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:

Jul 20, 2025Moon Day
There’s more to Pisa than leaning towers
A cantilevered window to the past
Apr 20, 2024Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA
Jun 13, 2024Registan Square, Samarkand, Uzbekistan
This blue succulent is as good as gold here
Aug 24, 2024Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, United States
An engineering marvel
A symbol of peace
Dec 1, 2025Antarctica Day
Mar 29, 2024South Stack Lighthouse, Holyhead, Wales, UK
Standing on glass 900+ feet in the air
May 8, 2025World Donkey Day
Feb 5, 2024Monarch butterflies
Keep practicing, little guy
Nothing says ‘San Francisco’ quite like...
Creating a better world
Jun 26, 2024Banggai cardinalfish with sea anemone
Nov 20, 2025Mother manatee and calf, Crystal River, Florida, United States
May 10, 2024Misool, Raja Ampat Islands, Indonesia
Jul 10, 2024Collared aracari
A beach of many colours
The lungs of Earth
Nov 25, 2024Maasai giraffes in Amboseli National Park, Kenya
A flashy, frigid waterfowl
A life-sized snow globe
‘Spotting’ deer in the wild
Colours of spring
Jun 9, 2025Old City of Dubrovnik in Dalmatia, Croatia
Will we be ready for the ‘big one?’