Iceland (Ísland in Icelandic) is an island nation in the North Atlantic roughly 800 km (500 mi) northwest of Scotland and 970 km (600 mi) east of Norway. Settled by Norse explorers around 870, Iceland has had a legislature since 930 and has generally functioned as a self-governing commonwealth, but for centuries it was also part of the Kingdom of Denmark and Norway. In 1918 Iceland was granted full autonomy by Denmark and in 1944 it declared its independence as a republic. Iceland sits on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the geologic boundary between Europe and North America, and at the maritime boundary between the North Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Ocean. The coast of Iceland is cut by numerous fjords. Reykjavík, the capital, is also the only large port, but there are many smaller fishing ports all around the circumference of the island. This page includes lighthouses of three of Iceland's eight regions: Suðurnes (the southwestern, or Reykjanes, peninsula), Höfuðborgarsæði (the capital region, including Reykjavík), and Vesturland (the west coast). In Icelandic the word for a lighthouse is viti (plural vitar); ey is an island, rif is a reef, nes is a cape, vík or flói is a bay, fjörð is a firth or fjord, sund is a strait, ána is a river, and höfn is a harbor. The Icelandic alphabet includes the old Norse letters "eth" (Ð and ð) and "thorn" (Þ and þ), pronounced with the softer and harder forms of the English th sound, respectively. Lighthouses in Iceland are regulated by the Icelandic Transport Authority (Samgöngustofa, or ICETRA), which also maintains and operates the major coastal lights. Local port authorities operate harbor lights. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. VIT numbers are from the Vitaskrá, the official Icelandic light list. Admiralty numbers are from volume L of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 115.
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Suðurnes Region (Reykjanes Peninsula) Lighthouses
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Höfuðborgarsæði (Capital) Region (Reykjavík Metropolitan Area) Lighthouses
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Vesturland (Central West Coast) Lighthouses
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Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: North: Northern Iceland | East: East and South Iceland
Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key
Posted September 11, 2006. Checked and revised March 28. 2025. Lighthouses: 41. Site copyright 2025 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.