Quite confusing, isn’t it? Until 2002, there were three places in Europe that listened to the name Finisterre.
Of course, firstly, we know the town of Finisterre in Galicia. Secondly, there’s also a region with the same name in France. Both places owe their name to their location, extremely westward in the sea, the so-called ‘end of the world.’
Now, I just read on the BBC website that until 2002, there was a third area called Finisterre. It referred to the sea area off the coast of Galicia used in ship logs, crucial information for sailors.
Due to confusion with the town of Finisterre, the Meteorological Institute of the United Kingdom adjusted the name. The new name for the sea area Finisterre is: Fitzroy. The sea area is renamed after the first professional weatherman in the United Kingdom and founder of the Meteorological Institute in 1853. His name is now mentioned four times a day in the ship logs on the BBC.
Great, now we know for sure that the beautiful town of Finisterre in Galicia is what’s meant when that name is mentioned!
