Britannica
Sources used in this answer
Why was the Cape of Good Hope first called the Cape of Storms?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
European exploration
Map depicting the European exploration of the New World in the 15th and 16th centuries, including the voyages made by Christopher Columbus, John Cabot, Alonso de Ojeda and Amerigo Vespucci, Pedro Álvares Cabral, Ferdinand Magellan and Juan Sebastián del Cano, Giovanni da Verrazzano, Jacques Cartier, Sir Francis Drake, and others. The lines of demarcation represent an early division between the territory of Spain (to the west) and Portugal (to the east).
The Cape of Good Hope was originally named the Cape of Storms by the Portuguese navigator Bartolomeu Dias in 1488. The name reflected the treacherous conditions and rough seas he encountered while attempting to navigate around the southern tip of the African continent.12
Historical accounts suggest that King John II of Portugal later renamed the promontory the Cape of Good Hope. This change was intended to signify that the discovery of a sea route around Africa was a positive omen, indicating that India could indeed be reached by sea from Europe, thereby opening vital new maritime trade routes. Some historical sources, however, attribute the name "Cape of Good Hope" to Dias himself.12