South Africa is located at the southernmost region of Africa, with a long coastline that stretches more than 1,550 mi (2,500 km) and across two oceans, (the Atlantic and the Indian).
The Cape Peninsula is a generally rocky peninsula that juts out for 75 km (47 mi) into the Atlantic at the southwestern extremity of the continent. At the southern end of the peninsula are the Cape of Good Hope, and about 2.3 kilometers (1.4 mi) to its east is Cape Point. Geologically, the rocks found at the two capes—and indeed over much of the peninsula—are part of the Table Mountain Group, and are formed of the same type of sandstone as those exposed in the faces of Table Mountain itself. Cape Town is about 50 kilometers to the north of the Cape, in Table Bay at the north end of the peninsula. Table Mountain overlooks Cape Town. The peninsula forms the western boundary of False Bay.
The Cape of Good Hope is sometimes given as the meeting point of the Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean. However, Cape Agulhas, about 200 km (120 mi) to the southeast, is defined by the International Hydrographic Organization to be the dividing point between the two oceans.
The term Cape of Good Hope has also been used in a wider sense, to indicate the area of the early European colony in the vicinity of the cape.