Black and white pattern
Striking from afar.
Andrew Comings from Same, USA — CC BY 2.0 · Claudinez Lacerda — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Claudinez Lacerda — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Claudinez Lacerda — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Claudinez Lacerda — CC BY-SA 3.0
The Araçagi Lighthouse stands on the northern coast of Maranhão, in the municipality of Raposa about fifteen kilometres north-east of the city of São Luís, and belongs to the Brazilian Navy. It was built because of heavy shipping traffic and the hazards of the Maranhão coast, to back up the old São Marcos light, which had worked since 1831 inside a fort built to defend the city and was close to collapse. Opened on 16 December 1957, it is a forty-metre square tower painted in a black and white chequerboard pattern and set on a boat-shaped base, so it stands out from afar. Its light sits ninety-one metres above sea level and sends four white flashes every ten seconds, with its range extended after electrification in 1982. It makes a short stop for anyone visiting the Araçagi and Raposa beaches east of São Luís; the tower is seen from outside.
Striking from afar.
A unique design.
East of São Luís.
Raposa municipality, about 15 km north-east of São Luís, Maranhão
Not usually; it belongs to the Navy and is seen from outside.