Punta Gallinas

Coordinates: 12°27′28″N 71°39′56″W / 12.45778°N 71.66556°W / 12.45778; -71.66556

Lighthouse of Punta Gallinas
Overview map.
Punta Gallinas at top of satellite picture.

Punta Gallinas (Cape Gallinas, "Cape Hens") is a headland in northern Colombia and the northernmost point on the mainland of South America and one of the Extreme points of South America.[1]

Geography

Punta Gallinas is situated in the northern part of the department of La Guajira on the coast of the Caribbean Sea.

The cape is at the northern tip of the Guajira Peninsula (Península de la Guajira) in the municipality of Uribia about 150-kilometre (93 mi) northeast of Riohacha.

History

The area has been populated by the indigenous Wayuu people for a long time.

The headland is also the location of the northernmost lighthouse in South America the 18 m (659 feet) high Faro de Punta Gallinas opened in 1989.[2]

References

  1. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-12-04. Retrieved 2010-10-10. , TurisColombia; La Guajira, accessdate=2010-10-10
  2. ↑ , The Lighthouse Directory; Lighthouses of Colombia, accessdate=2010-10-10
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