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 North Ostrobothnia Region (called Pohjois-Pohjanmaa in Finnish and Norra Österbotten in Swedish). This region faces the northern end of the Gulf of Bothnia, locally called the Bothnian Bay (Perämeri in Finnish, Bottenviken in Swedish). It is shallow, with numerous shoals and islands, creating a need for many navigational aids. 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. Special thanks to Teemu Vehkaoja for photos and information on lighthouses of this area. Lighthouses in Finland are maintained by the Waterways Section of the Finnish Transport 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.
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![]() Raahe Light, Raahe, August 2022 ex-Instagram photo by Pirjo Jortama |
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![]() Oulu 2 Light, Bothnian Bay, December 2011 photo copyright Capt. Theo Hinrichs; used by permission |
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![]() Keskihiuvet Range Rear Light, June 2011 photo copyright Teemu Vehkaoja; used by permission |
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Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: North: Lappi | South: Ostrobothnia
Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key
Posted October 8, 2007. Checked and revised December 6, 2024. Lighthouses: 43. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.