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The end of the world, Cabo da Roca, Portugal

The amazingly spectacular Cabo da Roca -known to the Romans as 'Promontorium Magnum'- about 40 km out of the center of Lisbon, is the most Western-point of Continental-Europe. The cliffs at Cabo da Roca are about 150 metres high, and with the fog and clouds drifting by, in combination with the sound of crashing waves below, it is easy to see why for centuries sailors called this place 'The end of the world'. Now we know that if man travels in Westward direction, it will ultimately reach The Americas, but for the sailors in the Middle ages travelling beyond this point was a journey into the great Unknown. A crucifix at the cape bears the following text of the Portugese poet Luís de Camões: 'Aqui...Onde a terra termina e o mar começa...'which roughly translates in ''Here...Where the land ends and the sea begins...'

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Uploaded on August 21, 2009
Taken on August 13, 2009