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). Helgeland is the southernmost district of Norway's Nordland County; roughly speaking, it includes that portion of the country's northwest coast between Trøndelag (the Trondheim area) and the Arctic Circle. There are no major ports in the district, but there are many small fishing villages. The coastline is quite rugged and deeply indented by many fjords. This page includes lighthouses of the northern portion of Helgeland, including the townships of Rana, Lurøy, Træna, and Rodøy. 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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![]() Bonetskjær Light, Lurøy, October 2012 photo copyright Arno Siering; used by permission |
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Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: North: Bodø Area | South: Central Helgeland
Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key
Posted August 3, 2006. Checked and revised October 17, 2024. Lighthouses: 32. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.