The Republic of Finland (Suomi in Finnish) is a country of northern Europe with coastlines facing south on the Gulf of Finland (Suomenlahti) and west on the Gulf of Bothnia (Pohjanlahti), both arms of the Baltic Sea. Finland also administers the Åland Islands (Ahvenanmaa), an archipelago at the junction of the two gulfs. After centuries of rule by Sweden, Finland was conquered by Russia in 1809 and became an autonomous grand duchy within the Russian Empire. The country declared its independence from Russia at the start of the Russian Revolution in 1917. It lost some of its eastern territory to Russia as a result of World War II but has retained its independence. Finland is divided into nineteen regions (maakunta) and the regions are divided into municipalities. This page includes the lighthouses of the Southwest Finland (Varsinais-Suomi, "Finland Proper") Region, located at the southwestern tip of Finland. The region is called "Finland Proper" because it is the original home of the Finnish people. Much of the region faces the Archipelago Sea (Skärgardshavet in Swedish, Saaristomeri in Finnish): the islands-strewn sea between the mainland and the Åland Islands. The Finnish word for a lighthouse is majakka (plural majakat). Saari is an island, luoto is an islet or skerry, niemi is a cape or headland, niemimaa is a peninsula, lahti is a bay, salmi is a strait, joki is a river, and satama is a port or harbor. Swedish is a second official language in Finland and some of the lighthouses are commonly known by their Swedish names. Lighthouses in Finland are maintained by the Waterways Section of the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency (Liikennevirasto). ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. SU numbers are from the official Finnish light list. Admiralty numbers are from volume C of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 116. However, NGA has no listings for lights of the Archipelago Sea.
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Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: North: Satakunta | East: Uusimaa | West: Åland Islands
Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key
Posted August 14, 2017. Checked and revised November 14, 2024. Lighthouses: 42. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.