Panorama of the Battle of Trafalgar - the Spanish fleet leaving Cadiz by William Heath, c. 1825 © National Maritime Museum, London. Repro ID: D3481-1 Nobody knows the precise position of the Battle of Trafalgar, not least because it lasted a long time and moved a considerable distance. The National Maritime Museum has a chart published in 1806 which has crossed guns marking 'the position' of the battle, at 36° 7' N, 6° 17' W. The site is too deep to be buoyed.

The scene of the battle waged two hundred years ago is today a peaceful spot known as the Costa de la Luz, or the coast of light. It is a peaceful, mute witness to a war that shifted the balance of power in Europe.

Part of the Nelson A to Z, Edited extracts taken from The Nelson Encyclopædia by Dr Colin White, Chatham Publishing London, 2002.