The lighthouse on Cabo da Roca Cabo da Roca (Cape Roca) is a cape that forms the westernmost point of Portugal, and hence the westernmost point of the European mainland. It was known to the Romans as 'Promontorium Magnum'.
The stone plaque on the monument It is located in Lisbon district, 40 kilometres west of Lisbon and 18 kilometres west of Sintra in the Serra de Sintra nature park. Its coordinates, 38' 47' North and 9' 30' West, are inscribed on a stone plaque on the monument at the site. The cliff rises out of the Atlantic Ocean to approximately 140 metres above sea level. On top of it sit a lighthouse and a tourist desk. The cape is a popular tourist attraction.
The poet Luís de Camões defined Cabo da Roca as the place "where the land ends and the sea begins" (Portuguese: "Onde a terra acaba e o mar começa"). Compare Cape Finisterre (literally End of land) in Spain and Land's End in the United Kingdom.
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