Greenland, the world's largest island, is located a short distance to the northeast of Canada. Due to its often harsh Arctic conditions settlement has been intermittant. The south of the island was occupied by Norse settlers beginning in 986 but the Norse colony disappeared in worsening climate conditions in the 14th century. Around the same time the present Inuit population reached the island from the Canadian Arctic. Denmark re-established European contact with Greenland in the 17th century and formally annexed the island in 1814. Home rule was granted in 1979 and since 2008 Greenland has been considered a self-governung constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark, with the right to seek independence. The coastline of Greenland is rugged and deeply cut by long fjords. Denmark has installed dozens of navigational lights along this hazardous coast. None are very tall but this page identifies some that are large enough to be considered lighthouses. All the Greenland lights are painted in bright red and yellow colors for good visibility against the usually snowy background. Greenlanders call their country Kalaallit Nunaat. Settlement is confined to the coast since the interior of the country is covered by a thick ice sheet. The population is less than 60,000. Greenland is divided into five large communities (kommuneqarfiit) plus a huge national park in the unpopulated northeast of the island. Traditional Danish place names in Greenland have been replaced by names in Kalaallisut (West Greenlandic), an Inuit language. Special thanks to Tom Zane of the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse museum in Florida. He first asked about Greenland lighthouses and then arranged to secure the information and photos on this page from the Danish Farvandsvæsnet (Maritime Safety Administration), which was then maintaining the lights. Thanks also to Torben Burlund Jensen of the Farvandsvæsnet for assembling the information and photos for us. Danish aids to navigation are maintained by the the Danish Maritime Authority (Søfartsstyrelsen). ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. DKF numbers are from the Dansk Fyrliste. Admiralty numbers are from volume L of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 110.
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![]() Agtorssuit Light, Nuuk (Godthåb) Farvandsvæsnet photo |
Kujalleq (South Greenland) Lighthouses
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![]() Kilagtoq Light, Qaqortoq Farvandsvæsnet photo |
Sermersooq (Nuuk Region) Lighthouses
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![]() Fiskenæs Fjord Light, Fiskenæsset, September 2008 Farvandsvæsnet photo |
Qeqqata (Central West Greenland) Lighthouses
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![]() Sukkertoppen Light, Maniitsoq Farvandsvæsnet photo |
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![]() Møllers Ø Light, Sisimiut Farvandsvæsnet photo |
Qeqertalik (Disko Bay Region) Lighthouses
Information available on lost lighthouses: |
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: East: Western Iceland | South: Labrador
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Posted November 23, 2008. Checked and revised March 20, 2025. Lighthouses: 22. Site copyright 2025 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.