April 2009

"LIGHTHOUSES 2009"

Correos devotes a minisheet of six stamps to the 2009 Lighthouse issue. The stamps depict the following lighthouses: Porto Colom in Mallorca, La Higuera in Huelva, Igueldo in Guipuzcoa, Arinaga in Gran Canaria , Torre del Hercules in La Coruña and Torrox in Málaga.

The lighthouse of Porto Colom is located in the east coast of Mallorca and it’s a white tower with black stripes. Its focal plane has a height of 42m and 25m support. Itswhite beam light reaches out as far as 10 nautical miles at night and is currently in use. It belongs to the port authorities of the Balearic Islands.

The lighthouse of La Higuera in Matalascañas, belongs to the port authorities of Huelva. The building is a white triangular prism with a dome. Its focal plane has a height of 47 m and 24m support. It is in use and has a white light reaching out 20nm.

The lighthouse of Igueldo was founded in 1855 and is one of the main monuments of San Sebastian. It belongs to the port authorities of Pasajes and consists of a cylindrical tower with a house. It is currently in use and has a light beam that reaches out 26nm.

The lighthouse of Punta Arinaga is set in the eastern coast of the island of Gran Canaria and is under the port authorities of Las Palmas. It stands in the mountain of Arinaga and the building is a white cylindrical tower with red stripes. Its light is white-red and in use. Its focal plane is 47m high and 13m the support.

The lighthouse of Torre de Hercules was built by the Romans in the first century D.C. and belongs to the port authorities of La Coruña. Its rectangular tower has a focal plane of 106 m and 49m support. It is currently in use and its white light can be seen as far as 23 nautical miles.

The lighthouse of Torrox stands in the town of the same name. It was built in 1864 and is under the authority of the Port of Malaga. It is 29m high and 23 m support. It is a white cylindrical tower over a white house and is currently in use. Its light is also white and reaches out 20 nm.