The Federative Republic of Brazil, the largest country in South America and fifth largest in the world, has a lengthy coastline, a large number of lighthouses, and a distinguished lighthouse history. Colonized by Portugal, Brazil declared its independence in 1822. Uniquely among American nations it was a monarchy as the Empire of Brazil until 1889. Brazil is a federation of 26 states and a federal district. This page covers lighthouses along Brazil's northern coast, including the states of Maranhão, Piauí, and Ceará, the northernmost section of Brazil's Northeast Region. This is a tropical coast facing the equatorial Atlantic Ocean. The largest port is Fortaleza in Ceará, but there are several other important ports. Tourism has increased in the region in recent years and some of the major lighthouses are becoming better known. Portuguese is the official language of Brazil. The Portuguese word for a lighthouse is farol, plural faróis. In Brazilian use the word farol generally applies to all light towers, regardless of size and whether they are enclosed structures or not. 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. Active lighthouses in Brazil are owned by the navy (Marinha do Brasil) and maintained by the Centro de Auxílios à Navegação Almirante Moraes Rego (CAMR) in the Diretoria de Hidrografia e Navegacão (DHN). Many of the larger lighthouses are staffed by resident keepers or by rotating crews of naval personnel. Only a small number of Brazilian lighthouses are open to the public. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. BR numbers are from the official Brazilian Lista de Faroís. Admiralty numbers are from volume G of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA numbers are from Publication 110.
|
|
Lighthouses of Maranhão
|
|
|
|
Lighthouses of Piauí
|
Lighthouses of Ceará
|
![]() Camocim Light, Camocim, December 2008 ex-Panoramio photo copyright Daniel Machado; used by permission |
|
|
Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: North: Northern Brazil | East: Northeastern Brazil | South: Bahia
Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key
Posted February 16, 2004. Checked and revised May 17, 2023. Lighthouses: 34. Site copyright 2023 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.