Mossel Bay
Mossel Bay, South Africa (spelt Mosselbaai in Afrikaans) lies along the Indian Ocean, east of the Cape of Good Hope and west of Humansdorp. Portuguese explorer Bartholomeu Diaz arrived here on February 3 1488, thus proving to his sponsors that Africa had a southern tip; making it theoretically possible to sail from Europe to India. Originally called by Diaz Aguada de Sào Bras ("Bay of St. Blaize"), the village/harbour was renamed Mossel Bay ("Bay of Mussels") in 1601 by Dutch navigator Paulus van Caerden, as he found the bay to be abundant with mussels.
Historical milestones
- First meeting ever between inhabitants of Europe and Africa on Southern African soil (Diaz, 1488, encountering the ancient Khoi-San people)
- First trading between inhabitants of Europe and Africa on Southern African soil (Vasco da Gama, 1497, trading with the local Khoi-San tribe)
- First "post office" on Southern African soil (Pedro de Ataide's 1500 posting of an important letter in a shoe under a large milkwood tree)
- First place of Christian worship and chapel on Southern African soil (Joao da Nova's 1501 building of a small stone chapel dedicated to St. Blaize)
External links
- Mossel Bay webpage – From tourist site www.gardenroute.net; contains concise historical information