The Kingdom of Norway (Norge in Norwegian) is one of the world's most maritime nations. The country is long and narrow, with drowned valleys called fjords that bring the sea far inland in most regions. The mainland coast is estimated to be 2650 km (1650 mi) long and when all the islands and minor indentations are counted the total coastline approaches an astonishing 60,000 km (37,500 mi), long enough the go around the world one and a half times. With such a lengthy and rocky shore it's not surprising that Norway has a large number of lighthouses. Norway is divided into counties (fylker) and the counties are divided into townships (kommuner). This page lists lighthouses of the southern half of Troms County on the northern coast of Norway, including the Harstad area and the large island of Senja. This entire region is well north of the Arctic Circle, but it is well populated and attracts many summer visitors. In 2020 Troms and Finnmark Counties were merged to form Troms og Finnmark County. This merger was not popular and it proved unworkable due to the large area of the merged county. In June 2022 parliament decided to reverse the merger effective 1 January 2024. In Norwegian a lighthouse is a fyrtårn (fire tower) or simply a fyr; a fyrlykt is a beacon and a lyktehus is a lantern. Øy is an island, holmen is an islet, skjær is a skerry (a tiny island or rocky reef), sund is a strait (often between an island and the mainland), bukt is a bay, nes is a headland, and havn is a harbor. Aids to navigation in Norway are maintained by the Kystverket (Coast Directorate), an agency of the Ministry of Transport and Communications. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. NF numbers are from the Norsk Fyrliste. 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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Harstad Area Lighthouses
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![]() Nordstrandskjær Light, Tjeldsund, July 2017 photo copyright Capt. Peter Mosselberger; used by permission |
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Senja Municipality Lighthouses
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![]() Stonglandseidet Light, Tranøy, July 2008 ex-Panoramio Creative Commons photo by Timo Koistinen |
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![]() Bloskeneset Light, Torsken, July 2017 photo copyright Capt. Peter Mosselberger; used by permission |
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Balsfjord Lighthouses
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Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: North: Central Troms (Tromsø Area) | South: Vesterålen
Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key
Posted August 3, 2006. Checked and revised December 3, 2024. Lighthouses: 51. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.