Alfanzina lighthouse, Algarve, Portugal Aug 17, 2024

Alfanzina lighthouse, Algarve, Portugal

The lighthouse featured in today"s image stands in Carvoeiro in the Algarve on the southern coast of Portugal. Built in 1919, the Alfanzina lighthouse shines out over the ocean to help ships navigate the dangerous waters that surround the area. A popular tourist destination, the lighthouse also became a symbol of the region"s deep links to the sea. Lighthouses have been keeping sailors safe almost as long as humans have been sailing the seas. Originally, lighthouses were powered by fires and oil lamps, requiring lighthouse keepers to maintain them. These days, however, most lighthouses have been automated and installed with electric light sources. In waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable to build a lighthouse, lightships have often been used. If you"re lucky enough to live near a lighthouse, this weekend is the perfect time to pay it a visit.

© Andreas Kunz/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

A glowing square of squares
Home of the ‘world’s worst smelling food’?
Aug 17, 2025Lyngvig Lighthouse, Hvide Sande, Denmark

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jun 9, 2024Bardenas Reales Biosphere Reserve and Natural Park, Navarra, Spain
Feb 20, 2024Kinder Scout, Peak District National Park, UK
Dec 8, 2025Christmas lights on buildings of Domaso, Lake Como, Italy
Oct 23, 2025International Day of the Snow Leopard
Feb 14, 2025Happy Valentines Day!
Feb 15, 2026Celebrating Maha Shivaratri
Aug 17, 2024Alfanzina lighthouse, Algarve, Portugal
What are these ancient animals?
Sep 18, 2024Gujō Hachiman Castle, Gifu Prefecture, Japan
Aug 5, 2024Lavender field, Hertfordshire, England
Dec 7, 2024Orchha Fort complex, Orchha, Madhya Pradesh
Nov 11, 2025Externsteine in the Teutoburg Forest, Germany
An island park for everyone
The festival of joy and happiness
Jan 3, 2025Happy Birthday, J.R.R. Tolkien!
Jan 18, 2026White Sands National Park, New Mexico, United States
Mar 14, 2025Lathmar Holi
Sep 24, 2024Skaftafell, Vatnajökull National Park, Iceland
Where can you find this cute creature?
Don’t look down!
Sep 22, 2023World Rhinoceros Day
Sep 25, 2024Giant sequoias, Sequoia National Park, California, USA
Dec 30, 2024Mount Field National Park, Tasmania, Australia
Dec 13, 2025Merced River, Yosemite National Park, California, United States
Sep 23, 2024Sea otter in Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA
Aug 26, 2023Berlin Cathedral and Museum Island, Berlin, Germany
The sea that acts like a lake
Republic Day
Nov 10, 2023Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA
Ive got a lot of problems with you penguins!