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An aerial view of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse prior to its 1999 relocation.

Cape Hatteras from space, October 1989

The cape is actually a bend in Hatteras Island, one of the long thin barrier islands that make up the Outer Banks. The first lighthouse at the cape was built in 1803; it was replaced by the current Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in 1870, which at 198.48 feet from the ground to the tip of its lightning rod is the tallest lighthouse in the United States and the tallest brick lighthouse in the world.

In 1999, as the receding shoreline had come dangerously close to Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the 4830-ton lighthouse was lifted and moved inland a distance of 2900 feet. Its distance from the seashore is now 1500 feet, about the same as when it was originally built.

Somewhat analogous to Point Conception in Southern California, this on-the-edge placement at the confluence of the Labrador and Florida Currents leads to unusually diverse biological assemblages. Many species' ranges have either a southern or northern terminus at the cape.

Cape Hatteras is also infamous for being frequently struck by hurricanes that move up the East Coast of the United States. The strike of Hurricane Isabel in 2003 was particularly devastating for the area. Isabel devastated the entire Outer Banks and also split the two small towns of Frisco and Hatteras in half. NC 12, which provides a direct route from Nags Head to Hatteras Island, was broken in half by the hurricane. This nearly demolished the small villages of Cape Hatteras. Students had to use a ferry to get to school for almost a year. Reconstruction of the area began in 2005.

External links

• National Park Service: Cape Hatteras National Seashore
• Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum

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