Punta Orchilla Lighthouse
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The Punta Orchilla Lighthouse ( es, Faro de Punta Orchilla) is an active
lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...
on the
Canary island The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocco ...
of
El Hierro El Hierro, nicknamed ''Isla del Meridiano'' (the "Meridian Island"), is the second-smallest and farthest-south and -west of the Canary Islands (an autonomous community of Spain), in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa, with a populatio ...
in the municipality of El Pinar. The need for a lighthouse on the island was highlighted in the second maritime lighting plan for the Canaries, and it first became operational in 1933.


Punta de la Orchilla

Punta de la Orchilla on the south-western side of El Hierro, is a significant location in terms of the Canaries, as it is one of the most westerly points in the archipelago. A meridian memorial close to the lighthouse, is a reminder that historically it was considered to be a
prime meridian A prime meridian is an arbitrary meridian (a line of longitude) in a geographic coordinate system at which longitude is defined to be 0°. Together, a prime meridian and its anti-meridian (the 180th meridian in a 360°-system) form a great c ...
for early map makers, and was known as the Ferro Meridian, at the western extremity of the known world. The name comes from the
Orchil Orcein, also archil, orchil, lacmus and C.I. Natural Red 28, are names for dyes extracted from several species of lichen, commonly known as "orchella weeds", found in various parts of the world. A major source is the archil lichen, ''Roccella tinc ...
lichen that grows on the rocky lava slopes in the area, inland from the point is a 238 m peak called Orchilla. The isolated locality of the Punta de la Orchilla means that it has been described as "probably Spain's most remote lighthouse", reaching the site requires a 25 km trip from Sabinosa via a road that is only partly metalled, the end of the road being both unmade, and uneven. Although the site is accessible, the tower and buildings are closed.


History

The lighthouse first entered service in 1933, and was built in a similar style to other earlier Canarian lights, and consists of a whitewashed single storey house, with dark volcanic rock used for the masonry detailing. A plain masonry tower with a substantial base rises from the side of the house facing the
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
. The 25 m high octagonal tower supports twin galleries and a lantern dome, which contains a first order
Fresnel lens A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens developed by the French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel (1788–1827) for use in lighthouses. It has been called "the invention that saved a million ships." The design allows the c ...
. With a focal height of 132 m above sea level, its light can be seen for 24 nautical miles. In 2008, Punta Orchilla in conjunction with five other lighthouses was depicted in a set of six commemorative stamps by the Spanish postal service
Correos Sociedad Estatal de Correos y Telégrafos, S.A., trading as Correos (literally "Mails"), is a state-owned company responsible for providing postal service in Spain and, due to bilateral agreements, it has responsibility for mail services in Ando ...
.


See also

*
List of lighthouses in Spain This is a list of lighthouses in Spain. Lighthouses By autonomous communities * List of lighthouses in the Balearic Islands * List of lighthouses in the Canary Islands See also * Lists of lighthouses and lightvessels * List of tallest l ...
*
List of lighthouses in the Canary Islands This is a list of lighthouses in the Canary Islands. The Spanish archipelago lies to the west of Africa, in the Atlantic Ocean. Lighthouses Map See also * List of lighthouses in Spain * List of lighthouses in the Balearic Islands ...


References


External links

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Comisión de faros

Autoridad Portuaria de Santa Cruz de Tenerife
{{Authority control Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in the Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife El Hierro Lighthouses completed in 1933 Lighthouses in the Canary Islands