Point Loma Peninsula curls out into the Pacific, separated from Coronado and San Diego by the entrance to the San Diego Bay. Cabrillo National Monument takes in 160 acres near the tip of the peninsula, and it appears worlds apart from the urban metropolis across the bay. The monument's unique habitat, strongly influenced by the waters of the Pacific Ocean, slightly resembles the area when the first Europeans arrived in 1542. The Cabrillo Monument honors the first "discoverer" by name and also raised a memorial statue at the visitor center. The Alvaro de Bree sandstone statue, a seven ton work of art, depicts the 16th century Portuguese explorer, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo. The park has been added to the National Register of Historic Places and is separated from further urban growth by a U.S. Naval operations area.
   Along with its resident wildlife creatures, the park sees over 200 species of birds, fascinating tidal pool marine life, and the migration of Pacific whales. At the highest point near the peninsula tip stands the Old Point Loma Lighthouse, built in 1854.

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