Cape Lopez ( French: Cap Lopez) is a headland on the coast of Gabon, west central Africa. The westernmost point of Gabon, it separates the Gulf of Guinea from the South Atlantic Ocean. [1] Cape Lopez is the northernmost point of a low, wooded island between two mouths of the Ogooué River. [2] There is an oil terminal at the southeast side of the cape, and the seaport of Port-Gentil lies about 10 km southeast of the cape. [2] A lighthouse has existed on the Cape since 1897; the current tower was built in 1911, but has been inactive for many years and is in danger of collapsing from erosion. [3]
It is named after the Portuguese explorer Lopes Gonçalves, who reached it circa 1474. In 1602, the Dutch explorer and writer Pieter de Marees published some images of its people.
0°37′59″S 8°42′00″E / 0.633°S 8.700°E