Cape Horn is the most southerly part of South America. It lies at the southern tip of Horn Island in Chile. Willem Schouten, a Dutch sailor, named it in 1616 for his native town of Hoorn. The cape runs far into the sea. It has steep sides which rise 500 to 600 feet (150 to 180 meters) in some places. Plant life is sparse on Cape Horn because of the cold climate. The region is so stormy that sailors have dreaded “rounding the Horn.” Many ships now use the Panama Canal.
