Cape Carnot (french: Cap Carnot) is a headland in the Australian state of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

located on the west side of the southern tip of

Eyre Peninsula The Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded by the Spencer Gulf on the east, the Great Australian Bight on the west, and the Gawler Ranges to the north. Originally called Eyre’s Peninsula, it was named aft ...

about south west of the city of

Port Lincoln Port Lincoln is a town on the Lower Eyre Peninsula in the Australian state of South Australia. It is situated on the shore of Boston Bay, which opens eastward into Spencer Gulf. It is the largest city in the West Coast region, and is located a ...

. The Eyre Peninsula has a double tip; the other tip, to the east, is

Cape Wiles Cape Wiles is a headland located on the west side of the southern tip of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia about south west of the city of Port Lincoln. The cape is described by one source as being the south east extremity of “a broad promont ...

. Cape Carnot is one of a number of coastal features first discovered but not subsequently named by

Matthew Flinders Captain Matthew Flinders (16 March 1774 – 19 July 1814) was a British navigator and cartographer who led the first inshore circumnavigation of mainland Australia, then called New Holland. He is also credited as being the first person to u ...

in February 1802 and which remained unnamed. In 1913, the

Government of South Australia The Government of South Australia, also referred to as the South Australian Government, SA Government or more formally, His Majesty’s Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of South Australia. It is modelled o ...

gave the unnamed feature the name proposed by the Baudin expedition when it visited in April 1802. The name Cape Carnot honours

Lazare Carnot Lazare Nicolas Marguerite, Count Carnot (; 13 May 1753 – 2 August 1823) was a French mathematician, physicist and politician. He was known as the "Organizer of Victory" in the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars. Education and early ...

who is notable as a "French mathematician, general and statesman, who played a prominent part in the French Revolution and the Napoleonic era". The cape is considered by the

Australian Hydrographic Service The Australian Hydrographic Service (formerly known as the Royal Australian Navy Hydrographic Service) is the Australian Commonwealth Government agency responsible for providing hydrographic services that meet Australia's obligations under the SO ...

to be the eastern end of the

Great Australian Bight The Great Australian Bight is a large oceanic bight, or open bay, off the central and western portions of the southern coastline of mainland Australia. Extent Two definitions of the extent are in use – one used by the International Hydrog ...

. Since 2012, the waters adjoining its shoreline are within a habitat protection zone in the Thorny Passage Marine Park.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cape Carnot Headlands of South Australia Eyre Peninsula Great Australian Bight