Facing the Atlantic Ocean at the southwestern corner of Europe, Portugal (officially the Portuguese Republic, República Portuguesa) has a very distinguished maritime history. Portuguese sailors launched and led the European age of discovery and Portuguese ships have been returning home from the far corners of the globe for about 600 years. It's not surprising that lighthouses have played an important role in Portuguese culture and that they are treasured national monuments today. This page has information on the lighthouses of the central part of the Portuguese mainland, from Sines through the Leiria District, including the metropolitan area of the capital, Lisbon. There are separate pages for Northern Portugal and Southern Portugal. Lighthouses of the Azores and Madeira (islands discovered and settled by the early Portuguese explorers) are also on separate pages. The Portuguese word for a lighthouse is farol, plural faróis; a small lightbeacon is often called a farolim. 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. Formerly owned by the Navy, the lighthouses in Portugal are now operated by the Lighthouse Directorate (Direção de Faróis), an agency of the National Maritime Authority (Autoridade Marítima Nacional). ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. PT numbers are from the Portuguese Navy list, as recorded by the Portuguese Wikipedia. Admiralty numbers are from volume D of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 113.
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Setúbal District Lighthouses
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Lisbon Area (Lisboa District) Lighthouses
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Mama Sul Light, Lisboa, July 2019 Google Maps photo by José & Juliana Maciel |
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Leiria District Lighthouses
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Information available on lost lighthouses: Notable faux lighthouses:
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Panedo da Saudade Light, São Pedro de Moel, August 2013 Wikimedia Creative Commons photo by Romain.D.C |
Adjoining pages: North: Northern Portugal | South: Southern Portugal
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Posted December 17, 2005. Checked and revised June 25, 2023. Lighthouses: 37. Site copyright 2023 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.