the most southerly of the [[great capes]]. The [[Drake Passage]] is directly to the south of it. For many years, it was a major milestone on the [[clipper route]] by which [[sailing ship]]s carried trade around the world. The waters around the cape are very dangerous because of strong winds, large waves, and [[iceberg]]s. These reasons have made it notorious as a sailors' graveyard. Today, the [[Panama Canal]] has greatly reduced the need for cargo ships to travel via the Horn. However, sailing around the Horn is widely regarded as one of the major challenges in [[yachting]], and a number of recreational sailors continue to sail this route, sometimes as part of a [[circumnavigation]] of the globe. Several prominent ocean [[yacht racing|yacht races]], notably the [[Vendée Globe]], sail around the world via the Horn, and speed records for round-the-world sailing follow the same route. {{DEFAULTSORT:Horn, Cape}} [[Category:Magallanes Region]] [[Category:Capes]] [[Category:Peninsulas]]