Facing the Atlantic Ocean at the southwestern corner of Europe, Portugal (officially the Portuguese Republic, República Portuguesa) has a very distinguished maritime history. Portuguese sailors launched and led the European age of discovery and Portuguese ships have been returning home from the far corners of the globe for about 600 years. It's not surprising that lighthouses have played an important role in Portuguese culture and that they are treasured national monuments today. The Azores (Açores in Portuguese) are an archipelago of nine volcanic islands in the Atlantic Ocean roughly 1500 km (900 miles) west of Lisbon. The islands fall naturally into three groups: Santa Maria and São Miguel in the east; Faial, Pico, São Jorge, Graciosa, and Terceira in the center; and Corvo and Flores in the west. Corvo and Flores are peaks of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which reaches the surface in only a few places. Previously uninhabited, the Azores were discovered by Portuguese explorers in the 1430s and Portuguese settlers began arriving in 1439. Administratively the islands are organized as an autonomous region of Portugal. The Portuguese word for a lighthouse is farol, plural faróis; a small lightbeacon is often called a farolim. In Portuguese ilha is an island, ilhéu is an islet, cabo is a cape, ponta is a promontory or point of land, rocha is a rock, recife is a reef, baía is a bay, estreito is a strait, rio is a river, and porto is a port or harbor. Formerly owned by the Navy, the lighthouses in Portugal are now operated by the Lighthouse Directorate (Direção de Faróis), an agency of the National Maritime Authority (Autoridade Marítima Nacional). ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. PT numbers are from the Portuguese Navy list as recorded by Portuguese Wikipedia. Admiralty numbers are from volume D of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 113.
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![]() Ponta do Arnel Light, São Miguel, May 2021 Wikimedia Creative Commons photo by Jules Verne Times Two |
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![]() Ponta dos Cedros Light, Faial, July 2021 photo copyright Harm Carrette; used by permission |
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Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: East: Southern Portugal | South: Madeira
Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key
Posted December 29, 2005. Checked and revised July 18, 2024. Lighthouses: 37. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.