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RAS question

Which of the following statements about the Cape of Good Hope route is NOT correct?

Correct answer: (C) The Cape of Good Hope is located at the southernmost tip of Africa..

The Cape of Good Hope is not the southernmost tip of Africa; that distinction belongs to Cape Agulhas.

  1. (A)

    It is an alternative route to the Suez Canal connecting Europe and Asia.

  2. (B)

    It adds approximately 7,000 km extra distance compared to the Suez Canal route.

  3. (C)

    The Cape of Good Hope is located at the southernmost tip of Africa.

  4. (D)

    Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) and supertankers often prefer the Cape route as they are too large to transit the Suez Canal.

Explanation

Statement C is the one that is not correct because it confuses the Cape of Good Hope with Cape Agulhas. The South African Department of Tourism page identifies the Southernmost Tip of Africa with Agulhas National Park, and Cape Agulhas lies about 150 km south-east of the Cape of Good Hope. The area is also the confluence of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, which is why this fact is often tested with maritime-route questions. The Cape of Good Hope remains important as part of the Europe-Asia alternative sea route around southern Africa, but it is not Africa's extreme southern point.

Why the other options are wrong

  • (A) This statement is correct: the Cape of Good Hope route is used as an alternative Europe-Asia route when the Suez Canal is blocked or unsuitable for certain vessels.
  • (B) This statement is correct because the Cape route adds about 7,000 km compared with the Suez Canal route for Europe-Asia voyages.
  • (D) This statement is broadly correct because very large crude carriers and supertankers may use the Cape route when fully laden vessels are too large for the Suez Canal.

Concept

This tests world transport geography, especially how chokepoints and alternative sea routes are mapped. RAS repeats such questions because a small location error can change the answer even when the wider trade-route context sounds familiar.

Source

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