Cap Engela: The Northernmost Tip of the African Continent is in Tunisia

  

Cap Engela

Bizerte or Bizerta is a city situated along the Mediterranean Sea in the northern part of Tunisia. It is the largest city of the Tunisian northern coast and is the northernmost city in Africa. This old city was founded by the Phoenicians and has a beautiful old town and old harbor that gives the city one of the most charming and picturesque sites in all of the North African coast.

Not too far from Bizerta, there is a place called Ras Angela, or Cap Engela which is the northernmost tip of the African continent. This unique place did not use to be given a lot of attention, until last November when a group of government representatives and ambassadors accompanied the Tunisian minister of Tourism Amel Karboul to Cap Engela to officially announce it the northernmost point of Africa and give it a silver metal statue of the African continent.

Africa and I

If you want to visit the northernmost tip of Africa, you will need to park your car in the town of Cap Engela and then have a 30-minute walk in a sandy hill with fir trees everywhere.  Standing near the Cap Engela statue gives a spectacular view on the Mediterranean Sea that cannot be found elsewhere in the country.

 Enjoying the Northern Wind

Small colorful rocks

Mediterranean Shore

Places like Cap Engela are considered a precious asset for Tunisia, not only for its symbolic representation, but also for its strategic location and natural resources that can be exploited for major projects and touristic attractions. The efforts that are being made by the Tunisian ministry of tourism bode well for the future of the underrepresented areas of Tunisia with breathtaking natural sites, just like the mysterious Cap Engela, the farthest African point from the South African Cape Agulhas and the northernmost tip of the continent.

A special thank you to my friend Jérôme Saulière who took me to Cap Engela and who accompanied me all the way.